Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

Throughout history, women have been seen as inferior. During the Great Depression, women were not granted the same rights and freedoms as men. Curley’s wife experiences many of the same injustices that women did during that time. The negative perception of women develops in Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men due to the fact that Curley’s wife is not given a real identity or a purpose throughout the novel. She is consistently seen as a sex object rather than a human being and is restricted in what she says and to whom she says it too. Her husband, who does not let her speak to any of the men on the ranch, which makes her into being lonely, controls her. Curley’s wife is not named in the story, and is treated by Steinbeck as an object, a possession of Curley. Although she appears multiple times throughout the storyline, there is no specific name that anybody gives her. All the other characters (whom are all males) have their own name or nickname. The only nicknames she gets are “tart”, “bitch”, and a “tramp.” The names that she is being called are not sweet nicknames, but derogative and offensive words. In the eyes of the men, she is insignificant and unimportant. Curley distrusts his wife as the other men do. Curley’s wife even verbalizes that the only reason she married Curley was to spite her mother, not out of love for Curley. She declares to Crooks, Candy, and Lennie, “Well I aint giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to someone ever’ once and while. Think I like to stick in that house alla time?” Ever since she married Curley she has felt isolated and depressed. She makes use of her beauty to get the ranchmen to talk to her, even though Curley forbids it. This displays the stereotypical sexist remark that women are seen as housewives, cleaners, and cooks. Men put women at an inferior level. Curley’s wife leads a life of loneliness. All of her attempts to change that are rejected or misunderstood. Even George labels her after one meeting by saying the he “don’t care what she says” (32). People are quick to judge without getting to know her. George listens to what others have to say and forms an opinion on her based off this. He assumes that because she comes across as a flirt she is a woman who will get men into trouble. All the men on the ranch assume she is a tramp for trying to talk to him, but they forget that there are no other females for her to befriend. Yet she has come to a realization that when she meets someone alone, she and the person get along fine. But “let two of the guys get together an’ they won’t talk” to her (77). Curley’s wife correlates with Elisa Allen from Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums. Elisa is a passionate woman who lives an unsatisfying and under stimulated life on a ranch. She is thwarted and ignored by her husband, so she flirts with a tinker man. Humans crave contact with others to give life meaning, which is what both woman want. She is consistently seen as a sex object rather than a human being. Curley told the ranchmen that he keeps a glove “fulla vaseline” for his wife. It implies that he keeps his hand soft for sexual pleasure with his wife. The sexual pleasure relates to how just Lennie likes petting dogs, mice, and rabbits. Curley only sees his wife as an animal. Curley is only proud of his wife because he thinks that she makes others envious of him. However, he has no respect for his wife and shows her off like a trophy wife. Curley’s marriage is a performance to impress other guys, not the wife. He’s using her and their supposed relations as a tool to prove how manly he is. Nobody who respects his wife and felt secure in his relationship would need to spread talk like that around to guys. America is seen as the land of opportunity for many. Freedom to work hard and be happy is enshrined in the Constitution. The Dream assumes equality of opportunity, no discrimination, freedom to follow goals, and freedom from victimization. The reader understands toward the end of the book the ambitions Curley’s wife had to become a performer but these were not possible due to the pressure to be married and to be a housewife. All humans give meaning to their lives and to their futures by creating dreams. Without dreams and goals, life is an endless stream of day that has little connection or meaning. As a result of her insecurities, she tries to combat her loneliness and isolation by resorting to violence. Her vicious attacks on Crooks to getting him “strung up on a tree” and the attacks on Lennie due to his mental disability show how loneliness can not only change a person, but destroy them. All of the emotions Curley’s Wife encounters come as a result of the loneliness she feels, and these clearly represent of what a terrifying character she is.