English essay- Explore the ways in which John Steinbeck presents power in the fight scene.
The 1930’s was hard time for most people who lost their money in the Wall Street crash. John Steinbeck tries to portray how tough life was back then in his novel mice and men. Mice and men also portray how power was abused and the way that it was used in the 1930’s. In the fight scene power is portrayed in many different ways physical power, financial power, collective power, emotional blackmail, status power and people who are disempowered. In this essay I will explore the ways that John Steinbeck presents power in the fight scene.
George has a lot of power over Lennie; psychological power but not physical. In the fight scene George uses instructional language to Lennie he orders Lennie what to do. For example ‘Leggo his hand Lennie.Leggo’. George shouted this over and over again in desperation for Lennie to stop. The instructional language that George uses is like the language that a parent would use with a child showing that Lennie and George share a parent and child relationship. The psychological power that George holds over Lennie means that Lennie has been disempowered like a young child would be when a parent makes a decision for them. The word ‘leggo’ suggests that George uses instructional language a lot to Lennie the way a parent would to a child. The word is effective because it is directly telling Lennie what to do. The word makes the reader feel sympathetic for Lennie because of the situation he is in. He doesn’t understand and is very confused about the situation that he is in. The other men apart from George and maybe slim don’t understand that Lennies mind works like child. If he does something worng he expects to be punished by George as we find out in chapter six after he unintentionally kills Curley’s wife. The word