Randy Newman “short people.”
Randy Newman is an American composer, pianist, singer, and songwriter, born in 1943, California, US. Newman uses humour, irony, and character-driven compositions to write songs that have made him become famous and establish a cult audience. Among his many sings, is “short people” which have been widely misinterpreted. The broader meaning of the song is that it is about little people. However, “short” actually imply people who are small-minded and short-tempered. Similarly, “short people” song completely relates to Curley in Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck. Curley was also a small-minded individual who despite being the son of the boss, always picked fights with people bigger than him, mistreated his wife and saw her as a possession, denied her freedom, and was quick to revenge the killing of his wife.
“Short people” implies small-minded and short-tempered people. Newman sings that short people “nasty little feet,” “dirty little minds,” and “stubby little fingers.” However, in the end, he states that short people include “you and I.” He also states that until men die, they are always brothers. This implies that he was not actually singing about little people but small-minded people. This also shows that “short people” implies those who are negative and always irrational (Newman 14). In the world of Steinbeck, Curley is an evil character despite being the son of the boss (Steinbeck 23). Lennie also has a feeling that Curley is a menace. Steinbeck describes Curley as a “thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair.” Candy says that Curley is an amateur boxer who often picks fights with people bigger than him. Picking fights is a way of trying to prove his masculinity. He also does this by marrying a woman who is physically attractive. His wife does not have a real name but is always referred to as “Curley’s wife” which is an indication that she is Curley’s possession.
Curley sets the stage for trouble by isolating her from everyone and not allowing her to talk to other people in the ranch. He creates scenery when decides to caress her, yet he patronizes a local warehouse (Steinbeck 31). Although Curley is the son of the boss and enjoys every privilege that comes with it, he is mean to his wife and cannot satisfy her. Any man who dares to talk to Curley’s wife receives a beating from Curley. Slim is the only person that Curley seems to respect and listen. One time, Curley enters into big trouble by picking a fight with Lennie. Lennie decides to fight back and smashes Curley’s hand and breaks every bone. Curley cries helplessly and whimpers like a baby with the pain. Lennie then goes ahead and kills Curley’s wife. Curley uses this situation as a chance of revenging. He instructs Carlson to kill Lennie, and eventually, George kills Lennie mercifully (Steinbeck 34).
In summary, Randy Newman’s song “short people” does not literally talk about little people but small-minded and short-tempered people who completely related to Curley in Curley in Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck. Curley is also a small-minded individual who despite being the son of the boss, is quick to revenge the killing of his wife, always picks fights with people bigger than him, mistreated his wife and saw her as a possession, and denied her freedom. It is important that we learn to become open-minded people who can reason out with other people and the community as a whole to come up with solutions for problems that may arise in society.
Work Cited
Steinbeck, John. “Of Mice and Men. 1937.” AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION RESEARCH JOURNAL 394 (2000): 1985.
Newman, Randy. Short people. Music Sales, 1977.