Cruelty In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Sometimes people are cruel because of their personal motivations. They think being cruel will satisfy some personal need or desire, such as greed or revenge. Cruelty does not usually come from positive emotions, but rather from negative emotions, such as sadness or rage One example of this kind of cruelty is Curley’s cruelty to Lennie. Although this can be thought of in terms of his social goals, it can also be seen as a manifestation of his anger, jealousy, and resentment towards large people. This behavior is explained in a conversation Candy has with George early in the book: “Kind of like he is mad at them because he ain’t a big guy” (26). This quotation in combinations with others explained earlier shows how cruelty often has multiple motivations. The actions of people rarely have simple causes. The author gives an idea of what this quote …show more content…
It demonstrates through the complexity inherent in all that takes place that it is not true that people are pure until society corrupts them, but neither are people inherently evil. The molten furnace of human emotion is channeled by social pressure and personal biases, and this is what causes cruelty. Human emotion is at the heart of cruelty, but most people will not act upon it without a cause, something that to them justifies their actions. The book shows us how easy it is to justify hurting someone else to help yourself. The message of Mice and Men then is that we should consider what effects our actions will have on other people. The author tries to show us that sometimes we have to put others above ourselves. Selfishness is the ultimate root of all cruelty. Whether it is emotion or desire for advancement, our lack of empathy is the cause of so much of what is wrong in the world. Now that you know why people are cruel, go back to your mental image. The bullies are beating up a kid. Why? What are you going to do about

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