The way in which the theme of prejudice is presented Essay Example for Free

The way in which the theme of prejudice is presented Essay From your reading of the novel so far, (up to and including chapter four), comment on the way in which the theme of prejudice is presented. The subject of prejudice is one of the major themes throughout the novel Of Mice and Men. There are three main characters that suffer prejudice from others, although this isnt always intentional. Crooks, Candy and Curleys wife are all examples of characters that are discriminated against, whether because of race, sex, age or appearance. Lennie receives some prejudice, however not nearly as much as the others. Candy is the oldest of all the ranch workers, and has lost his hand (presumably in a working accident), so therefore is resigned to be the swamper, as he cant do anything more. Because of this, he is isolated from the other workers in the bunkhouse due to his age and disability, and has become incredibly lonely. Candy is one of the three pairings in the novel, a relationship that is quickly destroyed. At the start of the novel, he is not as lonely as his old sheepdog provides company for him so his seclusion does not affect him hugely. However, in chapter 3, the other members of the group pressure him into allowing Carlson to shoot his dog, on the basis that he Dont know nothing that stinks so bad as an old dog. Although Candy loves his dog and doesnt want it dead, he eventually gives up and allows Carlson to take away his dog and shoot it. This shows how desperate he is for the other workers to like him more: that he would allow his only real friend on the ranch to be killed just to please the others in the bunkhouse. This also shows the amount of prejudice Candy suffers: it was inevitable that his dog was going to be killed, and if it had come to it he probably would have had no say in the matter. The event is foreshadowing of the fact that Candy is also old, and he too will die sooner than any of the other men. Further prejudice is seen as Slim offers him another dog from his new litter of puppies. The other ranch workers cannot see his misery, and treat him more like an animal by simply offering to replace what has been lost. Another of the victims of prejudice is Curleys wife, who is never given a name during the novel, to show that she has become one of Curleys possessions in the eyes of the workers, and, like all women, could never be treated as an equal. She is treated very harshly, suffering much verbal violence, for example being referred to as a bitch, tramp, poison, jailbait and a looloo. Most of these names are said in a cruel way, however some are merely how the workers refer to all women in general. Because of the neglect that she is given by everyone on the ranch, she dresses flamboyantly in order to gain some of the attention that she craves. She is said to have full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. She wears a lot of red, which is a symbol of danger and also is a vibrant colour that may get her noticed. Also, it is very similar to a description of Mae West a film star at the time. When Curleys wife first meets George and Lennie she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. This is done only so that people will notice her for her good looks and therefore (she hopes) will pay her some attention. Instead they are all rude to her behind her back as their only real experience with women is at the local brothel, where women are treated more as objects, and so because of this, the workers associate her with prostitution and treat her with no respect. Like most women, she is considered to have hidden dangers; one of the ranchers describes how Andys in San Quentin now on account of a tart. Lennie, although he receives a small amount of prejudice, still holds some respect, as the other workers fear his strength, especially after he crushes Curleys hand. However, behind his back, references are often made about the fact that George and him travel together, implying that he wouldnt be able to do anything on his own and George himself says many times how childlike and dependant he is. A character that receives a large amount of discrimination is Crooks, simply because he is black. Much of this is not intentional, names such as nigger are common language to use amount the ranch workers, and they use it without considering the affect it has on Crooks feelings. He is treated terribly in the novel and is forced to live in a small shed with the animals. He has become a proud, aloof man and is rude to everyone as they are rude to him. He is clearly very lonely, and for good reason- the only time that he is allowed into the bunkhouse with the others is at Christmas so that they can beat him up, and get pleasure out of watching him behave like an animal. The only people in the book who dont instantly discriminate him because he is a nigger are Candy and Lennie, Lennie only because he doesnt know how. Crooks is still bitter and rude to them though, because he is afraid of being friendly to people because he no longer trusts anyone to return the friendliness. When Lennie comes into Crooks makeshift home, Crooks is instantly very rude to him. However, when Candy also wants to talk to him, Crooks found it hard to conceal his pleasure with anger, showing that Crooks actually enjoyed the company. He starts to come out of his shell and even asks to be part of Lennies dream, but then Curleys wife enters and is met with nothing but rude comments. This causes her to become defensive and she is very scornful to Crooks, causing him to retire into the terrible protective dignity of the negro. He is put in his place, and refuses to be part of the dream, because, as he says, I wouldn want to go no place like that.