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How do past inequalities connect to current inequalities in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men?

John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men features many social inequalities that continue to plague modern society. I'll list and briefly explain each both in the context of the text and in today's world: 

  1. Racism: 
    In Of Mice and Men, Candy is the only black character. He lives separately from the other men, all of whom are white, and is treated as inherently inferior. Racism, both overt and covert, continues to influence the ways in which many African Americans and other People of Color in the USA are treated. 

  2. Ableism:
    Of Mice and Men features two types of disabilities. Candy is physically disabled, missing a hand, whereas Lennie is mentally disabled, with a disorder, undefined, that reduces his abilities to reason and make decisions. Many modern people struggle with ableism, which makes many buildings inaccessible to physically disabled people and insinuates a degree a dependency for many mentally disabled people who are often capable of far more than they are credited with. 

  3. Sexism: 
    The sole female character in Of Mice and Men is never given a name; she is simply referred to as Curley's wife. This status as a possessed term instinctively transposes her to the classification of an object, which many feminists continue to fight against today. Modern advertising and media continue to render women as objects rather than subjects. 

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