An Exploration of Disability and Isolation in Of Mice and Men

During the Great Depression, migrant farmers sought out work to stay alive. When they finally found a job to sustain them, workers were mistreated, starved, paid poor wages, and, worst of all, robbed of necessary human companionship. John Steinbeck captures the hopelessness of Depression-era farm life in his novella Of Mice and Men. Throughout the novella, most characters have a disability crippling them and pushing them away from other workers on the farm. Their disabilities are a physical embodiment of their isolation. Steinbeck uses his disabled characters to illustrate the depth of their loneliness, as well as to exemplify different types of loneliness. Candy, an old ranch worker, is pushed away from the others due to both his old age†¦show more content†¦The reader sees fleeting glances of his insecurities, such as when he runs into the bunkhouse, demanding, â€Å"Any you guys seen my wife?†, for as much as Curley may brag about it, his wife is hardly ever by his side (Steinbeck 53). Curley lacks self-confidence, and must bully the other workers to raise his own self-esteem. Picking fights with other men, which is the one thing that saves Curley from his internal lack of confidence, also causes his demise: â€Å"Lennie grabs his entire fist in mid-swing, stopping him, and then proceeds to crush Curleys hand† (Bloom). His hand, which he used to beat others, was his only savior, and now Lennie has crushed it, which disables Curley even more and pushes him further away from the tall, confident, masculine fighter he wishes to be. His loneliness stems from insecurity, and his disabilities cause that insecurity. Curley’s wife, on the other hand, is not insecure, but suffers from ostracism and isolation because she is a married woman. Michael Meyer points out, â€Å"†¦the hardship for a woman to live on the ranch as presented in the novel should not be ignored†. Curley’s wife only wants someone to talk with her, bu t the men on the ranch mistake her trying to start conversations as sexual advances: â€Å"I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody†¦ I don’t know what the hell she wants† (Steinbeck 51). They also ridicule her, calling her aShow MoreRelatedFundamentals of Hrm263904 Words   |  1056 PagesDevelopment 41 Compensation and Benefits 42 Employee Relations 42 vi Contents Top Management Commitment 43 Effective Upward Communication 43 Determining What to Communicate 44 Allowing for Feedback 44 Information Sources 44 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 62 The Civil Rights Act of 1991 63 The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 63 Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 64 Relevant Executive Orders 64 vii WORKPLACE ISSUES: HRM Certification 44 Is a CareerRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 Pagescertain strategies or approaches. When I came to college and majored in English at National Central University, the linguistic courses helped me a lot in understanding my early language learning experiences. Inspired by the strong inner call of self-exploration and the will to help my friends, I started to take relevant courses about language learning theories and linguistics, including Phonetics, Linguistics, Syntax, Language Acquisition and Teaching, and English teaching. I also take Ohio WesleyanRead More_x000C_Introduction to Statistics and Data Analysis355457 Words   |  1422 PagesStatistical Analyses 61 Activity 2.1 Designing a Sampling Plan 63 Activity 2.2 An Experiment to Test for the Stroop Effect 64 Activity 2.3 McDonald’s and the Next 100 Billion Burgers 64 Activity 2.4 Video Games and Pain Management 65 Graphing Calculator Explorations 69 3 Graphical Methods for Describing Data 75 3.1 Displaying Categorical Data: Comparative Bar Charts and Pie Charts 76 3.2 Displaying Numerical Data: Stem-and-Leaf Displays 87 vii viii ââ€"   Contents 3.3 Displaying NumericalRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesModel 23 An Overview 23 †¢ Inputs 24 †¢ Processes 25 †¢ Outcomes 25 Summary and Implications for Managers 30 S A L Self-Assessment Library How Much Do I Know About Organizational Behavior? 4 Myth or Science? â€Å"Most Acts of Workplace Bullying Are Men Attacking Women† 12 An Ethical Choice Can You Learn from Failure? 24 glOBalization! Does National Culture Affect Organizational Practices? 30 Point/Counterpoint Lost in Translation? 31 Questions for Review 32 Experiential Exercise Workforce DiversityRead MoreManaging Information Technology (7th Edition)239873 Words   |  960 Pagesdivision also maintained personnel records. Changing Times By 2002, as a result of Lassiter’s marketing and sales reorganization and Wilson’s aggressive management of expenses, the MSCC was experiencing solid financial growth. While the two men were primarily responsible for the success, Wilson and Lassiter clashed on numerous occasions. Lassiter felt that much of the territory managers’ work and marketing support activities could be automated to provide the MSCC with a significant reduction