Bullying in Steinbecks Novel Of Mice and Men - Term Paper Example

Bullying in Steinbeck’s Novel Of Mice and Men Bullying as the revelation of man’s inferiority complex is an overriding theme in John Steinbeck’s novel, “Of Mice and Men”. Man is internally isolated and human actions are essentially the reflection of the strata of human psychology. Bullying appears to be Steinbeck’s characters’ frustration and loneliness in the novel. Before establishing “bullying as the revelation of man’s inferiority complex” as a plausible theme of Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men”, it is necessary to define what the theme of a novel is. Simply a theme is “the subject of a piece of writing” or what a novel means. In general, a theme of a piece of writing is subjective and it depends on the readers to extract it from a literary work. Though theme seems to vary from reader to reader depending on his or her interpretation and perception, the author may intend instill a target theme into his works. Obviously an author infuses theme through various literary tools such characters, actions of the characters, setting, plot, etc. Dean Koontz defines theme as following: “Theme is a statement, or series of related observations, about some aspect of the human condition, interpreted from the unique viewpoint of the author.” (Koontz 34) Indeed bullying appears throughout the whole novel, “Of Mice and Men”. Indeed the theme of bully as the revelation of man’s insecurities refers to the social aggression during the Great Depression. In this regard, Catherine Bush says, Social Aggression is defined as actions and behaviors directed at damaging another’s self-esteem, social status, or both. Social Aggression can take the form of facial expressions, gossip, bullying, verbal and/or non-verbal exclusion, or the manipulation of friendships and other relationships. (5) Analysis of Curley’s Bully Behavior In Curley’s case, his bullying rather reflects his dwindled self-perception. He feels that Lennie is going to bully him and that he should take the lead in bullying Lennie. Indeed such inferiority complex of Curley evolves from the perception of his dwindled physicality in comparison to the large stature of Lennie. On the contrary, Lennie appears to be calm and composed in spite of his threatening stature. Though he can easily bully others without impunity because of his large stature, his physical strength does not help him much because of his mental handicap. He is in direct contrast with Curley who, in spite of his dwindled physicality tends to bully Lennie. Steinbeck attempts to show that people, in defense of their insecurity either physical or mental will manipulate cruelty and bullying to reflect back at their assailants. Curley himself suffers from his weakness and frustration. Therefore, he tends to bully Lennie at every step. When Curley enters into the bunk, he searches for his wife. While the workers make fun of Curley, Lennie also laughs with the rest, not knowing what is going on. At Lennie’s laughs, Curley gets infuriated and begins to pummel Lennie’s head till it becomes bloody. Lennie being provoked by George defends himself and crushes Curley’s hand, as the narrator says, “Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it…The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand” (Steinbeck 63). This particular episode out of many refers to the fact that Curley suffers from insecurities and humiliation. Indeed his bully behavior is the revelation of his insecurities. Analysis of the Farmhands’ Bully Behavior Nearly all the farmhands bully each other. It is also evident that each of them suffers from insecurities, frustration and loneliness. The black stable-hand Crooks suffers from loneliness because of his race. He is constantly intimidated by Curley’s wife who threats him to lynch. He lives the life of an outcast because of racial discrimination. Indeed initially by bullying Lennie, he reflects what he receives from the people around him. He torments Lennie with the thought that George might abandon him one day. But this behavior of Crooks is ultimately the revelation of his own loneliness. When once Lennie attempts to enter into his room, he threatens him, “You got no right to come into my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here, but me.” (Steinbeck 66) These words of Crooks ultimately reveal his insecurities and loneliness. Again George, even being skinny, often bullies Lennie and pushes him around when he suffers from frustration. But George’s motif seems to be totally different from Curley’s or others’, as the narrator characterizes him as following: “He is practical, sometimes short-tempered but a devoted companion. Despite his complaints about life with Lennie, he never backs away from his role as Lennie’s protector.” (Bruke and Ting 6) Analysis of Curley’s Wife’s Bully Behavior In the same manner Curley’s wife and the Negro stable-hand, Crooks, bully others from different motifs. Frustration of her dream of being a movie-star and her unsatisfying marriage make her spiteful towards others. Being trapped in the marital bond with Curley she rather evokes her frustration by bullying the farmhands and the working people in the ranch. Curley’s wife is rather a melancholic figure who rather intensifies her own miseries by bullying others. Indeed she herself appears to be the victim of others’ bullying. She is constantly bullied and distrusted by her husband Curley. She has already sacrificed her dream by marrying Curley. Initially she dislikes Lennie; but later she grows liking for him and brings about her own destruction. The farmhands together insult and rebuke Curley’s Wife. In retaliation she threatens Crooks to lynch him: “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (81) Consequence of Bully in the Novel In Steinbeck’s novel the theme of bully as the revelation of man’s insecurities and inferiority complex has been manipulated to propound the fact that bully ultimately brings destruction and further aggravates man’s sufferings and inferiority complex, as Will Heck says, “Throughout the book, loneliness, frustration, and defense of one’s self leads the diverse characters down the dark, thorn covered road that is cruelty.” (5) The more Curley’s Wife bullies others especially Crooks, the more she makes herself an object of humiliation. The farmhands rebuke and laugh at her more and more. Thus her frustration grows further and provokes her to seek consolation in Lennie’s fondling which ultimately brings about her death. Indeed Lennie is intentionally a villain. Despite what happens, Lennie appears to be the sympathetic, the sweetest and the simplest character in the story. His incapability to understand his physical power and to perceive the consequences of his action gives birth to this simplicity of Lennie. His poor memory and his inability to comprehend the reality of the world do not let him perpetuate antagonism against other characters. He loves tending soft things like puppies, though, if challenged, he easily becomes irritated and loses self-control. It is Curley’s bully and challenge that irritates him and contributes to the growth of antagonism between them. Thus bully brings about Lennie’s destruction too. Works Cited Burke, Sam and Ting, Bonita. A Study Guide: Of Mice and Men. April 21, 2012. Bush, Catherine. A Study Guide: Of Mice and Men. April 21, 2012. Heck, Will. “The Thorns of Cruelty in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men”, Scribd.com. 19 October 2010, 20 April 21, 2012. Available at Koontz, Dean. How to Write Best-selling Fiction. California: Writer's Digest Books. 1981. 20 April 21, 2012. Available at Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. California: Johnson Publishers, 2003. Read More