Analysis Of Curley's Wife In Of Mice And Men

In the 1937 novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there is a very powerful aspect of male dominance in the text. From a feminist’s point of view this story degrades women, and categorizes them as sexual objects. One example of this was the representation of Curley’s wife as a character. She was not a main character but she was visually described extensively. She is portrayed as a tramp, and it seems as though this was a deliberate point made by Steinbeck. The first time Curley’s wife is seen she is described in detail; what she is wearing, her looks, body language and even gestures she makes towards the other men in the bunkhouse. She is portrayed as putting herself out there, and from a feminist’s perspective this could bring an argument
because it could be said that the woman is just lonely and the men are excluding her from having a social life and this would change her into someone who comes across as needy and obsessive. Steinbeck makes this point, of Curley’s wife being degraded to symbolize how women were treated during this time period. The story is set in The Great Depression. In this era women were often housewives, and if they managed to have an actual job they were frowned upon for taking the opportunity to make money away from the men. Also, women were discouraged from seeking a high education. When these factors are mixed together, it’s apparent that women were not meant to succeed. Curley’s wife is meant to stay in her and Curley’s home all day long and do nothing but wait around for him. Women were degraded in this time period and in Steinbeck’s novel.