Marxist Reading Of Curley's Wife

Marxist Lens Paragraphs

Curley’s wife is motivated by loneliness. She constantly thinks about what she could have had, versus what she has currently, because of Curley ““If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet”” (Steinbeck 42). She constantly grasps at the idea of being famous and wishes she had taken her chance, because she can never talk to anyone without Curley threatening them. If she had went, she would be famous and almost everyone would know her, and many people would talk to her. Ceasing her loneliness. A crown symbolizes her loneliness because royalty are liked by many, but never trusting of many, so they can not talk to people, creating loneliness. Clearly, Curley’s wife is motivated by loneliness.

Curley’s Wife loves attention the most. Her traits are described as, “heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hinf in little rolled clusters, like sausages...” (Steinbeck 15). Curley’s Wife lives on the ranch, so there is no reason for her to be all dolled up. She just makes sure she’s all put together,
so that the people of the ranch will talk to her. This is because she is full of loneliness and wants to be pretty enough that someone will actually talk to her. So, her heart is really just aching for someone to talk to her, and some attention from somebody. A camera with a red lined heart filled in with blue is her heart because it shows how much she loves attention and how full her heart is of loneliness.

Curley’s wife is lower than the middle class because she is a woman. She is married to Curley who has the second most power at the Ranch, but since woman during the time period had little power, she is much more restricted than Curley, ““Think I don’t like to talk to ‘somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in the house all time?”” (Steinbeck 38). Woman during the time period were expected to wait on their husbands, keep the house clean, and be under the husband's control. Even though that is not what she did, she was still expected to fit that mold of a woman. So, a symbol for her social class would be a single strand of wheat because she was expected to follow Curley blindly, and when the wind blows wheat, some of the wind blows off the wheat. Then, the wheat follows the wind, without a choice, like women at the time. So, Curley’s wife is a different social class than the normal social classes because she is a woman.

Curley’s wife’s character is mostly focused with her looks and the color red.
For example, whenever she talks to the people at the ranch, her looks are describe as, “full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up… She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were red ostrich feathers” (Steinbeck 15). Curley’s wife always has something red on, whether it be her clothing or an accessory, because of her desire. She is also described as having the eye, which adds to the idea of her being attracted to other men. She has this longing because Curley was never somebody she loved, only a man she used to get rid of her mother. But now, since her mother is gone, she has no use for Curley, and is just looking at the other men. A symbol that depicts her desire would be her red ostrich feathers, because the feathers give her a sultry feel. As a result, Curley’s wife is mostly described as heavily made up and in
red.

Curley’s wife believes that she could have amounted to much more. She thinks that her glass of potential is empty, ““Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself”” (Steinbeck 43). The only reason she feels this way is because of her actions. In chapter five, her life story is explained. Basically, she was offered to be in movies and go along with a man, and her mother would not let her go because she was fifteen. Then, the man said he would send her letter, and she never got it so she thought her mother had stole. She got so angry that she married a man she did not know so she could get away from her mother. But, because she did not get to go with this man, she always wonders of what could have been. And, she feels that anything would be better than her life, because she is so lonely. A glass half empty and pictures symbolize her beliefs because they represent the pictures that could have been famous and her potential that was spent. As a whole, Curley’s wife believes that she could have amounted to more.

Curley has power over his wife. Even though it seems like he has no power because his wife is constantly avoiding him, he has control over who talks to her. Since she avoids him, he makes all the workers stay away, causing her to be lonely because she just wants to talk to people. When she does try, people generally say, ““You gotta husban’. You got no call foolin’ aroun’ with other guys, causin’ trouble”” (Steinbeck 38). So, because of Curley, who is drawn holding her arm, who she talks to is restricted and even her actions. Woman at the time had to obey their husbands, so they obviously had power over them. Thus, Curley has power over his wife.

Curley’s wife’s actions shows the reader that she is lonely. For example, her character is always trying to talk to the boys of the ranch. The problem is, that Curley threatens them not to talk to her and if someone does, they get goaded into a fight. This eventually causes her to burst and blurt out to a group of three men, ““Ever’body out doin’ som’pin… (and I am) standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs… an’ liking it because they ain’t nobody else”” (Steinbeck 39). She feels like she should be able to do things and talk to people, but because of Curley she can not. She just wants to talk to someone, causing her loneliness. When she finally talks to the three men, she’s so elated. So, Curley’s wife’s actions show that she is lonely.