Curley's Wife A Women With No Name Analysis
Curley’s Wife: A Women with No Name John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice And Men is about two men trying to seek the American Dream during the Great Depression. They travel to ranches in California to find new work and they end up on a ranch near Soledad. They meet many people but one in particular is Curley's Wife. She is the only woman on the ranch and is unable to attain her American Dream because she is undermined by all of men, especially her husband.
When Curley's Wife is first mentioned in the book, you wonder if we will ever learn her name and the answer is no. So immediately your thinking how cliche it is to not give the only woman in the book a name. Steinbeck most likely did this to emphasize the disrespect for women during this time. Women were expected to stay in the house to clean, cook, and take care of kids with no help from their husbands. Steinbeck shows this in the story when Curley's Wife is talking to Candy, Lennie and Crooks in the loft. She says
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Curley's wife talked to the three men that were left behind (Lennie, Crooks, Candy) when everyone went to the brothel about how she wanted her life to go. “I tell you I ain't used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself” (88). She goes on to talk about a show that came into town and a guy told her she could go with that show and be in “pitchers”. The dream of most women in the late nineteen twenties, early thirties, was to make it big in Hollywood and that in fact was Curley's Wife dream. The reason she said she isn't “used to livin’ like this” was because the men on the ranch thought it was trouble to even talked to her so it seemed like no one cared. When the man approached her about going with the show she felt wanted and could see her whole future ahead of her so now that she's seeing how it's really turned out, she's upset. No one notices what she could have
How Is Curley's Wife Presented In Of Mice And Men
733 Words | 3 PagesIn the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is portrayed many different ways throughout the story. Women were often understated around guys, and given less power. When Curley’s wife is first introduced, she doesn’t come off to the readers as very nice. When she was introduced she was mean, flirtatious, and it was let known that she was beautiful. She was flirting with the other men on the ranch,you feel more bad for her when the men are saying mean things about her, and near the end of the book the reader becomes sympathetic for her.
How Does Steinbeck Present Curley's Wife
948 Words | 4 PagesCurley’s wife is the wife of the Bosses son, Curley. In the novel Curley’s wife represents different themes such as loneliness, innocence and dreams. We learn this as we are introduced to her character and learn her story. Her overall purpose in the book is simple- she is a ‘tramp’, who ruins mens happiness however as her character develops, she becomes more complex and we learn about her vulnerability and innocence. Steinbeck also shows the portrayal of women in 1930s America, showing that women were treated as objects and could only get attention through their physical appearance.
How Does Steinbeck Present Curleys Wife In Of Mice And Men
664 Words | 3 PagesSomeone you don’t necessarily want to associate yourself with. Steinbeck shows Curley’s Wife as an example of a misfit, someone who really has no one else to talk to, and someone who really just wants to let out all of her feelings. She is the only woman mentioned on the ranch, and this can cause some issues. She has no desire to be Curley’s Wife, and she has no desire to live on this ranch with these misfits. Steinbeck uses many different characters to play out his theme of dreams through the novel.
Examples Of Sympathetic Characters In Of Mice And Men
905 Words | 4 PagesFirst thing’s first, not once throughout the entire book does anyone refer to Curley’s wife by her name, and it’s unclear if they even know it in the first place. She’s unsatisfied with her marriage and gets lonely, so she gets flirty with the other guys, however, as a result, they tend to avoid her because they suspect she’s gonna try to start trouble, which in turn, feeds into the cycle of loneliness. Whenever other characters talk about her, it’s usually in demeaning terms and insults, since she had unfairly accumulated a rock-bottom reputation. During a very vulnerable period, she strikes up a conversation with Lennie and starts venting about where she could’ve been, "I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself."
The Sympathetic Character In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
667 Words | 3 PagesShe was only written with negative character traits which made it so characters or readers were never able to sympathize with her. Next, no character ever had a turning point where they saw Curley’s wife as more than exactly that, Curley’s wife. And finally, he never gave her a name. There was a great imbalance between sexism and making the readers question the sexism. If Steinbeck had chosen to give the woman some justice the message against sexism would have been stronger.
