Prejudice In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Prejudice is seen throughout society today. Prejudice causes many groups to discriminate, and become racist towards that group that has a lot of prejudice against. Prejudice, today, is what society believes to be right or wrong. The characters from Of Mice and Men, By John Steinbeck, and Aristotle and Dante, By Benjamin Saenz, and 12 Angry Men, by Sherman L Sergel, all believe they are seen negatively by society based on prejudice they have heard. This prejudice affects all of these characters in different ways. The characters all choose to deal with this discrimination in different ways. Prejudice, discrimination, and racism, perpetrated by society, have a negative influence on these characters giving them labels which cause them physical …show more content…
At the beginning the case appears to be very clear because of all the convincing evidence against the man. Throughout the story many prejudices are brought up by some of the jurors. One of the main prejudices brought up in the story is the prejudice against the poor, or the people from the ‘slums’. Juror Ten is prejudice against the man on trial because he believes they cannot be trusted. This juror also believes that all the people who are raised in that area will have no other choice but to become a criminal. He believes that people who are from the slums or in poverty are below him and they have no positive influence on society. When Juror Ten was taking all this prejudice Juror Three hated all of the kids that grow up in that part of the city. He does not believe that the kids growing up through tough times will ever change. He believes that kids who were beaten and surrounded by violence as a kid will inevitably grow up into a criminal like the man on trial for the murder of his father. This prejudice gives all of the kids growing up, in poverty, this label of being a criminal just because they are poor. This leads many teenagers to take the …show more content…
As these two guys become friends, they realize they have a special bond. This story takes place in El Paso, Texas. They both have Mexican heritage, Aristotle more than Dante. Aristotle feels that he needs to follow certain characteristics to be Mexican. However, Dante chooses to follow the opposite of a stereotypical Mexican. The prejudice that Aristotle has seen and heard to be a true Mexican is to be tough, muscular, and poor to be a real Mexican. While Dante is doing the exact opposite of what Aristotle is trying to become. Dante does not consider himself Mexican and reads poetry and stargazes. Dante does not want to get involved with drugs and fighting. Dante moves to Chicago and he realizes that he is gay. This change from heterosexuality to homosexuality will make him be seen differently by society. Some will hate him and some will like him. The prejudice and discrimination against Dante, when he moved back to El Paso, was not taken well among the community there. He was assaulted by the other students his age who hated the gay community, and thought of homosexuals as less than. This prejudice can cause serious harm or even death to the people that are hated, or disliked, by society. Although there is all this prejudice against Dante, Aristotle also chooses to not
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