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Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Analysis

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Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Analysis
In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck presents a female character who is isolated by her husband's will. This results in her living a sad and lonely life. Curley's wife is the only woman living on the farm where the story takes place. Her husband of only two weeks, who she later admits to not loving, is over – protective and does not allow her to talk to anyone or have any friends. Steinbeck shows the theme of isolation through the depressed and regretful character of Curley's wife who dies at the end of the novel. Her hidden emotions emphasizes her short, isolated life. Curley's wife reflects on her past decisions as she wishes her life would have gone a different direction. She claims she was offered many opportunities to act …show more content…
Curley does not allow her to interact with the men on the farm as he is afraid to lose her. Therefore, she has no friends and no one to talk to since there are no other women on the farm. Curley's wife once again opens up to Lennie, expressing that she feels Lennie is lucky because he can socialize. “I get lonely', she said, 'You can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad” (87). Also, the men on the farm fear Curley's power, so they stay away from Curley's wife. This makes it impossible for her to interact with anyone except her husband whom she does not like, let alone love. She reveals her feelings about the men as she tells Lennie, “What kinda harm am I doin' to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live” (88). She feels ignored and disrespected by the men on the farm, but it is really the isolation caused by her husband. Curley acts as though he knows his wife does not love him and he is afraid of losing her. He keeps her away from the other men, because she could end up liking one of them more than him. Curley's wife might not follow her husbands rules, but the fact that he will not allow her to talk to anyone correlates with her character. She has no name. The title of “Curley's wife” sounds as though she is owned by Curley, this is Steinbecks message. She cannot be herself, she belongs to Curley which causes loneliness and
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