It is immediately made clear that Lennie and George’s unusual friendship is not approved of. In the unemotional and impersonal environment of the ranch, “looking out for one another” is an unknown concept. When George was talking about Lennie, the boss became immediately suspicious and assumed that George had some sort of “stake” in Lennie. He revealed his aggression and superiority once again when he asked, “‘Say – what you sellin’?’” This is a very good indication of the inability of the boss to understand people being different and emotion amongst the workers, indeed, it seems as though the boss does not feel the workers are of a high enough class to have any feelings.
The prejudice shown towards the various minority groups on the ranch is in most cases fairly extreme. Crooks, the black stable buck is socially segregated, Curley’s wife is constantly ignored, Lennie is looked down on for his low intellectual level and Candy and his dog are seen as being useless simply because they are old. This portrays to the reader the pre-judgement and stereotyping found on the ranch, and coincides with the idea of all migrant workers being in the same circumstances.
When the boss first entered the bunkhouse it was immediately made clear to the reader that the presence of Candy and his dog was not welcome. As soon as the boss arrived, Candy “looked quickly at him, and then shuffled to the door”. The fact that Candy left as soon as the boss arrived suggests tension between them.
Candy only has one hand, and both he and his dog are very old. It is therefore assumed that because of Candy’s disability and age that he will be of no use. Because the workers are so prejudiced, they cannot see beyond what shows, so to them Candy’s dog is “so god-damn old he can’t hardly walk. Stinks like hell too. Got no teeth, damn near blind, can’t eat.” In spite of this, he is the best friend Candy ever had and probably the only living thing on the ranch that does not treat Candy as being inferior. Living in such a lonely environment, the migrant workers cannot see the value Candy’s dog has to Candy and therefore can see no reason for it to live. It is killed because it is seen as being useless. This is a parallel to the situation George and Lennie are in; indeed it seems likely that Candy and his dog are a metaphor for George and Lennie. The other migrant workers cannot understand the value Candy’s dog has to Candy. Similarly, they cannot appreciate why George and Lennie travel around together and look after one another. They therefore show prejudice towards George and Lennie because they do not fit in with the normal image of a migrant worker. This especially applies to Lennie, as the way in which he copies George’s every move makes it clear that he is unable to think for himself, and is therefore more vulnerable to prejudice.
When Curley first meets Lennie he immediately acts in a very aggressive manner, as he is very prejudiced towards “big guys”. He takes up a powerful stance and wants to show Lennie who is boss. The first thing he says to Lennie is “Let the big man talk”. The offensive way in which he says this implies that he feels threatened by Lennie because of his size. Curley reacts by behaving in a powerful and aggressive manner. This makes Lennie feel unsure and scared: “Lennie squirmed under the look and shifted his feet nervously.” This tells us that even by looking at Lennie, Curley can scare him, as Lennie does not know how to react. This immediately puts Curley in a situation of power.
The fact that Lennie is intellectually weaker puts him in a vulnerable situation from Curley’s wife as well as Curley. He is unable to see through her good looks and “purty” behaviour, to the “tart” which is underneath. Although she too is a victim of prejudice, pre-judgement and social segregation, she is in a position of power because she is Curley’s wife. The only way she can get attention from the men is by flirting with them. If any of the men were caught responding to this behaviour, they would lose their jobs. The economic situation in America in the 1930s meant that the workers could not afford to lose their jobs, so they avoided the problem be ignoring Curley’s wife. However, because Lennie is so intellectually disabled, he does not see her actions as flirting and does not realise the implications of responding to this behaviour, so he is therefore in a very vulnerable situation.
When Lennie goes into Crooks room in Chapter 4 he finds he is very unwelcome. Immediately Crooks tells Lennie that he’s “got no right to come in …[his] room” and becomes very defensive. This reaction is a result of the prejudice he has been subjected to throughout his life, as he immediately assumes that the only reason that Lennie would want to see him would be to laugh at him. Despite the fact that he has not met Lennie previously, he automatically assumes that, like the other migrant workers, Lennie is very prejudiced towards black people, and Crooks therefore despises him. Crooks has already decided what Lennie is like before he has even spoken to him; this decision is based on his past experiences with other white men as opposed to the reality.
The migrant workers all see Crooks as being inferior because he is black. Because of this he “ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse” because “they say … [he] stink[s]”. Because he is black he is seen as being different and is therefore socially segregated. This division causes Crooks to be treated differently to the other workers, because by being isolated he is made to be different. This ends up as a vicious cycle because the more he is treated differently, the more acceptable this different treatment becomes, indeed it has become accepted as a way of life by both Crooks and the workers.
The ease with which the physical denomination of Crooks is discussed tells the reader of the normality and regularity of it. The Klu Klux Klan were famous for their opinions and actions towards black people, indeed, the response to this was the acceptance of racial prejudice in America. It seems that Candy quite enjoys the thought of Crooks getting a beating, indeed when talking to George and Lennie in Chapter 2 he told them how he “gave the stable-buck hell” when they didn’t turn up for work. He then said, by means of explanation “Ya see, the stable-buck’s a nigger”, as if that qualified his statement. It is feasible that Candy was thankful it wasn’t him being beaten, as he too is vulnerable to prejudice due to his age.
