Essay on Bullying and Meanness as a Theme in of Mice and Men

Bullying and Meanness as a Theme in Of Mice and Men In his short book or novella Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck draws attention to migrant farm workers in the Depression era of the 1930s. Through his story he looks at human nature in the areas of men’s friendship, loneliness, and meanness or bullying. This essay looks at Steinbeck’s depiction of the tendency to bully others and that the tendency seems to come from their own weakness. This meanness is shown in the relationships of the characters. The bullying is physical, psychological, and emotional and nearly all of the characters demonstrate it, including George, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife and it is contrasted to the unintentional violence of Lennie. The first†¦show more content†¦Crook, who is black and crippled and is bullied and excluded himself, focuses on Lennie’s weaknesses by putting down his dream for a farm and animals, (pg75) then offering to join them as a hand, and then saying he was only kidding, which makes Lennie feel rejected. (pg77-80). Lennie almost cries. Curley bullies his wife. And she seems to feel power when she tells Crooks that she could have him lynched. (pg 79) Her way of bullying Crooks because she was offended and Crooks is weaker than she is. Finally, John Steinbeck shows off the bullying and meanness as intentional and contrasts it to Lennie’s unintentional meanness, such as when he hurts the puppy (pg 85), the mouse (pg 5), and kills Curley’s wife (pg 91). When Curley wants to fight it is intentional and violent. George explains Lennie’s violence when he says that Lennie never done it in meanness (pg 104). Lennie kills because he does not know his own strength – he cuddles or loves to hard. Also, he panics and reacts without thought, such as when he pulled the woman’s dress. (pg 41) Also, showing a contrast in motive is that Lennie is so upset by what he has done, especially to Curley’s wife. He is the only one who shows real remorse. In Of Mice and Men, the Steinbeck theme of bullying and cruelty are demonstrated through the relationships of the farm workers, how they talk to each other and treat each other. It is contrasted by the accidental violence of George. Steinbeck makes it seem almost