Cultures in ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck Essay

John Steinbeck (1902 – 1968) was born in Salinas, California, which was also were the book ‘Of Mice and Men’ was set. At the time John Steinbeck introduced the book ‘Of Mice and Men’, money was a really big issue. This time was known as the ‘Great Slump’, also known as, the Great Depression. John Steinbeck had experience of life, as a farm labourer and could be why he chooses to tell the story about George Milton and Lennie Smalls, two ranchmen in Americas South West The story opens with Ranchmen George and Lennie fleeing their old workplace, with Lennie having been accused of rape. It soon’ becomes clear that Lennie has the mental age of a child, and that George is his guardian. However pretty soon Lennie finds himself accused of murder,†¦show more content†¦In â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, George and Lennie are chasing their â€Å"American Dream† of owning and farm of their own. In the book â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, John Steinbeck makes lots of cultural references to America in the 1930’s. There is one character who called ‘ Crooks’ and he is black, but in the ranches ‘Crooks’ was known as a â€Å"Nigger†, in the 1930’s the word â€Å"Nigger† was not offensive to black people , but now days it is. In ‘Of Mice and Men’ there are three characters which are female and their names where ‘Curleys Wife’, ‘Auntie Clara’ and ‘Suzy’. In many ways Curleys Wife was treated without respect since she had no friends, neither did she have someone to talk to. The ranchmen had referred to her as a ‘Tart’ which showed the women didn’t have much of a value and were judged by their looks. The reason why John Steinbeck has used the word â€Å"Tart† towards Curleys Wife is because she is a ‘Femme Fatale’, who uses makeup and flirts with any men that she sees, and also this is why she hasn’t got a name in ‘Of Mice and Men’. The author used this negative language to give the effect of disrespect and to portray a negative atmosphere and attitude towards women. Curleys Wife could have had a much better future if she never married Curley, her hopes and dreams would have been successful but she chose the path to be with Curley and now she is suffering from loneliness. â€Å"Femme Fatale† is when a woman uses their body to proceed what theyShow MoreRelatedThe Grapes Of Wrath And Of Mice And Men1644 Words   |  7 PagesJarvis Johnson Research Paper John Steinbeck is an American author of 27 books, widely known for award winning novels, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men; Steinbeck is also a Nobel Prize winning of Literature. Steinbeck’s writing expresses realistic and creative thoughts, combining as they do compassionate comedy (through Lennie) and intense social perception with their surrounding national culture. 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