How is Curley's wife presented in 'Of Mice and Men'
How is Curley’s Wife presented in’ Of mice and men’?
On the ranch there is only one woman who is referred to as Curley’s wife throughout the book and her lack of identity implies she is a possession of Curley’s and the fact she is never given a name suggests she’s seen more as a possession than a person.
The first time she is seen the reader can instantly see she doesn't fit in as she is wearing ‘red mules with ostrich feathers’ which is incongruous in the setting of the ranch. The colour red is often considered for portraying a sign of danger. Steinbeck portrays these signs frequently, ‘red mules….full, rouged lips’. In doing this, it is suggesting to the reader that Curley’s wife is, as the workers call her, ‘jailbait’. Another thing that indicates that she doesn’t fit in perhaps is how she’s seen standing in doorways often for example the first time she’s seen ‘the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off’ and this implies she is always on the edge and never accepted into the group. The sunshine being cut off could also be symbolic for how she brings negativity. From the first moment she is seen she’s instantly presented as being dangerous as George tells Lennie to ‘have nothing to do with her’ as he senses she will cause trouble which foreshadows events later in the story.
The men on the ranch all have negative views of Curley’s wife (except Lennie who is more intrigued) and the workers view her as being a ‘rat trap’ and a ‘bitch’. She is referred to as being a tart and the word ‘tart’ suggests she presents herself in a flamboyant manner, which portrays her desperation to be noticed however she is ignored by the workers who refuse to talk to her in fear that Curley will find out. Later in the novel she is shown as being more innocent than the workers think however her actions do contribute to the workers’ view on her as she both talks and acts flirtatiously in front of the other ranch workers. She maybe behaves in this manner because her
On the ranch there is only one woman who is referred to as Curley’s wife throughout the book and her lack of identity implies she is a possession of Curley’s and the fact she is never given a name suggests she’s seen more as a possession than a person.
The first time she is seen the reader can instantly see she doesn't fit in as she is wearing ‘red mules with ostrich feathers’ which is incongruous in the setting of the ranch. The colour red is often considered for portraying a sign of danger. Steinbeck portrays these signs frequently, ‘red mules….full, rouged lips’. In doing this, it is suggesting to the reader that Curley’s wife is, as the workers call her, ‘jailbait’. Another thing that indicates that she doesn’t fit in perhaps is how she’s seen standing in doorways often for example the first time she’s seen ‘the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off’ and this implies she is always on the edge and never accepted into the group. The sunshine being cut off could also be symbolic for how she brings negativity. From the first moment she is seen she’s instantly presented as being dangerous as George tells Lennie to ‘have nothing to do with her’ as he senses she will cause trouble which foreshadows events later in the story.
The men on the ranch all have negative views of Curley’s wife (except Lennie who is more intrigued) and the workers view her as being a ‘rat trap’ and a ‘bitch’. She is referred to as being a tart and the word ‘tart’ suggests she presents herself in a flamboyant manner, which portrays her desperation to be noticed however she is ignored by the workers who refuse to talk to her in fear that Curley will find out. Later in the novel she is shown as being more innocent than the workers think however her actions do contribute to the workers’ view on her as she both talks and acts flirtatiously in front of the other ranch workers. She maybe behaves in this manner because her