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.…
Curley’s wife is a villain because she shows some villainess signs that she had never shown before like say to Lennie that she was happy about it happening to him and let Lennie touch and feel her hair until her untimely death when Lennie grab her frightenly and twisted her neck so she would stop screaming. Here are some evidence that she is a villain…
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.…
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…
Also, when she went to the Riverside Dance Palace she meet this man who said she could be a actor and he would write to her as soon as he got back to Hollywood. Those letters never came and she married Curley who she had also meet at the same dance (88). In the beginning of the novella readers learn to hate Curley's wife, but as she describes her lonely and poor marriage readers start to understand her more as a human, and that she has needs that Curley is…
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…
At the beginning of the passage, Steinbeck uses contrast and repetition to create strong imagery in our minds regarding Curley’s wife. The careful juxtaposition of ‘the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off’ and ‘a girl’ is surprising and shows the reader how despite these tones of darkness and immorality conveyed Steinbeck about her, she is but a young, naïve little girl. She is also ‘looking in’, which effectively conveys curiosity and shows how apart from everyone she is, and could suggest a longing for…
Chapter 5 sees Steinbeck give the reader a more developed picture of Curley’s wife’s character. She enters the chapter in a very similar way to her first entrance in the novel…
Steinbeck uses the fact that Curley’s wife is the only female of the ranch to post her as a threat to the male ranch workers. When she is first introduced it isn’t pleasant. Candy starts of by saying ‘I seen her give slim the eye’ this instantly gives the reader an idea she is a bit flirtatious. He then continues to say ‘Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart.’ This gives the reader a view of her characteristics and we are put off by them.…
In John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” Curly wife is shown as a person with very…
Many people aspire for greatness in life; whether it’s being famous, or living the American dream, there is always more out there that people want. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, an unlikely pair of working men, Lennie Small and George Milton, go out in search of work and end up on a ranch. Some of the people that they meet at the ranch are Curley, Slim, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. The ranch is owned by Curley’s father, which causes trouble for the men because of Curley’s aggressive behavior towards them. Curley’s wife is unfulfilled and is always slinking around the barn and attempts to talk to the men working, which usually ends in failure. Curley’s wife has one similarity to Lennie and George. The three of them are missing out, or missed out on the chance for a better life and end up in a cycle of disappointment. Lennie and George share a dream of owning a house and raising animals on a ranch, while Curley’s wife fantasizes of the life that could have been. Unfortunately, all of their dreams fall short of coming true. 3 characters in the novel with bold ambitions that never come to fruition are George, Curley’s wife, and Lennie.…
Curley's wife hopes to be a movie star, and this is her fantasy that keeps her with Curley, but she deludes herself and could never actually go to Hollywood. Curley's wife says she, "could of went with shows" (86). She thinks the reason she never was able to was because, "my ol' lady stole" (97) a letter asking her to come to Hollywood. However, the man who said he could put her in the pictures was simply using her, and she was deluding herself to make her life bearable. When she died, "the meanness and plannings and discontent were all gone from her face" (101). She was only happy' in death, because her…
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…
Curley’s wife lost her dream and she lives an unhappy life. For example she met this guy who said, “He says he is gonna put me in the movies…I never got that letter (Steinbeck 88).” She wanted to be with this guy but she never heard back from him. Curley’s wife states, “How’d you like not to be able to talk to anybody (Steinbeck 87)?” This proves she has a lonely and unhappy life. Another example would be when Curley’s wife states, “I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella (Steinbeck 89).” This proves she is unhappy because she isn’t satisfied with her husband.…
This can be seen through the speech of Curley’s wife that reveals her innermost desire to have a companion. For instance, during an outburst between Curley’s wife and the farmers at the ranch, Curley's wife exclaims, “‘Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?’” (Steinbeck 77). This instance of indirect characterization demonstrates how a lack of companionship can bring forth agony and frustration in one's life. Curley’s wife’s compelling need to converse with others exposes her complete solitude on the ranch. The men have an inability to see past the gender of Curley’s wife, look down upon her, and constantly shame her for her seemingly flirtatious actions. Because of this, Curley’s wife is filled with despair and is forced to face her issues alone. The suffering that Curley’s wife experiences makes her an emotional wreck, letting the men know of her true feelings. Her words, which are shocking to the men, show that she is more than what meets the eye, and will not let her gender categorize her and set her apart from others. Additionally, Crooks' speech shows how isolation and separation from others can be emotionally draining. For example, while explaining to Lennie why he lived in an isolated shack, Crooks says “‘’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t because I’m black. They say I…