1. Of Mice and Men: Discrimination By John Steinbeck

2. Discrimination: a reflection of setting and society There are 3 characters, in particular, who are heavily discriminated against in the novel. Their value is seen to be less than others. The discrimination is made clear by: -the language Salinger uses to describe them -how the other characters treat them -less control of their fate

3. Discrimination: Which 4? And why? Crooks, the stable hand -because he is black (obvious) Candy, the one handed swamper -because he is physically disabled Lennie -because he is intellectually handicapped Curley’s Wife -because she is a woman (more subtle?)

4. The Mary Dichotomy

6. What kind of Mary is Curley’s wife?

7. The Mary Dichotomy: an undeveloped, old fashioned, discriminatory understanding of women Mary the Virgin Mother versus Mary Magdalene (Life tip: This is not how good, mature men treat women. It’s not good for the world.)

8. The Mary Dichotomy: Problematic Superficial (judges women on 1 aspect); it limits understanding of true value (in Curley’s wife, it limits our understanding of her motivation) Unfair (men are not measured by the same standards) Undeveloped/Simple (reflects an undeveloped, simple mind, setting or time)

9. CharacterSteinbeck’s Language Character’s treatment Control Over Fate Crooks Lennie Curley’s Wife Candy

10. What is Steinbeck showing the reader about discrimination?

11. Theme: Steinbeck shows us discrimination faced by people during the great Depression in America, and even now around the world, limits people’s control over their own lives, changes the opportunities they are given (unequal, unfair) and this inequality creates anger and disharmony in the world.