Racism And Prejudice In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Written in 1937 by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men explores themes such as the Great Depression, The American Dream, work, racism and prejudice. This novel explores these themes through two main characters, Lennie and George, who work laborious jobs on farms. The Help is a 2011 film based on 2009 novel. The film is set in 1963, Jackson, Mississippi and racism is the overpowering theme of this story. Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (referred to as Skeeter throughout the film) is an aspiring writer, with an independently thinking mind. Along with the help of Abelieen Clark and Minny Jackson, Skeeter tells the stories of the maids (referred to as the help) and the racism they face from working for white families. Hilly is the ring leader of racism and prejudice in The…show more content…
Lennie and Celia Foote both demonstrate that we are not born with racism and prejudice, rather it is taught to us from our parents and our community. Each of these characters show infantile qualities and because of this, are paired with a protector. For Lennie, this is George and for Celia, it is Minny. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is oblivious to this as in his mind, he is still a child and unaware of what happens around him. When Lennie wanders into Crook’s room, Crook says “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” Lennie doesn't understand and questions, “Why ain’t you wanted?” Crook is fairly sharp with his reply “Because I’m black.” Lennie doesn't understand this as he believes that he is no different to Crook. In The Help, Celia grew up in “Sugar Ditch” and has obviously not been exposed to racism and prejudice. Compared to characters such as Hilly Holbrook and Elizabeth Leefolt, Celia treats her maid, Minny, in a different manner. She sees Minny as an equal and therefore she should be treated with respect: “Can I bring you a cold drink? Sit down and I’ll bring you

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