What does John Steinbeck in 'Of Mice And Men' tell us about life in the Americain 1930s?

When George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch. Although this is the first conversion with George, Candy shows the shocking acceptability of racism and prejudice towards people he considers to be different and therefore an outsider. Furthermore the theme of racism builds on and link with the other idea of prejudice and loneliness.

THE BUNK HOUSE was a long rectangular building. Inside the walls were whitewashed and the floor was unpainted. There were three small square windows in the walls.

From the information above the reader is shown the nasty rough of the bunk house by the way the bunk house is described" long rectangular building...the walls were whitewashed and the floor unpainted".

This is a mixture with chapter one, with the long detailed sentences of the first chapter a complete difference to the short and simple sentences in chapter two. The author uses the two setting to show what is about to happen to the main characters, George and lennie .In chapter one and six George and lennie are free in a beautiful location. Where as badness happen while they are in the nasty place of the ranch. The story circle around some main events, the first is the late arrival of George and lennie at the ranch which gives the reader an early warning that things were not going to go well for them in the ranch. This is when Curley arrives in the bunkhouse and stares angrily at George and lennie. "He glanced coldly at George and then at lennie"

It is obvious that Curley does not like George and lennie. When George and lennie meet Curley's wife for the very first time lennie immediately become interested in her. "Lennie watch her, fascinated"

They meet Curly, the chief son, who takes an immediate dislike to Lennie. As the time passes in the Bunkhouse Curley's dislike rises until a fight take place in the house .Lennie crushes Curley's hand. Lennie later on in the Bunkhouse lennie touch and kills a small dog. The next day the ranch workers were playing a game while Lennie and Curley's wife were taking suddenly lennie start feeling Curley's wife hair as you know that lennie like to stroke nice things he accidentally breaks her neck until she fall down. "Her body flopped like a fish" Steinbeck uses an animal image to represent the weakness of Curley's wife.

As a result of this Curley look for revenge and becomes close with killing lennie. George decide the only kind thing to do is to kill lennie by himself and shoot him in the back of the head. Steinbeck cleverly uses all three themes to bring his bright and realistic characters to life. Therefore the reader immediately builds up a dislike for Curley when he is representing as a small arrogant bully, always looking for a "scrap". Candy shows his disrespect for Curley when he speaks to George immediately after Lennie's first meeting with Curley. Candy warns George and Lennie of Curley's prejudice towards big people and of his excitement to pick fight with anyone taller than himself. As a result the subject of prejudice is built ahead by the author when he illustrates Curley's prejudice against Lennie, simply because he is taller.

This is more highlighted when Curley bully's Lennie into fighting him." Come on, Ya big bastard".This draw attention to the destroy, jealousy and hatred suffer by Curley for people that are bigger than him.

On the other hand the reader at the start has pity for Lennie, a huge man with the mind of a child, who is describing as a kind monster. Steinbeck uses the character Slim to call to the reader that Lennie is a not an evil man.

Slim, known as the "leader" of the ranch, declares his feelings towards Lennie. Consequently the reader is left in no doubt that Lennie's actions are not deliberate. Despite this the reader is still frightened by Lennie as Steinbeck uses the image of a big strong man and compares his image to that of a large white bear when describing Lennie:

As the story comes to a great moment George killing Lennie to keep him from the community shame that Curley would focus him to.

Reading this book has given me a close into the way in which society treats some people as outcast. In my opinion this is the key reason that John Steinbeck chose to write this novel.