Of Mice and Men is a book written by John Steinbeck in the midst of the Great Depression, a period during which there was mass unemployment and poverty was widespread. Without work, many people lost their self-respect and struggled to find work, often travelling thousands of miles across America, leaving their homes and families behind. Steinbeck was a young man at that time, and wanted to write about the difficulties millions of Americans like himself were facing. Of Mice and Men makes a protest statement. It protests against the many inequalities in society, such as the inequality between the strong and the weak, between whites and blacks, and between men and women. .
The most prominent form of inequality described in the novel is the one existing between the strong and the weak. Life on the ranch is difficult and harsh. Only the most capable and strongest men are allowed work. There is no place and sympathy for weak people. Candy is the oldest ranch hand, and the other ranch hands do not treat him equally. He is not invited by the men to go to town. More significantly, Candy is pressured by the other ranch hands to shoot his old dog. The ranch hands want to shoot his dog because they feel that the dog is a useless burden. However, Candy does not think so, he is emotionally attached to his dog. It has been there with him for a long time. However, in the end, due to the pressure given by the other ranch hands, Candy miserably gives in. This scene acts as a metaphor highlighting the fast approaching end of Candy's own useful working life on the ranch, an end that is equally likely to occur without sentiment.
Lennie is another figure subjected to this kind of inequality. Lennie's weakness is different from Candy's. He is mentally weak. He is very slow and has the mentality of a child. This leads to people picking on him. In section three, Curley picks a fight with Lennie to vent out his anger.
