Explore the Different Ways Power Is Presented in Steinbeck’s ‘of Mice and Men’ Essay

Words: 1045
Pages: 5

Power is presented through characters by using a long description of what the character is like, describing their appearance, positive points and negative points. The power of the character is presented by demonstrating their dominance or submissiveness over another character through their actions, speech and the way they behave around them, and if they change their behaviour around other people, for example Curley acts as if he’s the best in the world at everything around Lennie because he tries to beat him up but he doesn’t act that way towards Slim, who is more dominant and powerful than him in terms of dominance, but not in terms of ranch hierarchy.

Power is presented through friendship by the way Lennie and George are unable to

The dream dies at the end of the novel because George kills Lennie and he knows he can’t go through with the plan without Lennie because he was his companion who he promised would eventually get that land but can’t because he’s dead.

The cruelty which takes place between the hierarchal position of Crooks is depicted by the way everyone above him casually use racial discrimination and they don’t care because he’s black, and blacks were considered a lower form of human which could only be used for slave work. Crooks is at the bottom of the hierarchal legend because he is black and crippled and yet is educated in literacy and engineering, has a shotgun and is allowed glasses by the boss. Slim is high up in the hierarchal legend because he is extremely powerful in many ways, such as empathy, physical strength, mental strength and mainly because he is white. He is powerless in the way that he isn’t the boss’ son so he can get kicked out at any time but he has nowhere to go so he has to be careful around the boss and Curley.

The opening paragraph in section 1 is significant because it shows wildlife and nature is dominated by man’s destructive power as it strides around the world, as George and Lennie stride through the “paradise”, everything runs away. This forewarning shows that man’s destructive power is extremely powerful and even extends to dominating the lower hierarchal