How Does Steinbeck Present Curley’s Wife in “of Mice and Men”? Discuss Her Significance in the Novel.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex Character, named Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous but most of all an isolated character. She plays a main part in the novel; in doing this she displays and presents many of the main themes.
Before we are presented to Curley’s wife, Candy talks about her, to George and Lennie. She is spoken about in a gossipy manor. “I think Curley’s married a … tart.” Steinbeck is prejudicing or preparing us before we meet Curley’s wife. He does this, so that we have an influenced preliminary impression of Curley’s wife and the way she acts.
We develop an initial perception of Curley’s wife as being flirtatious and promiscuous. This is shown at the introduction, of Curley’s wife’s entrance. Steinbeck first introduces us to her appearance, “full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes…” Curley’s life has been suggested to us as someone who is trying to be displayed as a sexual object. She would be doing this to attract attention. The colour red is often considered for portraying a sign of danger or sex. Steinbeck portrays these signs frequently, “red mules…red ostrich feathers.” In doing this, it is suggesting to the reader that Curley’s wife is “jailbait”.
Curley’s wife likes to take care in her appearance. In Steinbeck’s description of her, he says, “…heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters” this suggests to the reader that she is trying to get attention or showing that she is acting as a ”tart”. She has no reason to pay strong devotion to her appearances; this is because she is married and there are no other women on the ranch, moreover, she should have no one to impress. We may think that she is trying to impress her husband, however, later on in the novel, we learn that she does not like or respect her husband, nor does he respect her.
Before we are presented to Curley’s wife, Candy talks about her, to George and Lennie. She is spoken about in a gossipy manor. “I think Curley’s married a … tart.” Steinbeck is prejudicing or preparing us before we meet Curley’s wife. He does this, so that we have an influenced preliminary impression of Curley’s wife and the way she acts.
We develop an initial perception of Curley’s wife as being flirtatious and promiscuous. This is shown at the introduction, of Curley’s wife’s entrance. Steinbeck first introduces us to her appearance, “full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes…” Curley’s life has been suggested to us as someone who is trying to be displayed as a sexual object. She would be doing this to attract attention. The colour red is often considered for portraying a sign of danger or sex. Steinbeck portrays these signs frequently, “red mules…red ostrich feathers.” In doing this, it is suggesting to the reader that Curley’s wife is “jailbait”.
Curley’s wife likes to take care in her appearance. In Steinbeck’s description of her, he says, “…heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters” this suggests to the reader that she is trying to get attention or showing that she is acting as a ”tart”. She has no reason to pay strong devotion to her appearances; this is because she is married and there are no other women on the ranch, moreover, she should have no one to impress. We may think that she is trying to impress her husband, however, later on in the novel, we learn that she does not like or respect her husband, nor does he respect her.