Powerlessness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

713 Words3 Pages
After reading the novel Of Mice and Men social powerlessness is a common problem in the novel and exists in many different societies. In the novel some of the characters that display powerlessness are Lenny, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. They all exhibit the most sense of powerlessness. In many ways these characters relate although they don’t share close relationships in the book. In the paragraphs below are more into why each of these characters shows powerlessness. Lennie has many contributing factors that lead to his powerlessness in Of Mice and Men. Lennie is described in the book as a large awkward, caring, and childlike migrant worker. George who is Lennie’s friend is characterized as small, wiry, and sharp-featured. George is always…show more content…
She is introduced as a temptress or “looker” but later reveals a deeper character in the novel. Curley’s wife is powerless due to her gender. In the book, women are portrayed as troublemakers and Curley’s wife is defiantly included in this portrayal. She is described as a “tart”, “bitch”, and a “tramp”. The workers speak of her, basically, as Curley’s problem that needs to stay at home away from the other workers. She opens herself up to Crooks and Lennie because they possess equal amounts of powerlessness as she does. Curley’s wife feeds off of character’s insecurities, so she can strengthen herself against harm. At the end Curley’s wife’s powerlessness shows greatly when she is strangled at the hands of Lennie who she tries to seduce. This just shows how women then were little to any powerful. Curley’s wife, Lennie, and Crooks all exhibit major powerlessness in the novel. They all have this powerlessness because of who they are, not what they do. Curley’s wife’s gender, Lennie’s mental retardation, and Crooks’ skin color all result in their own helplessness. Even though they each have powerlessness they are all different in the way they are
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