I. Introduction: John Steinbeck uses his novel, Of Mice and Men, as the vehicle that drives the concept of Micro-Macro by using minority groups (micro) and their difficulties experienced during the 1930s to exemplify the bigger issue of discrimination within society (macro).
A) Support 1: The 4 puppies that are killed in “Of Mice and Men” are symbolic of the four major groups of minorities during the Great Depression of the 1930’s who were being discriminated against
B) Support 2: Crooks represents African American minority group during the during the Great Depression of the 1930’s
C) Support 3: Curley’s wife represents women minority group during the Great Depression of the 1930’s
II. Paragraph 2: Lenny’s 4 puppies represents the concept of “Survival of the fittest”
a. 4 were drowned-represent 4 major groups of minorities during the 1930s/great depression who were held back or “drowning” in society at that time
i. Mentally Challenged
ii. Women
iii. African Americans
iv. Lower class
b. Not enough resources- 1930s/great depression- not enough resources so people were left behind to fend for themselves
c. They were killed off because they didn’t belong and wouldn’t have survived
III. Paragraph 3: Crooks by name alone linked African Americans to the way they were perceived in society-as thieves, crooks, criminals
a. Inequality
b. Treated like an animal
c. Lower living conditions
d. Isolated from remaining population
d. Not welcomed - did not obtain many rights
e. Isolated- because of the color of their skin, they weren’t allowed to do certain things
f. Discriminated against- they were beaten, killed, and referred to as racial slurs
IV. Paragraph 4: Curly’s wife is never formally given a name; she is only known as Curly’s wife- which is symbolic of how women were seen and treated during this time in our history
a. Treated as property
· Seen and not heard
· Eye candy
· were used mainly as household laborers
b. No voice; no rights
· women were not allowed to vote
· No socializing left alone
· Bossed around
c. Verbal abuse
· Her sexuality and need for attention was referred to as tramp-like
· Told to shut-up; mind business
V. Paragraph 5: Lenny represents the mentally challenged population and the way he is perceived symbolizes society’s ignorance on the subject of the mentally challenged
a. Lenny is feared
b. He is cast aside
c. Treated as a child
d. Hunted down like an animal
e. Laughed at
VI. Paragraph 6: Conclusion: John Steinbeck uses the characters in his novel, Of Mice and Men, to act as the mirror of society.
a. Steinbeck making a political statement about the condition of our society at the time
b. Reflects the incongruities between populations
c. Portrays the extent to which these populations faced discrimination, bigotry, and racism
Micro-Macro of Mice and Men 2/16/14
Micro-macro is the concept that a small idea is portrayed inside a bigger idea.
John Steinbeck uses characters within his novel, of Mice and Men, as the vehicle that drives the concept of micro-macro by using minority groups, (micro), and the difficulties they experienced during the 1930s to exemplify the bigger issue of discrimination within society, (macro). The characters consist of four puppies that represent the major minority groups; Crooks, who represents African-Americans; Curley’s wife, who represents women; and Lennie, who represents the mentally challenged population.
Steinbeck uses the four puppies to represent the concept of “survival of the fittest”. Four of the nine puppies born to Slim’s dog, Lulu, were drowned to represent the four major groups of minorities, (the mentally challenged, women, African-American, and the lower class), during the 1930s and great depression who were held back or “drowning” in society at the time. During the 1930s there weren’t enough resources so people were left behind to fend for themselves and forgotten about. As seen on page 35, “I drowned four of ‘em right off. She couldn’t feed that many” (Steinbeck 35). Lulu, (the mother of the puppies), didn’t have enough food for all of her newborn puppies. Slim saw this ahead of time and drowned four of them so that they wouldn’t have to suffer. This explicates “survival of the fittest” and the living conditions during the 1930s and great depression, when so many of the population were unemployed and unable to feed themselves or their families.
The next character Steinbeck used to represent micro-macro is named Crooks. Crooks, by name alone, linked African-Americans to the way they were perceived in society as thieves, crooks, and criminals. Like many African-Americans during the 1930s and The Great Depression, Crooks was treated with inequality and no respect. He inhabited the barn where just outside the window was a pile of horse dung. This exemplifies that many Caucasians treated African-Americans poorly and believed that they didn’t belong in America. This is evident when Curley’s wife states, “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (Steinbeck 80). As seen in the quote above, African-Americans were referred to their place in society using racial slurs and were beaten and killed. Many people tended to isolate and treat them like animals. For example, Crooks lives in a barn like the animals do, when the others, (all Caucasians), live in a bunkhouse. It is through Crooks’ character that Steinbeck shows us that by the 1930s very little had changed for African-Americans since the days of slavery and they were being held back as a people.
The next representative of micro-macro that Steinbeck uses is Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is never formally given a name; she is only known as ‘Curley’s wife’, which is symbolic of how women were seen and treated during this time in our history. Many women were treated with no respect and were verbally abused. Curley’s wife’s sexuality and need for attention was often referred to as tramp-like. Women were treated as property and left alone; this is clearly evident with Curley’s wife throughout Steinbeck’s tale. At one point in the story, Curley’s wife says, “I get lonely. You can talk to people but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley” (Steinbeck 86). This shows how Curley kept a tight rein on his wife by not permitting her to socialize with anyone but himself. Furthermore, it is reflective of the difficulties that women endured during this period of time in America.
Continuing the list of representatives of the concept micro-macro is Lennie. Lennie represents the mentally challenged population. The way he is perceived symbolizes society's ignorance on the subject of the mentally challenged. Although Lennie is big he isn’t as scary as people assume he is. Because he is mentally challenged, he is treated as if he is a child. During the time of the great depression mentally challenged civilians were frowned upon. They were often referred to as “retarded” and were talked about as if they were animals. People would exclude the mentally challenged from everything. People basically excluded them from life as if they didn’t exist. Many believed that the mentally challenged were “idiots”, “dummies”, or “morons”, as seen on page 78 when Curley’s wife says, “ Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep-an likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). This was also illustrated when George, in the final chapter, knows that he must be the one to shoot Lenny since the others didn’t understand his mental capacity, nor could they understand that killing Curley’s wife was an accident. George ultimately knew that if the others got hold of Lenny he would have been treated horribly and most likely beaten to death. The only other character that understood this was Slim who says to George, “Never you mind, a guy got to sometimes…You hadda, George. I swear you hadda…” (Steinbeck 106). This is a primary illustration that mentally challenged civilians were not accepted and treated poorly.
John Steinbeck uses the characters in his novel, of Mice and Men, to act as the mirror to society during the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Steinbeck used his book to communicate a political statement about the condition of our society at the time. By making a political statement he reflected the incongruities between populations. His novel helped portray the extent to which these populations faced discrimination, bigotry, and racism. In summation, John Steinbeck thoroughly used the novel he wrote, of Mice and Men, to describe the concept of micro-macro and how it related to the time period in which the book was written.