Curley’s wife is the only female on the ranch. Because of this she is the victim of extensive prejudice from both the workers and her husband. The fact that she is the only female on the ranch means that, other than Curley, she has no one to talk to or socialise with. In desperation, she flirts with the men to try to get attention, but this simply means that the workers liken her to a prostitute and hence ignore her. The initial description of Curley’s wife in Chapter 2 immediately forces the reader to fall into the same trap as the workers, which is to judge her by her appearance. It was said that:
“She had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers.”
The emphasis put on her figure and the effort she goes to in order to look good convey the fact that Curley’s wife is seeking attention through her clothing. However, George and Lennie do not get to make their own decision about Curley’s wife because Candy has already told them what he and the workers think of her. Candy gives George and Lennie no choice but to agree with him, indeed, Candy says to George and Lennie “You see if she ain’t a tart”, as though it was widely acknowledged and accepted that she was a “tart”. She faces extreme prejudice, as George and Lennie do not even take the trouble to speak to her; they assume she is a “tart” because of her revealing clothing and the way the other workers describe her.
The workers never give her a chance because all they have been told that she is a “tart”, and when George and Lennie first see her, she is dressed so “tartily” that they immediately assume her to be a troublesome “tart” before she has even had the chance to speak.
When she does speak, her flirty tone of voice and desperation for attention make it clear that she is able to stir up trouble. We know this because she is almost asking for sexual attention despite the fact that she is already married to Curley. Although it is her way to get attention, it does in fact make people try to keep out of her way because they are scared of what could happen if they spoke to her: even though she is a victim of prejudice, she is still in a very powerful position because she is married to Curley.
The fact that she is dressed like a tart and a prostitute is one of the main reasons why she is socially segregated. Throughout the novel she is known as Curley’s wife instead of with a name. This portrays the fact that she is a possession of Curley’s and therefore an object, so discriminating against her is not seen to be unjust.
In some respects, Curley’s wife is the cause of the discrimination and prejudice she faces. She is desperate for attention because Curley ignores her most of the time, however, she is seen as being a threat to the workers because of her flirting. The prejudice she faces culminates in her death, indeed, if Lennie hadn’t been so worried about what George would have said, he might never have killed her.
This forms part of the basis of the argument as to why prejudice is the central theme of this novel. The consequence of the prejudice shown towards Curley’s wife is that she is killed, and the prejudice against both Lennie and Curley’s wife cause Lennie’s death. The main events of the novel are dictated by the prejudice towards minority groups, indeed, without prejudice the story could not have culminated as it did.
From the evidence in the novel it is clear that the survival of prejudice is totally dependent on the narrow-mindedness and pre-judgement displayed by the workers. One of the clearest examples of this is when Crooks told Lennie to leave his room before he had a chance to see Lennie’s personality. He judged Lennie on the fact that he was a migrant worker, so he expected him to be racially prejudiced. Because he judged on his imagination as opposed to the real situation, he assumed Lennie to be very prejudiced whereas he was actually very friendly. Candy, George and Lennie got to know one another before they were able to judge one another, so treated each other fairly, however, Curley judged Lennie on his size and mental disability, and treated him accordingly.
The patterns of prejudice are clear. The minority groups are those at risk from prejudice simply because they are not the same as everyone else, which makes them vulnerable and therefore an easy target. Characters who are prejudiced against another character are putting down a character with some form of perceived flaw. They are not seen to be ‘real people’ and are not treated as such. Crooks is constantly referred to as either “nigger” or “stable-buck”, Lennie is called the “big guy”, Candy and his dog are always seen together and the dog is never given a name, and Curley’s wife is never referred to by her own name. This tells the reader that people who are prejudiced refuse to admit that the people they are prejudiced against are not people in their own right, but either possessions or ‘things’. This means that, to them, their prejudiced is justified, which is why it is always accepted without question.
The amount of prejudice present on the ranch is enormous, however, the seriousness of the prejudice varies immensely. At the beginning of the novel, the workers are simply looked down upon because they are desperate for work and money. As the storyline progresses, so does the complexity and seriousness of the prejudice. By the end of the novel, the consequences of the prejudice are far more drastic, and the novel culminates in the death of Lennie and Curley’s wife.
I think that prejudice is the main theme of the novel “Of Mice and Men” due to the fact that it dictates all the events of the novel. Simple things, such as the way the characters treat one another are all affected by prejudice. The lifestyle of the migrant workers and the way they see one another are also affected by prejudice. However, possibly the most important event in the novel is the death of Curley’s wife, which culminates in the death of Lennie. Both of these deaths were a direct consequence of prejudice. However, if the prejudice towards Curley’s wife had not existed, Lennie would not have felt that she had to be silenced, so would probably never have killed her. Curley’s prejudice towards Lennie meant that he was not going to be lenient. Because he saw Lennie as a threat, he wanted to get rid of him, and this was the ideal opportunity. The death of Lennie is the climax to the prejudice that builds up throughout the novel, and the fact that prejudice was the cause of his death sums up in one event the main theme of the novel.
