How is the idea of powerlessness shown in ‘Of Mice And Men’? Essay

How does Steinbeck present different types of precedent and impotence in Of Mice and Men? In the book Of Mice and Men Steinbeck uses different types of advocate and powerlessness to show the personalities of the characters. He uses the idea of power to show difference in all the characters and how their differences change each individual life in the ranch. Steinbeck portrays more than strengths and weakness in a wide spectrum. In the pecking order of the ranch, Curley has most power, and is a bully. His married woman has no identity, and is terribly alone(p lossicate), but she too hurts others utilize manipulation. Cruelty and abuse of power characterises most of the novel, with the most noniceable ejection of George and Lennie. Lennie shows extreme power in his strength. He is like an animal as it says snorted and paws. He is portrayed like a bear but shows, although he has the strength to crush Curleys hand on page 69-71, he has no control of his mind and lacks confidence and has to rely on George such as a domestic animal would towards his owner.Furthermore he is exposit as a colossal manlarge, pale eyes and overly dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. Steinbeck uses his physical power to show he is d irritabilityous to the other characters such as Curleys married woman who Lennie kills. Steinbeck shows that when Lennie starts to panic his power gets worse consequently fatal for Curleys wife. Also he cannot think for himself and crushes Curleys hand because he is told to by George. Lennies animal characteristics similarly come through in this chapter bleatedhuge paws. passim the book Lennies actions reflect badly on the ambitiousness that the men in the ranch share. He is constantly putting it in jeopardy due to his lack of control and view towards how his actions reflect on others. The combination of innocence and strength is what really makes Lennie so powerful and dangerous.Throughout the novel Steinbeck presents the character of Curleys wife in a enactment of ways. Initially he tells us that she is a beautiful girl who is lonely and she is the only female on the ranch. Steinbeck explains that she is presented as a inner determination for Curly. Even though she is the bosss sons wife, she is tranquillise low in the hierarchy within the ranch. She clearly uses her sexuality as a weapon and is fulfilln as a sexual predator. Curleys wife uses sexual power to get what she wants as a woman in the 1930s would have little economic or social power and even when as you find out toward the end of the book and the finis of Curleys wife she only acts like this so shecan lastly have the attention she is missing out on. Unfortunately her sexuality has no impact on the farm because everyone is scared of being friendly or seen with her due to her husbands power. She is flirtatious you guys seen Curly anywhere?She asks this ripe to be able to enter the stable to be with the men and this is utilize a de coy to get her to be able to socialise with the men. Steinbeck is gift the reader a negative image of her, almost as a sex slave. We see this negativity in other characters description of her She is said to be a tart and a aggrandise by George and Candy. She also wears a lot of make-up heavily do up and also dresses up cotton house dressred mules. Steinbeck shows her to stand seductively body thrown forward. Lennie who is captured by her sexual nature and states over and over after first meeting her shes purty. Moreover, during alternate situations she uses her power to manipulate others as she does when in Crooks room. She uses the power of being a white female to be racist towards Crooks.She knows Crooks cannot hurt or say anything against her because of the unfairness and punishment towards blacks, such as in the Scottsboro trial, and uses this to her receipts to take out all the hurt she has been feeling by being ignored on the ranch and only been given attention when she s hows her sexuality. She also manipulates Lennie into talking with her by making him feel pity for her by verbalize him how lonely she feels I get awful lonely and I neer get to talk to nobody. In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck mainly presents Curley as a mean person who wants authority on the ranch. Although this makes Curley a more hated character, Steinbeck makes it clear to the reader that Curley is only mean as a result of being lonely.This loneliness of Curley was typical of men on ranches in 1930s America. Curley wants to get more authority on the ranch. When we first see Curley, he is described as closing his hands into fists and stiffening his foul into a slight crouch after looking at Lennie, display the reader that Curley wants more authority over him. This makes the reader feel approximately uneasy as it hints that Curley may do something which will push George and Lennies dream later in the novel. Also by Steinbeck saying that Curley has stringent curly hair it makes m e feel he is being presented as an uptight, ferocious character. Curley feels intimidated by the sheer size of Lennie and feels Lennie is competition that he must beat in order to show his toughness and in baptismal font Lennie tries to winover Curleys wife. Steinbeck also presents Curley as being an truculent character. For example, Curley is quick to pick a fight with Lennie in Chapter three of the novel. Steinbeck uses lyric poem like slashed to describe Curleys strength and aggressiveness.The reader feels anger towards Curley at this point as he attacks Lennie only because he is large in build. Curley is also shown to only use his wife as when she dies Curley does not seem to show any love or respect for his wife as in staying with her when she is found dead or even vent to her and his first thought is Lennie. He only shows hatred for Lennie and wants to hurt Lennie. I think Steinbeck made this character to show how others actions and how they react to them can affect a d ream or hope you have. For example Curleys location towards Lennie and his wife subsequently leads to neither of them achieving their dream. In conclusion Steinbeck shows power in strength, where you are on the hierarchy and in sexuality of women. Steinbeck represents compassionate nature in the commendable and unfavourable qualities people had during the depression in the 1930s. Steinbeck shows that human nature changed considerably and mostly for the worse during this period of the great depression. hoi polloi looked up to and were more frightened of big men such as Lennie and Curley but more critical and abusive towards woman as they thought they were merely sexual objects as Steinbeck shows in the attitude towards Curleys wife by the ranchers.