Introduction
Steinbeck shows us power in many different ways, Physical, Personal, Financial Power and Power of Seduction the novel was set in the 1930’s when power meant a lot to a lot of people. This meant that people would do anything to get respected! In the 1930’s the world was a different place to what it is now, a lot of racial division and an economic crisis which would last well over a decade. Steinbeck uses real- life scenarios and portrays it in the book.
Power of Seduction (Curley’s Wife)
When we think of Seduction, Curley’s Wife comes into mind, she is the only woman on the ranch and is not treated well by the way Steinbeck describes her. The men on the ranch refer to her as “tramp” or “tart” and “looloo” as though she is not married and is one to sleep with many men. Curley’s wife is never given a name and is only referred to her husband. The first mention of Curley’s wife was when Candy describes her to George in the bunk house. Candy gives us a strong impression that Curley’s wife is flirtatious and even promiscuous female before we even meet her. As he says that “she’s get the eye” which means instead of being faithful to her husband. She tends to look for other male ranchers. But Curley, her husband does not recognize her as a person but more like a sexual object, Candy said that “he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife” this shows us Curley uses he wife as a trophy and she was never given a name in the novella, she is only treated as a possession of Curley and how no one else on the ranch wanted to get to know her but avoid her instead.
We first set eyes on Curley’s wife in the bunk house, when she pretends to be looking for Curley the impression of Curley’s wife being flirtatious is emphasized as she dresses inappropriately for a women married to the boss’s son “she had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, her fingernails are red and her hair hung in little rolled