In chapter 1, Steinbeck introduces us to George and Lennie, two migrant workers who are traveling to work on a ranch in Soledad, California. The odd duo is trying to survive and save up money in the 1930s: Great Depression.…
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.…
The lack of power and authority that revolves around Curley’s Wife is personified through her being referred to as either merely someone’s wife, or, through derogatory terms such as “tart” and “jailbait”, by the men at the ranch. Her lack of identity could be a symbol purposefully created by the author to inform the readers about the insignificance of a woman’s role in society during the Great Depression, and how men were far more dominant in relationships, leading to women having unequal, if any, power.…
As the only woman on a ranch surrounded by men that view her as a temptress, Curley’s wife faces little to no chance of friendship. Despite Steinbeck’s portrayal, Curley’s wife emerges as a complex character through the quotation, “‘I get lonely’” (82). This declaration to Lennie shows Curley’s wife as more than the stereotypical enchantress, but as an actual person who possesses feelings, particularly loneliness. The line becomes noteworthy as the reader begins to notice the character of Curley’s wife developing more depth and feeling.…
The way that John Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife throughout the book shows that he does not really like women. He makes her a women that only cares about her looks, and just flirts with the men on the ranch, “She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”(Steinbeck 31). Steinbeck makes her act as if she is literally throwing herself towards the men. She is married to Curly, not so happily, yet she still flirts with almost every man working at the ranch. She walks around with a full face of makeup, lipstick and her face roughed, and she wears dresses and heels with ostrich feathers. She has no real job, so she…
Steinbeck also shows that Curley’s Wife is a danger on the farm. When she enters the room , ‘both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off’. This imagery could symbolise the dark and danger that Curley’s Wife brings with her. Some of that danger is, she could commit adultery with men on the farm. As the book is set during the 1930s where…
Of Mice and Men is an example of why we need to be our brother’s keeper.…
Married to Curley, she lives on a ranch with only men with whom to talk. However the men degrade and insult her, and Curley makes sure no one thinks of talking to his wife on fear of losing their jobs. Curley is very possessive of his wife, and wants the men on the ranch to know that he has something valuable that they are not allowed to have. Her gender secludes her on the ranch, and her attempts to get the other men to talk to her only pushes them further away. Her extravagant appearance illustrates her desperate need for attention. “I get lonely. You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?” (Steinbeck 87). She seeks out the men on the ranch for company, however this is seen as a promiscuous act in their eyes. She settled for Curley after being unable to pursue her own dreams, but she now lives on a ranch with men who avoid her because they are too afraid of her…
Steinbeck portrays her in a horrible manner; he shows her as unintelligent and unimportant figures. Curley's wife is a prime example of how Steinbeck presents women; she is the most prominent woman in the book, so there are more citations about her.…
Curley tries to prove his masculinity by picking fights. Another way to prove himself is by marrying a physically attractive woman. His wife is never given a name, but by calling her "Curley's wife," Steinbeck indicates she is his possession. Curley refuses to let her talk to anyone on the ranch, isolating her from everyone and setting the stage for trouble. He makes a big show of keeping his hand soft to caress her, yet patronizes the local whorehouse on Saturday night. While he may strut around the ranch because of his position as the boss' son, he obviously cannot satisfy his wife and is mean to her. Curley beats up any man who dares to talk to her; the only one he listens to and seems to respect is Slim.…
Curley’s wife is the only female lives on the farm. Throughout the novella, the men that work on the ranch always refer to her as ‘Curley’s wife’. Her lack of identity could imply that she is more of a possession of her husband than a woman with rights. That is why she has no name; her identity is being someone’s wife. As this character develops, we find that she is not in fact the nameless, unimportant character as we first perceive her as, but she is a complex an interesting character which much more to her than we first think of. The lack of identity could also be referring to how womens rights were treated less equally than men. The lack of name demotes Curley’s wife to an insignificant status. Steinbeck says in a letter about the role of Curley’s wife “She (Curley’s wife) was told over and over again that she must remain a virgin… She had only that one thing to sell and she knew it.” This further enforces that women were only used for sex. Steinbeck may have portrayed woman in this way to allows readers to recognise the inferior role of women during the Great Depression.…
