Dangers Of Power In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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“With power comes the abuse of power. And where there are bosses, there are crazy bosses. It’s nothing new,” Judd Ross. Power is had by many, but a good portion of people manipulate it in favor of themselves. Literature teaches us and informs us on how we must be careful with power. In his classic novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, through careful and insightful depiction of several characters, shows us how easily power can be manipulated, and therefore teaches us how responsible we must be with it.
The first character who teaches us about the potential dangers of too much power over another person is George. Lennie’s Aunt Clara had asked George to take care of him for her, George is saddled with a responsibility he didn’t necessarily …show more content…
Curley and his wife are an interesting couple. Throughout the book they are always looking for eachother,but they are never seen together. Though according to Curley’s wife, when they are together, all she is is a “tramp”(32). Curley shows power over his wifewhen he needs to know where she is. This is seen when, “Curley burst into the room excitedly. ‘Any you guys seen my wife?’ He demanded”(53). Curley spends his days working, and looking for his wife. He had this need to know her location at all times. He trusts no one, and suspects that any of the men could be trying to take advantage of her, and that makes him paranoid. Curley’s wife doesn’t have a real love for Curley. She wanted a husband who would talk to her and help her pursue her dreams. This is shown when Curley’s wife says, “‘Well I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella’”(89). She says this to Lennie when they are in the barn alone. She tells her story and explains how she met Curley. He was her worst mistake and biggest regret. Whenever they are together they are having sex, this shows the reader that there relationship isn’t anything more. This is the opposite of what Curley’s wife had thought she had gotten into. Curley has taken control and has caused his wife to want to leave him. We learn through Curley that even with power, we must treat people with respect, and treat them as nothing less than
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