Underdogs in of Mice and MEn
Analysis of ‘Underdog’ Characters in Of Mice and Men
“A guy needs somebody – to be near him.” He whined, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody…” (John Steinbeck 72). Love and belonging, is the third most important need in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. As human beings, being a part of something is crucial to our development as a person. People can go insane if they live a life of isolation. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are driven into isolation by the prejudice of society, physical shortcomings, and their own self-destructive tendencies. “… He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was natural” (Steinbeck 88). That quote explains Curley’s wife’s’ dream of being a movie star that never panned out. Like all of the underdogs in John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, she had a failed dream. Curley’s wife was a social pariah because of many uncontrollable and controllable factors. Her gender was one of the uncontrollable factors that caused her to be an underdog. The period of time in which the novel takes place has a heavy prejudice against women. Curley’s wife however, embraces this stereotype. Steinbeck portrays women as troublemakers who bring ruin to men, which is exactly what Curley’s wife is. She is constantly wandering around the ranch, flaunting her beauty to the ranch hands. She is seen as a “… tart” (Steinbeck 28). Instead, Curley’s wife, should have worked hard to change this stereotype. Curley’s wife should not have been as mean to the ranch hands. Her nastiness is what caused many of the ranch hands to dislike her. “… An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs – a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep – an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). In this particular situation, Curley’s wife was taunting Crooks, Candy, and Lennie. She was degrading them. This is one of the many situations in which Curley’s wife preys on
“A guy needs somebody – to be near him.” He whined, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody…” (John Steinbeck 72). Love and belonging, is the third most important need in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. As human beings, being a part of something is crucial to our development as a person. People can go insane if they live a life of isolation. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are driven into isolation by the prejudice of society, physical shortcomings, and their own self-destructive tendencies. “… He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was natural” (Steinbeck 88). That quote explains Curley’s wife’s’ dream of being a movie star that never panned out. Like all of the underdogs in John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, she had a failed dream. Curley’s wife was a social pariah because of many uncontrollable and controllable factors. Her gender was one of the uncontrollable factors that caused her to be an underdog. The period of time in which the novel takes place has a heavy prejudice against women. Curley’s wife however, embraces this stereotype. Steinbeck portrays women as troublemakers who bring ruin to men, which is exactly what Curley’s wife is. She is constantly wandering around the ranch, flaunting her beauty to the ranch hands. She is seen as a “… tart” (Steinbeck 28). Instead, Curley’s wife, should have worked hard to change this stereotype. Curley’s wife should not have been as mean to the ranch hands. Her nastiness is what caused many of the ranch hands to dislike her. “… An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs – a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep – an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). In this particular situation, Curley’s wife was taunting Crooks, Candy, and Lennie. She was degrading them. This is one of the many situations in which Curley’s wife preys on
Cited: Shmoop Editorial Team. "Crooks in Of Mice and Men"Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 15 Sep. 2013. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 15 Sep. 2013. Shmoop Editorial Team. "Candy in Of Mice and Men"Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 15 Sep. 2013. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print