Curley’s wife says “-Sat’day night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an’a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep-an likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else” (Steinbeck 78). Steinbeck shows discrimination against Curley’s wife because she has to waste away on the ranch without anybody to talk to except a bunch of outcasts. She could have been out with the guys, but nobody wanted to talk to her because they thought she was a tramp so they discriminated her. Now she’s lonely and can’t talk to anyone except for a few “bindle stiffs.” When she was killed, Steinbeck describes as “the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face” (Steinbeck 92-93). Steinbeck makes her seem like a tramp at first from what the ranch hands say about her, but all she wants to do is talk to someone. Since she is the only girl on the rancg and she is very pretty, the guys think that she is a tramp so they discriminate her. Curley’s wife becomes an outcast and it makes her lonely. All she wants to do is talk and interact with…
The only female character in the novel whose name has been given to readers as Curley’s Wife is a paradox within her own life and its circumstances, and where she ended up as a result. Throughout the novel she was upset at the way she was living because she claimed that she could have “ ‘...been in the movies, an[d] had nice clothes...’ ” however the unfortunate truth was that she was stuck living the life she was living (Steinbeck 89). This as well as the fact that readers constantly saw her as mean and toxic, but only in her death they saw her as she truly was; “... the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone…” and she looked very plain and beautiful (Steinbeck 92-93). She, much like many other characters in the novel, had a dream for herself. However the fact is that she unfortunately failed to see that dream become a reality. Steinbeck used the paradox in the way the men on the ranch saw her to show how unfairly treated she was. He showed this through her death, displayed as pure and beautiful, unlike the manipulative creature readers had come to know thanks to the perception of the men. It is unfortunate that she never lived long enough to pursue her dreams, instead stuck in a place where she was not happy and trapped in a failing marriage. The paradox is simple, she had dreams, and they were crushed. Not everybody, as saddening as it is, gets to live their ideal life. Most do, but some tend to stop…
Throughout this novel Curley’s wife seems to always be looking for her husband, Curley. Having to always search for Curley is not a good relationship, as Curley’s wife steps into the doorway of the bunkhouse she says to George and Lennie, “I’m lookin’ for Curley Oh… Sometimes Curley’s in here” (Steinbeck 31). In this quote not only is Curley’s wife looking for Curley but she’s trying to carry on the conversation. All Curley’s wife wants to do most of the time is talk to people, but she’s not always allowed to. As a matter of fact Curley gets very upset when his wife talks to others, Curley's wife states to Crooks, Candy, and Lennie, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?... I’m glad you bust up Curley… I’d like to… myself” (Steinbeck 77, 81). This passage shows that Curley’s wife will talk to another person if she wants to and doesn’t care what her husband thinks. Finally, Curley’s wife enjoys a lot of attention in general. Therefore, Curley’s wife is kind of throwing herself at the men, dressing up and leaning on the door frame Steinbeck adds a very detailed description of her, “Full rouged lips…eyes, heavily made up…wore a cotton house dress and red mules” (Steinbeck 31). This information from the novel shows that Curley’s wife dresses to impress. Curley’s wife is essentially acting out in these situations…
Besides her husband's jealously, Curley's wife's social status also restricts her freedom. In the 1930's, during the Great Depression, the social status of women was quite low.Men did not take women seriously and the major role of women was to cook, clean, and raise the children. Curley's wife is a perfect example of how women were viewed in the early 20th century. She was treated like property to Curley and was not given a name being referred to only as ‘Curley’s wife’. To conclude, with women having such low social status during the Great depression Steinbeck’s uses this as a main aspect in Curley’s wife’s character to show us how the great depression can cause a person to become emotionally unstable.( ADD…