Curleys Wife In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
Often times, women are put down by others. In Of Mice and Men, Being the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife was referred to as a so called “tart” by the men. A tart is an offensive term referring to the idea of a temptress. In the novel, Curley’s wife is viewed as a tart by the way she is portrayed. Due to the clothes she wears and the actions she makes, many people come to this untrue conclusion. Therefore, because of this idea and her kindness, she is blamed for the death of her friend, Lennie, at the end of the novel. However, it is clearly perceptible that Curley’s wife is not a temptress nor is she directly responsible for the novels tragedy due to the fact of her loneliness, her not being treated fairly, and her trying to make friends
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Loneliness, however, played a major part in what originally lead to this catastrophe. As stated in the novel, “I seen her give Slim the eye. Curley never seen it. An' I seen her give Carlson the eye" (Steinbeck np). As perceived in this quotation, the old man, Candy, believes she gives “the eye” to the other men on the ranch. What makes him think or see that? This is an unfair conclusion made. It is not her fault that she is considered to be this way. On the other hand, she does not mean for anything to affect her and Curley’s relationship no matter how rough it is. Candy may assume this is true due to her loneliness affecting the way she acts towards others. She wants to receive the attention that Curley does not give her, just as anyone else would but, of course, not in any sexual way. She is lonesome and just wants a friend in which to rely on. Therefore, she is not purposely tempting anyone or responsible for this “tragedy” and what leads up to it. Also, as seen in the story, “‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘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 np). This proves to readers that the reason Curley’s wife gets lonely is because Curley does not like when she interacts with other ranchers. However, she tries to talk to others as much as possible without Curley noticing it. Feeling alone is not an exciting thing to possess, when all you need is a
Loneliness, however, played a major part in what originally lead to this catastrophe. As stated in the novel, “I seen her give Slim the eye. Curley never seen it. An' I seen her give Carlson the eye" (Steinbeck np). As perceived in this quotation, the old man, Candy, believes she gives “the eye” to the other men on the ranch. What makes him think or see that? This is an unfair conclusion made. It is not her fault that she is considered to be this way. On the other hand, she does not mean for anything to affect her and Curley’s relationship no matter how rough it is. Candy may assume this is true due to her loneliness affecting the way she acts towards others. She wants to receive the attention that Curley does not give her, just as anyone else would but, of course, not in any sexual way. She is lonesome and just wants a friend in which to rely on. Therefore, she is not purposely tempting anyone or responsible for this “tragedy” and what leads up to it. Also, as seen in the story, “‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘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 np). This proves to readers that the reason Curley’s wife gets lonely is because Curley does not like when she interacts with other ranchers. However, she tries to talk to others as much as possible without Curley noticing it. Feeling alone is not an exciting thing to possess, when all you need is a