Of Mice And Men Racist Language Essay

In Of Mice and Men, a lot of racially derogatory terms are used. For these characters these terms a part of their daily language. During the 1930’s, African Americans were treated very poorly and were not accepted in society. Along with that, nobody was politically correct and people would say whatever they wanted without the fear of offending someone. In the book, a lot of racist language had been used towards Crooks. They call him a “stable buck who is a nigger” (Steinbeck 20). Using words like this was just a part of their normal, daily language.These terms are definitely harsh but are necessary in the book as they tell the audience more about what life was like back then. In chapter 4, when Lennie asks Crooks why he is not wanted by society, he answers by saying, “‘Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink” (Steinbeck 67). African Americans were isolated from society. Being black was a huge disadvantage at the time this story took place. Steinbeck used racist language in his book but that didn't mean that he was a racist too. If he was a racist, he would not want to learn more about the lives of minorities and spend so many hours in farms talking to them. There is no evidence to suggest that he shares …show more content…
In the first chapter, George and Lennie are going to the new ranch where they will begin working. Along the road, Lennie finds a dead mouse and keeps it in his pocket to pet it. When George finds out, he scolds Lennie and gets rid of it. When Lennie says he wants another mouse, he starts thinking about a women who used to give him mice to pet, then George exclaims, "Lady, huh? Don’t even remember who that lady was. That was your own Aunt Clara. An' she stopped givin' 'em to ya. You always killed 'em" (Steinbeck 9). The dead mice connote that death may happen later in the book. Lennie then kills his puppy, and Curley's

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