Of Mice and Men †Life in America in the 1930’s Essay

â€Å"Of mice and men† by John Steinbeck tells the story of life in 1930’s America during the great depression, about the dreams, lifestyle, racism and sexism, which had become a way of life for the characters in Steinbeck’s book. I will be discussing these points to determine exactly what life in 1930’s American was like. Life in 1930’s America was very lonely, George tells us that â€Å"†¦guys like us†¦are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Many of the other ranch hands share the same feeling. This is also made apparent by the fact that most people think that there has to be something wrong if two men travel together because nobody takes that much care of somebody else, Slim’s comment to this is â€Å"†¦ I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy†¦Ã¢â‚¬  George and Lennie’s new boss is also suspicious, he asks George, referring to Lennie, â€Å"†¦what stake you got in this guy?†¦Ã¢â‚¬  George feels he has to lie and tells the boss that Lennie is † †¦my†¦Cousin†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The other ranch hands don’t interact with each other this is shown when Candy says to George â€Å"†¦a guy on the ranch don’t never listen nor he don’ t ask no questions†¦Ã¢â‚¬  this quote emphasises how private the menn keep their lives. Slim is an exception to this as he is always willing to talk if others wish to. However many of the others, despite their urge to talk, seem to be less inviting or trustworthy. George and Lennie seem to be an exception to this general life. They â€Å"†¦got somebody to talk to that gives a damn†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Slim describes what living on a ranch does to a man and really how lonely it is that â€Å"†¦they get mean†¦ they get so they don’t want to talk to anybody†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The average ranch hand gets â€Å"†¦ fifty bucks†¦Ã¢â‚¬  they â€Å"..go in old susy’s place†¦ you can get a shot for two bits†¦Ã¢â‚¬  they describe this as â€Å"†¦ jus’ the usual thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and George describes how most ranch hands are constantly moving from ranch to ranch â€Å"†¦they come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go into town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The conditions in which the migrant workers lived were primitive. Bunkhouse walls were whitewashed, the floor unpainted. There were eight bunks in the bunkhouse, which showed that there was a lack of privacy for the men. Even their few personal belongings were on public display â€Å"†¦over each bunk there was nailed an apple-box with the opening forward so that it made two shelves†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The only places for the men to sit were boxes. George saw that the conditions were also unhygienic when he found a can in his apple-box which said â€Å"†¦positively kills lice, roaches and other scourges†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The life style in 1930’s America was not one of luxury, it was full of hard times, low wages and little opportunity. Crooks the Stable buck dreams about going back to a world much like his childhood, without prejudice. Many of the men on the ranch are very racist, including the boss, even though the boss is described as a â€Å"pretty nice guy† he â€Å"give the stable buck hell†. An example of racial prejudice is when Carlson casually refers to the stable buck as a â€Å"†¦nigger†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . George does not react to this reference, which shows that it is a commonly used word. Also the prejudice against coloured people is again shown as the stable buck, who is a coloured man, is not permitted to sleep in the bunkhouse along with the other migrant workers. The stable buck is also not usually allowed to join in with any activities and we are shown this when Carlson explains how, at Christmas, â€Å"†¦they let the nigger come in that night†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The conditions in Crooks room are just as bad as the rest of the ranch, Crooks bed is â€Å"a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung†. Even though Crooks has his own room his life is extremely lonely, being the only coloured man on the ranch the only contact he has with others is when he is asked to do something. Crooks teases Lennie referring to George â€Å"well, s’pose, just s’pose he don’t come back. What’l you do then?† the point crooks was trying to make by teasing Lennie was how its like on your own with no one, and that Lennie is very lucky to have George because, Crooks has no one and isn’t allowed in the bunk house. Again disrespect for the ranch workers is shown when Curley’s Wife refer’s to them as â€Å"†¦a bunch of bindle stifts – a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the ranch workers world seems to contain quite a lot of prejudice, both racial and sexual. Curley’s Wife lashes out at Crooks when he tells her â€Å"you got no rights comin’ in a coloured man’s room† Crooks is forced to draw into himself and add covers of mental protection, because Curley’s Wife show’s how racism is very much a part of life in the 1930’s, her next words to Crooks are some of the harshest â€Å"well keep your place, then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny†. The Sexual prejudice in 1930’s America is very obvious, the men at the ranch make this point clear because, they assume that Curley’s Wife is â€Å"†¦a tart†¦Ã¢â‚¬  because she comes into the bunk house and supposedly gives Slim and Carlson â€Å"†¦the eye†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . It later becomes clearer that what she actually wishes to gain from her visits to the bunk house is company. This shows that the ranch is a very lonely place for her too. Curley’s Wife has a dream, although her dream is different from the men on the ranch. Instead of something to call her own, she wants fame. She is unhappy with her husband , and his constant stories of who is going to beat up next: â€Å"sure I gotta husban’. You allseen him. Swell guy, ain’t he?