Discrimination In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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When most people think of the word “prejudice,” many assume it is referring to racial issues. Yes, racial discrimination makes up a large part of prejudices in America, and according to USA Today, 51% of people show signs of anti-black attitude in the U.S.. However, prejudices doesn’t just refer to racial bias, but instead refer to any sort of disability or difference of an individual that the society contemplates to “not fit” within the society (Junis). The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck focuses on two friends, George and Lennie, who after being run out of a previous town for Lennie’s reprehensible actions, try to make a living at a new ranch. There, there meet a variety of people, and witness how society treats those with something different or “not normal” about them. However, the novel ends after Lennie accidentally kills someone, George is forced to kill…show more content…
Initially, Curley appears to be someone with a strong confidence in himself due to his social status on the ranch, illustrated by him wearing the high-heeled boots. However, his apparent self-confidence is only a facade hiding how his size truly equals the amount of courage he has. When first meeting Lenny, Curly verbally attacks him with no clear provocation on Lennie’s part. Candy later explains to George later that Curly is so self-concious of how small he is, he’s “‘all time picking scraps with big guy’” as if he’s trying to prove he’s just as good as them, and his fighting skills don’t depend on his size (26). Curly does not exhibit the true courage and confidence people would think someone of his position would have, but rather is just a pugnacious man with a grudge against all those who got the better genes in the height department. Therefore, a person’s inclination to discriminate against people may just be the product of their own meager
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