Survival Of The Fittest In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And...

It is no secret that in the race to be the “fittest” in times of “survival of the fittest”, the individuals who bears the most power survives. Yet, what happens to those who do not have as much power, those with circumstances that do not allow for a happy-go-lucky life where one can blithely saunter past any challenges thrown at them? How can “survival of the fittest” be considered a fair game if the power given to each individual from the start vary in exponentially high amounts? This quizzical topic is one that can baffle the mind to a certain degree. As such, the theme of power and the idea of “survival of the fittest” is one that has been and will be discussed about for quite some time. In fact, this particular theme is one of utmost relevance …show more content…
Being the boss’s son, Curley was rich, ruled the farm, and could act anyway he wanted towards the workers of the ranch. Despite being small, and perhaps weak physically, Curley’s behavior is toxic. Candy states that, “Curely’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain’t you? Always scrappy?” (26). This highlights how Curley, although weak in power, has a harsh demeanor towards others before getting to know them. After their first rough encounter with Curley, George says to Lennie, “If he tangles with you Lennie, we’re gonna get the can. Don’t make no mistake about that. He’s the boss’s son” (29). This quote highlights how much power that Curley has. Because of his social class, he holds more power than any of the workers, and has little to sacrifice in order to be fit to survive. This highlights the unfairness of “survival of the fittest”, since Curley, with his less-than-friendly personality, was born into power and did nothing to earn it. Social-class is depicted as the ultimate source of power and survival in Of Mice and Men, since a character like Curley was able to get what he …show more content…
The idea that the wealthy hold power over the poor has and will always happen. With the 2016 presidential elections coming up, it will be interesting to note how political policies will change with the top donors donating millions of dollars to have their say in politics. Meanwhile, the lower-end businesses and lower class individuals of America are left with little impact on their candidates.
With the unequal distribution of power being shown recently with politics, I am reminded that the idea of wealth and power when one is poor are things that many dream of. Music is influenced by the fact that many of the poor dream of striking the gold mine of power that is wealth. Travie McCoy’s “Billionaire” is a song that illustrates the power that wealth can bring, and how much more comfortable it can make

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