Of Mice and Men Essay
a) in this passage, what methods does Steinbeck use to present Curley's wife and the attitudes of others to her? Refer closely to the passage in your answer.
b) how does Steinbeck present attitudes to women in the society in which the novel is set?
In this passage if mice and men, Steinbeck present Curley's wife as a dreamer, who is an outsider, insecure and labelled by others. He does this by the use of metaphors and stereotyping.
In the beginning of the passage Curley's wife is introduced into the novel for the first time. Almost immediately she has portrayed women during the 1930s, as she is presented as an outsider. As women in the 1930s were living in a mans world and they did not have much respect. She is the only girl on the ranch so therefore she is going to feel isolated and alone. She also represents loneliness which is a theme in of mice and men. "A girl was standing there looking in". The noun "girl" suggest that she is immature, innocent, it also tells us that she has not fully developed into a mature woman. The meaning for the word "girl" is for unmarried females, however we know that she is married, so therefore we can tell that her marriage may not be real and they may not care for one another. The noun "girl" can be quite offensive if used to describe a young women. The noun "standing" can be used to describe respect and status in a community. So therefore Curley's wife has little standing in the community. Which reflects women in the 1930s, as they didn't have much respect and authority. The words "looking in" may suggest that Curley's wife is looking inside the bunk house longing for company. We learn that Curley's wife is an outsider, who is not accepted into the ranch life. Who is considered to be immature and not fully developed into womanhood. She does not have much respect and authority as she is the only female living on the ranch. She does not have much importance as the men. She longs to have companions and tries to find that in
b) how does Steinbeck present attitudes to women in the society in which the novel is set?
In this passage if mice and men, Steinbeck present Curley's wife as a dreamer, who is an outsider, insecure and labelled by others. He does this by the use of metaphors and stereotyping.
In the beginning of the passage Curley's wife is introduced into the novel for the first time. Almost immediately she has portrayed women during the 1930s, as she is presented as an outsider. As women in the 1930s were living in a mans world and they did not have much respect. She is the only girl on the ranch so therefore she is going to feel isolated and alone. She also represents loneliness which is a theme in of mice and men. "A girl was standing there looking in". The noun "girl" suggest that she is immature, innocent, it also tells us that she has not fully developed into a mature woman. The meaning for the word "girl" is for unmarried females, however we know that she is married, so therefore we can tell that her marriage may not be real and they may not care for one another. The noun "girl" can be quite offensive if used to describe a young women. The noun "standing" can be used to describe respect and status in a community. So therefore Curley's wife has little standing in the community. Which reflects women in the 1930s, as they didn't have much respect and authority. The words "looking in" may suggest that Curley's wife is looking inside the bunk house longing for company. We learn that Curley's wife is an outsider, who is not accepted into the ranch life. Who is considered to be immature and not fully developed into womanhood. She does not have much respect and authority as she is the only female living on the ranch. She does not have much importance as the men. She longs to have companions and tries to find that in