How does John Steinbeck portray the plight of the poor and powerless in 1930's California?

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How does John Steinbeck portray the plight of the poor and powerless in 1930’s California?

John Steinbeck wrote “Of Mice and Men” in California, United States. The year which the story was written, 1936, was a really bad time for the people in the U.S.A., because that time was called the depression, a time of much unemployment and when banks and stock markets were collapsed. Steinbeck shows the bad situation of that time in a story where people worked a lot and earned little money, and men had dreams which would never come true. The title of the book reflects how living things confront problems which are superior to them, even mice, not only men.

The times in America at that time were very difficult; this is shown by Steinbeck, because he talks about a ranch were low-class people work to the orders of a powerful boss. Even though they worked very hard, they get little paid, and also they have a depressing life, being lonely and discriminated sometimes.

Life was very difficult in those times specially for some people. Black people, shown on the book as Crooks, were severely discriminated just because the colour of their skin was black. Black people could never have power, Steinbeck uses the example of Crooks to show that black people were usually the “stable-buck” of the ranches, a very bad job, being badly treated. He is left isolated in a room of the stable, even though he probably works better than other men. There is a very good quote which describes Crooks and his room,

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               “This room was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs.”

           As Crooks was discriminated, he was used to being far apart of the people, so he got used to being lonely and marginated. There is another good quote which Crooks said, showing the hopes of discriminated people in those times. He told George,

               “You’ll be a swamper here till they take out of here in a ...

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