Theme Of Disabilities In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

When people think of a someone with a disability, what do they often picture? Many often imagine people who have disabilities as having a physically different appearance or something that sets them apart. They think of someone who cannot speak, hear, see or walk. In some cases, though, people that have disabilities are not very different than those without any handicap. They often have a slight impairment that causes them to function a little bit different than everyone else and this sets them apart. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two migrant workers seek a job during the Great Depression. George Milton and Lennie Small find work on a farm and Lennie, being disabled, needs constant care from George as he cannot completely care
He is forced to obey George and do what he says as his disability prevents him from functioning properly and making the right decisions. When George and Lennie were about to go see their new boss at the ranch, George was worried that Lennie would ruin their opportunity at a new job by saying something wrong. If the new boss found out how unintelligent and incompetent Lennie is without seeing how hard of a worker he is, the two of them might not get the job. “‘We’re gonna go in an’ see the new boss. Now look-- I’ll give him the work tickets, but you ain’t gonna say a word. You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing. If he finds out what a crazy bastard you are, we won’t get no job, but if he sees ya work before he hears ya talk, we’re set’” (Steinbeck 6). George doesn’t have much faith that Lennie can talk and fend for himself, so he wants to do the talking for him. Jill Coleman explains to her audience that those with disabilities are stereotyped and people automatically assume that those people cannot be independent and do things for themselves. “People with a disability (PWD) are often stereotyped as possessing a lack of strength, a lack of endurance, weakness, and dependence (Louvet 2007).” George assumes that Lennie will cause trouble and that he doesn’t understand how to act properly just because he has a disability. Lennie’s disability causes others to judge him differently and he isn’t held accountable for important things. He is almost treated as though he is a child. Therefore, due to Lennie’s disability, he is treated and judged differently than men without any