Social Commentary on Sexism in Of Mice and Men by John...

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration states that during the Great Depression era, â€Å"...the federal government did prohibit a married couple from both holding government jobs, and as late as 1939, legislatures in 26 states considered laws limiting married womens work. Both men and women believed that married women should give up their jobs if their husbands wanted them to. In the Depression decade, those wives who worked outside the home were viewed as selfish, greedy women who took jobs away from male breadwinners.† (Grice) Historians have documented that the role of women as a minority in 1930s America was largely to remain as a man’s inferior and serve as a servant in the household as they were shamed if they chose to get†¦show more content†¦As the only woman on the ranch and one of the very few mentioned throughout the entire novella, Curley’s wife is mistreated by the sexist men she lives around and is even blamed for her own demi se. The workers on the ranch look down on her and often speak negatively about her behind her back. The men insult her with derogatory names such as â€Å"tramp†, â€Å"bitch†, and â€Å"rat-trap†(Steinbeck 32). After Lennie kills her, Candy blames her for her own death yelling at her corpse, â€Å"‘You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lazy tart.’ He sniveled, and his voice shook. ‘I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys.’† (Steinbeck 95-96) Candy blames Curley’s wife for the string of unfortunate events that led to both her death and the death of Lennie and emphasizes that he always thought she was trouble. He places the blame on her for not allowing him to achieve the American dream, even when her death was at the hands of Lennie, a mentally challen ged man. Literary critic Howard Levant, when discussing the death of Curley’s wife, states, â€Å"The ultimate irony in this tangle of violence is that none of the characters is evil or intends to do evil†¦ ‘love’ has different meanings for Lennie and for Curley’s wife; the clash of meanings ensures their deaths.† (Bloom 97-98) Levant is