From Mice to Men and Back Again

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck; a novel thought by many to be a literary masterpiece. A masterpiece because it represents life: raw, unscripted, and boundless. John Steinbeck used real life prejudices to mold the book Of Mice and Men into a microcosm for the world in the 1930s. How did he do it, this writer whose name has become engraved upon the literary society? How did he take one small place in the world, revolving around the lives of two characters, and show people the ups, downs, and insides of the real world? He wrote the world the way it was during the time he lived with harsh, unfailing honesty, it?s true, but how did he manage to capture and connect it together? John Steinbeck wrote life as it was around him, what people saw: blacks being "just black", women being "just women", and everyone around them being classified into groups without a second thought. He saw through their eyes as well as his own and found three things that he then wove into his work almost unwittingly, without leaving a seam. Only people who analyze the book?s content would even realize he used them at all. These three things were unconsciously alive during his time, as well as during ours: racism, sexism, and stereotypes.
The dictionary defines racism as: "discrimination based on the belief that some races are by nature superior to others." During the fourth decade of the 20th century, racism was prevalent in America. Steinbeck illustrated this fact by creating a character who was treated by all other characters if he were beneath them because of the color of his skin. Through the presence of this character, Steinbeck informed his readers what racism in the world at that time was like. One of the things he did was to add an entire chapter about a black man?s point of view which enabled him to include details that helped him to get his points across. There are many little examples of this throughout the fourth chapter. In one example, Crooks replied to Lennie?s question why he wasn?t wanted, ?" ?Cause I?m black. They play cards in there, but I can?t play because I?m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me."?1 In another example Crooks carried on a mostly one sided conversation during which he said, ?"I was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch, ?bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place, an? sometimes I went to play with them, and some of them was pretty nice. My ol? man didn?t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn?t like that. But I know now."?2 The author demonstrated a more general prejudice when he writes, ?"If I say something, why it?s just a nigger sayin? it." 2 This line gives the reader an idea of what it was like for a black person at that time. No one would take them seriously, no one would care, and no one would pay attention to what they had to say.
Another type of prejudice circulating around that time period, as well as now, was sexism. John Steinbeck wove sexism into his work carefully through dialog and action. Again, as with the issue of racism, he added only one character to support his lessons about life as he knew it. This character?s name is? Curley?s wife? Yes, indeed, the most effective statement he makes about the issues of sexism was by not naming one of the most essential characters. By not identifying her by name, the author implied that she was referred to as ?not important enough?, that she doesn?t count as a person with a mind. Because she ?doesn?t count? nobody bothered to talk to her or understand or spend time with her. A quote pulled from a page in the fifth chapter supports this thought splendidly: ?-"Why can?t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely." ?3 There was a certain format for the way women were to act and what they were to do. Steinbeck represented this well through dialog, little snippets here and there. In chapter number three, the words, "Why?n?t you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs"4 escape Carlson?s lips. This implies that she and, more generally, women were supposed to stay in the house all the time, maybe cooking, cleaning, sewing, knitting, and a limited assortment of other things. By including Curley?s glove of vaseline (?"You see that glove on his left hand?"? "Well, that glove?s fulla vaseline"? "Well, I tell ya what- Curley says he?s keepin? that hand soft for his wife."?5) implied that women were for nothing but pleasure. Another reference to this pleasure side of sexism in the book is the attention brought to one of the activities the workers did in there free time: "cat houses". According to Crooks, many men went through the farm saving money for their dream come true but, ?"ever? time a whore house or a blackjack game took what it takes." ?6 Pleasure, cooking, and knitting were the boundaries of life for women as Steinbeck shows it in the 1930s.
Last but not least, stereotypes are strong but silent discrimination, a labeling according to what a group of people or single person seem like, without going any deeper than the surface. John Steinbeck deliberately stereotyped many of the characters in this book to get this message across. Crooks was stereotyped to be a smelly old black man (?-"they say I stink"?1) because of a combination of racism as well as his disability. Lennie was stereotyped to be just disabled and crazy, or stupid depending on who you ask. In the book Curley was a strongly stereotyped person, and not understood, which was yet another lesson from the author. There was no one in the book who attempted to go behind Curley?s mask and see why he acted like he did; he is just stereotyped as a mean bully. Curley?s wife was strongly stereotyped, too. Just because she was good-looking she was treated as if she were a ?tart? or a ?tease?. The men on the farm thought she was going to get them in trouble with Curley, the boss, and everyone else. They assumed that she was going to try to use her looks to get a man to sleep with her or "fool around" with her a little. All throughout the book, George warns Lennie to stay away from Curley?s wife because she?s trouble. Chapter 3 holds a similar dialog when Whit says, ?"Well, stick around an? keep your eyes open. You?ll see plenty. She ain?t concealin? nothing. I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin? all the time on everybody. I bet she even gives the stable buck the eye. I don?t know what the hell she wants." ?7 answered by George?s casual inquiry of if she had been any trouble. This stereotype was proved to be just that during the second to final chapter when Curley?s wife said, ?"What?s the matter with me?" she cried. "Ain?t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You?re a nice guy. I don?t know why I can?t talk to you. I ain?t doin? no harm to you." ?3Today, we use stereotypes unconsciously, not thinking before we divide ourselves into groups.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck; a novel thought by many to be a literary masterpiece. A masterpiece because it represents life: raw, unscripted, and boundless. How does he do it? Writing about prejudice and discrimination is a powerful tool because it is something that every person can recognize and connect with, even subconsciously. It is something that effects the world, that forms it, molds it. Without our knowledge, it shapes our society, it always has. Steinbeck showed this, he labeled it for all who read his work. It?s everywhere, not just in big cites, not only in small suburbs or wealthy neighborhoods or poor, neglected townships. By choosing a setting that is not usually recognized or focused on and weaving in this discrimination so seamlessly that you can hardly even point out where it is specifically, he is speaking directly to our subconsciouses. Through this piece of literature he is teaching us the past, the not so ancient history of America that so influences our society today.

1 p.119 5 p.51
2 p.123 6 p.134
3 p.150 7 p.92
4 p.109