There are very few things in 2013 that are the same as the 1930s, but one thing that has remained constant is discrimination against minorities. Today, gays, people of Middle Eastern origin, and the unemployed are just a few examples of groups who are judged quickly, and sometimes very harshly. By the 1930s, however, very different groups were considered minor. Women, the mentally disabled, and African Americans were the primary targets of discrimination during this time period. Women were expected not to speak and to stay at home to clean, cook and take care of children. African Americans still did not have equal rights and were treated as if they were not as intelligent, strong, or important as Caucasians. People thought that people with mental disabilities should be locked up and were considered possessed by the devil. In Of Mice and Men Steinbeck highlights the isolation felt by minorities during the 1930s through Curley's wife, Candy, and Lennie. First, Steinbeck shows the isolation felt by women during the 1930s through Curley's wife. This isolation is first felt when Curley's wife enters Crooks' room looking for her husband, but the men don't even allow her to be with them. Crooks tells her “Maybe you better go to your house now. We don't want trouble” (77). By having Crooks say this, Steinbeck shows how not only does Curley not appreciate his wife or want her around, but the men think she is a problem and want nothing to do with her. In the 1930s, women were expected to be quiet and only speak when spoken to, but Curley's wife disagrees with this stereotype and makes men think she is trouble. Curley's wife tries to explain herself in the book, and it even comes out... middle of paper.......Steinbeck highlights the isolation felt by minorities during the 1930s through Curley's wife, Candy, and Lennie. By producing this tale during this time period, Steinbeck highlighted how poorly minorities were treated. Steinbeck wanted to show how, no matter how someone behaves or appears, the way they are treated makes them feel isolated from the rest of society. His goal was to make the majority of people realize that minorities need to receive better treatment because they really aren't that different from the rest of us. Just like in the 1930s, today too there are people discriminated against for no real reason. Through Steinbeck's short story Of Mice and Men he hoped to help stop this discrimination during his generation and hopefully, from people reading it in 2013, it will help end discrimination against minorities today..