the pearl essay by john steinbeck

Submitted By bjbucks3
Words: 456
Pages: 2

﻿ English 11
“That ranch we’re goin to is down there about a quarter mile. We’re gonna go in an’ see the boss. Now, look I’ll give him the work tickets, but you aint gonna say a word.” Prejudice plays a significant role in Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. In many instances, characters are pushed aside. Some characters who are pushed aside are Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Lennie. Prejudice destroys people’s lives.
In the novel, Curelys wife is discriminated because of her gender. During this time period, women are basically nothing to the men on the ranch. Steinbeck does not even give her a name. This woman is just simply known as “Curley’s wife.” For example, Curley attempts to find her in the bunkhouse and says “you seen a girl around here.” In addition to that, nobody even wants to speak to her as the men would like to talk and have discussions with other guys and men as they show prejudice towards her.
The idea of prejudice can single handily ruined Crooks life on the ranch a living nightmare. Since Crooks is of the African American decent, he was placed in a small shed. This shed had isolated him to sleep and stay at night. Unfortunately, he was separated from everybody else on the ranch. When Crooks attempts to show self-pride, Curley’s Wife immediately shuts him down. She says “listen n*****”. On top of being judged, Crooks was kicked in the back by a horse. That is why he is now a hunched back and does not have much going for him in life.
The life of Lennie was ruined for him by him being mentally slower than others. He was impacted by the act of being discriminated for his amount of