Comparing Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men And The Catcher In The

Discrimination and alienation are two major contributing factors to whether or not a society is able to work together and be one. In the novels Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, discrimination and alienation play a key role in the failure of their societies. Of Mice and Men tells the story of George and Lennie, two men who work on a ranch together. Numerous characters throughout the novel experience discrimination and suffer because of it. Holden is the protagonist in The Catcher in the Rye who self-alienates himself from society. Discrimination, Self-alienation, and alienation in general all lead to the downfall of society in these works. Even though discrimination and alienation are not the only
Lennie, Crooks, and Curly’s wife are just a few of the main characters in the novel to experience discrimination. Due to his mental disabilities, Lennie is treated differently. George treats Lennie as though he is helpless and does not let Lennie talk or do anything independently. “ ‘What you gonna say tomorrow when the boss asks you a question? ‘ Lennie stopped chewing and swallowed. His face was concentrated. ‘I…I ain’t gonna…say a word.’ ” (Steinbeck 14). This quote shows how George reiterates to Lennie how he is not allowed to saw a word to their new boss. George treats Lennie like a burden and prevents him from living his own life. Crooks is discriminated from the ranch because of his race. Crooks is forced to live in the barn instead of in the bunk house with the other men. He is isolated and is a stable buck because all the other men don’t believe he can do their job because he is crippled. “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” (Steinbeck 65). This quote shows how Crooks is secluded to the barn because of his race. Curly’s wife is also treated unfairly because she is a woman. All the men on the ranch do not treat her with respect and Curly treats her as his property instead of a person. The discrimination of these characters prevents them from creating an integrated
Throughout the novel, Lennie is discriminated and alienated because of his mental disabilities. George refuses to allow Lennie to participate in any of the activities the other men on the ranch do like play cards or go out into town. “All the guys got a horseshoe tenement goin’ on. It’s on’y about four o’clock. None of them guys in goin’ to leave that tenement. Why can’t I talk to you?” (Steinbeck 82). This quote shows how the men are all together while Lennie is alone in the barn with Curly’s wife. This alienation leads to Lennie alone in the barn where he ends up killing his puppy, accidently killing Curly’s wife after petting her hair, and leads to his own death. Holden’s downfall due to alienation is different from Lennie’s in many ways. Holden’s alienation is self-inflicted due to grief after the loss of his brother Allie. Holden’s alienation begins at his private school Pency. “I remember around three o’clock, I was standing way the hell up on top of Thomsen Hill.” (Salinger 4). This quote shows how while everyone in the whole school is watching the football game, Holden has placed himself away at the top of Thomsen Hill. Holden’s poor grades and lack of effort towards school leads him to be kicked out of Pency. After this Holden decides to alienate himself further and stay in New York instead