What is the hierarchy of the ranch in Of Mice and Men?

Central to Steinbeck’s portrayal of ranch life is his
creation of a distinct hierarchy. It becomes immediately clear that the Boss maintains
the highest position. Through the symbolism of his lack of name, “The Boss” is defined
as being almost like an uninvolved god-like figure. This impression is reinforced by his
imposing body language; the daunting action, “he hooked his thumbs”, is used to
demonstrate the superiority in his position. At the conclusion of his meeting with
George and Lennie, he “abruptly” left, consequently stressing his
self-importance.

Simply because of his connection to The
Boss, Curley adopts a position of power. Corrupted by the authority, he possesses a
threatening personality. This is exhibited by Steinbeck’s description of his physical
appearance – his glance is “cold” and he adopts the stance of a fighter, with his “hands
closed into fists”. Furthermore, he seems to think that he can assert his authority only
by physically terrorising others, such as Lennie. The tension in their relationship is
exhibited by Curley’s vicious threat, “Well, nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke to.”
This bravado can be explained by the fact his status is undermined because his wife is
not satisfied with their married relationship and is “eyeing” other
men.

In juxtaposition to Curley, his wife is presented as
having a very low status. Steinbeck doesn’t give her a name and this has a symbolic
meaning that emphasises her second-class citizenship. It reflects the inferior role of
women in society at that period in time and gives the impression that she is a
“possession of Curley”; this is ironic, as they never seem to be together. Apart from
referring to her as “Curley’s wife”, the author and some of character use many
derogatory terms for example “tart” and “rat trap”. This shows that the men are wary of
and don’t class her as an equal.

Similarly, Crooks also
holds no authority and he has long been the victim of oppressive violence, due to the
colour of his skin. He is often referred to as “nigger” by his fellow ranch workers and
this dehumanising insult exhibits the lack of respect for him. Nevertheless, he gains
self-confidence from the company of Lennie and Candy in his “bunk”; this encourages him
to try to counter the intrusion of Curley’s Wife. However, his he humiliated by her
consequential fierce threat, “I could get you strung up”. This brutal threat establishes
the cruel power of white over black.

When Steinbeck first
introduces Candy, he is just described as “the old man”. This generic term dehumanises
him, showing the reader the low status he possesses, because of his old age. Moreover,
he is shown to have no real place on the farm; exhibited by the way he was “jus’
standing in the shade”. The word “jus’” implies that he has nothing better to do, due to
the other ranch workers; exclusion of him. This illustrates how, because of his age and
his disability, he has become marginalized, as symbolised by the word
“shade”.

Slim is the most respected person on the ranch.
Steinbeck's descriptions of Slim suggest an idealised characterisation and he attaches
images of royalty: “majesty” and “prince”. He exerts a natural authority as a result of
his strong moral sense. His opinions are valued by the ranchers and his pronouncement
about Candy’s dog, “he ain’t no good to himself”, seals its
fate.