All the Characters of Of Mice and Men as Victims

Most if not all the characters in Of Mice and Men can be seen as

victims in one way or another discuss

“Of Mice and Men” was set in the Great Depression which could make

every one in the book a victim, whatever their circumstance. Most

people didn’t have a job and those who were employed were working in

terrible conditions; they were victims of an employment system which

gave no rights to the workers. Job insecurity meant that workers were

forced to take low pay and the mass of unemployed men meant that

anyone who complained would lose their job immediately and be replaced

by someone who was desperate for work.

The South West was known as the “Dust Bowl” because of the drought

that had led to crops failing and soil drying to dust. Families

dreamt they would find a better life in California and the west of

America because they believed there were a lot of jobs there. These

dreams turned into nightmares as 350,000 Dust Bowl exiles from

Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas came to California in the 1930s seeking

employment in the Orange Groves. There were not enough jobs or homes

for so many people. Like the characters in the novel the harsh

economic reality makes victims of them all.

George is a victim in a number of ways

He is a victim of “The Great Depression”; as itinerant workers he and

Lennie have to keep roaming round in search of work. He is well aware

of his situation as he tells Lennie “Guys like us that work on ranches

are the loneliest guys in the world…they ain’t got nothing to look

ahead to.”

Arguably, George is less of a victim because he has a goal in life,

“Some day we’re gonna get the jack together an’ we’re gonna have a

little house an a couple acres…” this dream makes the work bearable...

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... this is kind of what keeps him going,

like Lennie has his rabbits and Candy has his land.

Crook’s imposed solitude has made him jealous of the relationship

Lennie and George have, this is why he uses George to bully Lennie,

“‘s’pose George went into town tonight and you never heard of him no

more.’” He enjoys this because he never gets to have power over a

white man; the victim becomes the bully in this scene.

In conclusion I think that most of the characters are victims in some

way. The main exception is Slim, he isn’t greatly affected by the

things that make the other characters victims. At times the victim

becomes the victimiser, but this is short lived. Most if not all the

characters in “Of Mice and Men” are victims of powerlessness,

financial hardship, job insecurity and loneliness, and some characters

are victims of things beyond their control.