Essay Of Mice And Men Dreams
801 Words | 4 PagesCurley’s wife had a dissimilar dream than the others, to be famous; however, this, just like the men 's dream, did not transpire. Curley’s wife talks to the men—Crooks, Lennie, and Candy — about her dreams of being famous " I tell ya I could of went with shows. Not jus ' one, neither. An ' a guy tol ' me he could put me in pitchers…" She was breathless with indignation. " —Sat 'iday night.
Quotes On Curley's Wife
1677 Words | 7 Pages“And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck” (Steinbeck 91). The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck takes place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. During this time period, many men would travel looking for work and would end up working for a rich ranch owner. Most of this novella takes place at a ranch owned by a wealthy man in Soledad, California. At this ranch, Curley’s wife is a very present and ornate character; however, she is not at all respected.
How Does Steinbeck Use The Power Lens In Of Mice And Men
780 Words | 4 PagesSteinbeck describes Curley’s wife as followed: “...wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up... she wore a cotton dress and red mules... She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the doorframe so that her body was thrown forward... Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little” (31). Curley’s wife knows that her power, her only power, lies in her beauty and her position of actually being Curley’s wife.
Dehumanization In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
384 Words | 2 PagesFinally, Steinbeck dehumanizes Curley by the negative criticism that always pursues her and her loss of identity when accompanying someone or something. This is why she is always commonly known as “Curley’s Wife”, proving that she is an unimportant and insignificant character in this book. Plus, everybody in the book says that Curley’s wife causes trouble for everyone; as George says, “She’s a jail bait all set on the trigger,” (Steinbeck, 49) and is constantly getting blame for all that goes wrong in Soledad; as Candy says, You God damn tramp. You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad.
Curley's Wife Quote Analysis
153 Words | 1 PagesCurley’s wife has many unrealized dreams. Before her death, Curley’s wife confesses her desire to become a movie star, “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes-all them nice clothes like they wear... An’ all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural.” p.89
Seclusion In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
544 Words | 3 PagesCurley’s wife describes her childhood, “I never got that letter. I always thought my ol’ lady stole it. Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself, an’ she says no. So I married Curley…” (Steinbeck 88).
Curley's Wife Research Paper
245 Words | 1 PagesThe death of Curley’s wife is a very shocking event which is what triggers George’s decision to shoot Lennie. She does nothing wrong and without noticing Lennie kills her; just how he killed the mouse and the puppy killed the puppy. Curley’s wife’s death is a tragedy and symbolizes Lennie’s untroubled life coming to an end. Even though Lennie is not a bad person after the death of Curley’s wife, we can no longer think of him as an innocent child-like person. George and Lennie’s life was about survival, but centred on the innocent dream of the rabbits.
Examples Of Sacrifice In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1357 Words | 6 PagesAll the men on the ranch thought that Curley's Wife had a perfect life but she says, “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes” (Steinbeck 3). Even though she’s married to Curley and seems like she has the life but even she doesn't want to be there on that ranch with the life and family she has. Curley's wife is very neglected on the ranch she's treated like she doesn’t exist and doesn’t matter. Curley doesn’t talk to her and or spend time with her and this makes her desire a better, higher lifestyle with a bigger
The Role Of Disabilities In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
705 Words | 3 PagesIn John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrayed a political statement by looking at mental and physical disabilities through different characters such as Curley's Wife, Crooks, and Lennie. Curley's wife is used to represent how women were treated during the 1930’s and almost treated with a disability. Women were portrayed as the help and they were supposed to stay home and work while the strong brave men went out and got money to support the family. By Steinbeck not giving Curley's wife a name he is showing how she is connected to Curly with an Invisible rope.
Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay
1173 Words | 5 PagesThe Death of The Unborn Female American Dream Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, takes place during the time of The Great Depression; an era extremely difficult for women. The novella contains many iconic characters that serve as a metaphor to our societal standards. Curley’s wife is introduced just like any other; however, the emphasis on her feminine features are metaphoric to where women stand in society. In order to prove that society makes it impossible for certain people to attain The American Dream, Steinbeck objectifies, sexualizes, and kills Curley’s wife to show that women cannot reach The American Dream. Steinbeck uses specific vocabulary to objectify Curley’s wife; alienating her from The American Dream.
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