The antagonist of Of Mice and Men is the oppressive society in which migrant workers are kept in fear and isolation. This antagonistic force is embodied by Curley, whose insecurities lead him to lash out at those he deems weaker than himself. When George and Lennie first arrive on the ranch, they begin to absorb its atmosphere of fear and isolation. They agree that the ranch “ain’t no good place,” but have no choice but to stay to earn some money. Curley picks on Lennie, and even though Lennie wins the fight, Slim reminds everyone that Curley still has the power to have him fired or worse. Because she too has suffered at Curley’s hands, Curley’s wife takes an interest in Lennie, the man who has fought back against the husband she despises. She approaches Lennie when he is alone because she has found that the men won’t talk to her when there’s a chance of Curley finding out. So it is Curley’s bullying that puts Curley’s wife and Lennie alone in a room together. It is also Curley’s bullying that causes Lennie to panic and accidentally kill Curley’s wife. He is frightened that George will be angry that Lennie has ignored his warning to avoid Curley’s wife—a warning that George issued because he fears Curley will hurt Lennie. This fear becomes a reality when George is forced to kill Lennie before Curley can torture and lynch him. In this concluding moment, the power of the land-owning class and American society at large—embodied in Curley—crushes the novel’s protagonists and their dream of owning a farm together.
Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? x The significance of anger in Of Mice and Men In Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, anger is a frequent occurrence. Anger is either arouse by anxiety, trepidation or jealousy. Anger seems to always revolve around Lennie, as he is the source of anger, whether it is towards him, because of him, or from him. The first character to show anger is Lennie’s partner, George. We see very early in the novel that anger is shown towards Lennie. George is angry that in reality he doesn’t have what Lennie asks for, but due to Lennie’s innocence they are suppose to have it. Georges tells Lennie, “Well we ain’t got no ketchup!” George’s anger is clearly shown through frustration: “Whatever the hell. This suggest he preferred Lennie wasn’t around…show more content…
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