†. When she is talking to Lennie, alone in the barn, she recounts her obviously well told stories of her offers of fame. She seems to have a deep regret that she didn’t take up either men on their offers â€Å"if I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet†. The scene in Crooks room revealed that Curley’s Wife isn’t really â€Å"†¦a tart†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , she is just extremely lonely, and all she really wants is company and someone to talk to. I think the reason she lashes out at Crooks is because she has just had enough of people not wanting to talk to her, or asking her to go away Crooks tells Curley’s Wife â€Å"now you jus’ get out, an’ get out quick. If you don’t, I’m gonna ast the boss not to let you come in the barn no more†. Tragically Lennie and Curley’s Wife die, I feel very sorry for the both of them, Curley’s Wife, because she always wished for fame and a comfortable life. Curley’s Wife did not seem likely to achieve her dreams. Even if she wasn’t murdered, she was stuck in a rut with Curley, a rut that she would have gone round and round in until he left her for a new woman, or she finally built up the courage to leave him. Also someone who is referred to throughout an entire story as someone’s possession does not make a likely major character. Their marriage did not seem to be one that was destined to last until they died of natural causes. But Curley’s Wife did die, and her death seemed to be a release â€Å"†¦ discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face†. I also feel very sorry for Lennie, he was also described in the story as some kind of possession, he was George’s companion. Lennie’s child-like-mind and behaviour don’t make the ideal major character, I think all Lennie really thought about during the whole story was â€Å"Livin’ off the fatta the lan'† and â€Å"tending the rabbit’s†. I think Lennie knew what the dream was but for him it was tending rabbits. George and Lennie’s dream is a simple one – they want land to call their own. Candy sums the feeling up well: â€Å"Every body wants a bit of land, not much. Jus’ som’thin’ that was his†. Crooks has also seen it all before: â€Å"I seen guys nearly crazy with loneliness for land, but ever’ time a whorehouse or a blackjack game took what it takes†. This shows that the dream of owning land is very common among all ranch workers. George’s dream, although extremely similar to Lennie’s , is probably more detailed and complicated. Lennie thinks as far as â€Å"tendin’ the rabbits†, but George has to worry about whether it would be possible to really â€Å"live offa fatta of the lan'†, or would they starve? I think Candy grasped so readily on George and Lennie’s dream because, Candy knew that â€Å"Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk-houses they’ll put me on the county†, I think he also knows that if he doesn’t get a place soon he is just going to die on the ranch, sad and alone because the men on the ranch wont care. Maybe Lennie did get his dream, in one way or the other. As George is preparing to kill Lennie, he tells him one last time about â€Å"how ità ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s gonna be.† This last bedtime story for Lennie seems to describe not a little farm that they might buy, but the heaven someone might go to in their afterlife. As Lennie begs George â€Å"Leà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s do it now. Leà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s go to that place now†, and George replies â€Å"Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta†, and then pulls the trigger, the pair seem at peace with themselves, and each other. George knows what he is doing is right, and he knows that Lennie would agree if he had the time to explain his reasoning to him. If Lennie could comprehend the reasoning behind Georgeà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s actions, he would realise that George was taking Candyà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s unknowingly offered advice: â€Å"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½t ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog.† The American dream is very common in 1930’s America, it seems that every character in Steinbecks novel has a dream which all of them are unlikely to achieve. The world of the migrant workers in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, was monotonous and lonely. Generally speaking there was a lack of realistic ambition for the workers. The conditions in which they lived were cramped and unhygienic and encouraged prejudice and a lack of respect towards everyone. I think that Steinbeck’s novel paints an accurate picture of life and culture in 1930’s America.