Of Mice and Men Intolerance Essay

Of Mice And Men : Intolerance Essay Societies that discriminate against the weak are unjust. In the novel Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, many characters are unfairly oppressed. Society treats Curley 's Wife poorly because she is a woman, Crooks because he is black and Lennie because he is disabled. In the end, intolerance leads to tragedy for each one of them. The character of Crooks is a victim of intolerance and discrimination throughout the novel. Society takes advantage of Crooks and neglects him because of the stereotypes of his skin colour. Crooks is not allowed to enter the bunk house where the white men sleep, or dine with them. He is left with the animals, isolated from everyone and exploited by most of the men on the ranch. George and Lennie arrive late to the ranch where Slim tells them about the boss, “ 'Where the hells them new men? An ' he give the stable buck hell too. '” (Steinbeck 19). Although Crooks has not done anything wrong he is still seen as an animal in the eyes of society. Crooks is mostly referred to with offensive terms. Crooks tells Lennie he is not allowed to have a say in anything. Crooks is a lonely man but he desperately wants to be hopeful. When Candy encourages him to accompany them on their dream, Crooks agrees. However a bit later, Curley 's Wife threatens Crooks when he asks her to leave his room, “ 'I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny ' “ (Steinbeck 81). Immediately all of Crooks ' desire diminishes as he remembers where his place is in society. Crooks remembers that he does not have any power to retaliate so he has to deal with it. Due to the lack of tolerance and respect from the ranchers, Crooks continues to live isolated and hopeless. Another character that is mistreated by society is Curley 's Wife. Curley 's Wife is seen as an object and is easily stereotyped because of her gender. When George sees her for the first time he instantly takes a dismissive opinion of her, “ 'She 's