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Question: Do you think that John Steinbeck (of mice and men) was racist to some extent!?
we're studying of mice and men , and racism crops up a lot especially with crooks being called the n word!. But does this make John Steinbeck racist himself!. I wouldn't blame him cause a lot of white people at this time wereWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
You know, to depict something in a novel is not the same as approving of it!.

Steinbeck wrote about all sorts of things which he thought were wrong, for instance, the treatment of farmworkers!. And he used words to describe other groups -- say the "okies" of Grapes of Wrath -- that didn't express his own opinion, but merely showed the language and ideas of the people he was depicting!.

I don't know if he was racist!. I certainly would expect some aspects of his thought and language to be at the least shpaed by his times, even if he wasn't racist!. I do know that he took as his subjects a range of people who were poor and of color, so I doubt he was racist in the deepest sense!. And I know that showing that people used the "n" word, and showing racist thought and speech, does not itself provide any evidence that he was so himself!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I'd say he isn't


You're just making the rather poor assumption that an author must agree with every single character in his books, despite this impossibility!. Steinbeck attempted to write realistically, when he has a character use certain language, it is often based on his real life experiences with such men!.

He wrote truthfully about the times he lived in!. I'd suggest you read his Travels with Charley, which is written in his own voice, if you want to know his true views on race!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No, John Steinbeck wasn't necessarily: he was writing about how things were back then, in the time he lived!. Back then, it wasn't bad to call a black person a ******!. It was just done!. It wasn't RIGHT, but they didn't think anything of it, sadly!. THEY were racist, but they didn't believe in racism back then, and we don't know HE was racist himself, or at least thought of himself as a racist!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Quite possibly - it was written in the 1930's or 40's, wasn't it!? I know that HP Lovecraft (most of his books were written in the very early 1900's, IIRC) was very racist from reading some of his books, but his racism was based on stuff that was considered to be 'scientifically accurate' at the time!.!.!. I don't remember anything specifically, though!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

Most white people back then were racist!. Read most American books (I use this example because there was less black people in England at the time) and there will be racism!.Www@QuestionHome@Com