Blindness of Humans Harper Lee once said, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view.” In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is isolated. She is the only woman in the ranch and her husband, Curley, is nervous that he is going to lose her. Curley’s obsession leaves her lonely and without anyone to talk to. She resorts to talking with other men by flirting, but only makes Curley more protective and abusive towards the other men she is associating with. People do not see others’ internal selves, but only their external images. By focusing only on the outer appearance, the men on the farm see Curley’s wife as a “tart” (Steinbeck 29). Curley is very pejorative and the men in the ranch
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Show More“‘Well, you been askin’ me too often, I’m gettin’ God damn sick of it. If you can’t look after your own Goddamn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay offa me” (Steinbeck 62). When Curley cannot find his wife, he becomes quarrelsome and confrontational, putting others in danger. Due to Curley’s wife not staying by her husband’s side, the other ranchers’ duties as well as the lives are put on the line, considering Curley’s amount of power on the farm and his well-known wrestling career.
In the novella “Of Mice and Men” one of Steinbeck’s central character is Curley’s Wife. Steinbeck presents her as a dangerous and powerful due to his language techniques like metaphor, simile and structure. However in a misogynistic society she can also be seen as a lonely and vulnerable character. Steinbeck’s use of symbolism especially towards Curley’s wife creates a dangerous and powerful persona.
Because of their own assumptions, the men on the farm have a biased opinion of Curley’s wife before meeting her and result to the use of derogatory language and rumors. The diction by the men leads to original characterization of Curley’s wife as a mean seductress, with little value or brains;
All 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
Curley's wife is stereotyped as a woman who gets around a lot, with other gentlemen. Therefore, Curley’s wife is a woman’s man and likes to get around. She flirts with any guy she can see with her own two eyes. “I never seen no body like her. She got the eye going, all the time on everybody” (Steinbeck 5.1.1).
They finally find a ranch, which was filled with men except there was one girl, Curley’s wife. The men had her labeled there as tart. She tried talking to Lennie because he was different than everyone else, but little did she know that caused her death and the leading to his. Steinbeck uses dialogue, characterization,
(Steinbeck 87). On the ranch, Curley’s wife wasn’t allowed to talk to any of the workers because Curley was afraid she would be unfaithful. She faced a ton of
Characters on the ranch see marriage as a relationship recognised by law and a sparkly ring. Throughout the book Curley and Curley 's wife are scared of each other 's power and status on the ranch. In addition the couple feels a need impress one another and a need for the other’s attention. Curley’s wife uses “her eye” to flirt with other men to keep Curley on his toes. On the other hand Curley is always itching to fight bigger and stronger men than himself; trying to prove his worth for his beautiful wife.
Humans are a genuinely perplexing and baffling species. Someone may glance at a person and think they may be incredible, but associate with them and one may discover the person is atrocious. In the book Of Mice and Men, Curley is approached as the calamity of the ranch. He is analyzed as a racist, mean, and sexist man.
Disability is defined as a condition that restricts a person physically and/or mentally. In the John Steinbeck novel, of Mice and Men, Lennie suffers from this. He is mentally disabled. This forms the story’s conflict. Lennie tries to be in line with society however, his disability makes it much harder, especially in the time period that this story takes place in.
Curley’s wife is flirty, powerful, and lonely which leads her life to be self-destructive. Curley’s wife starts off being flirty in this novel. Evidence shows that Curley’s wife is flirty is stated in the novel when Steinbeck states, “She puts her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward” (Steinbeck 31). This shows how flirty she is at the ranch as she has met with all the working men at the ranch.
Steinbeck creates contrasting images of Curley’s wife by using literary techniques such as pathetic fallacy, juxtaposition and irony. Body 1: When Curley’s wife is first introduced into the novella it isn’t in person, it is through rumours and gossip. Evidence of this is when George is talking to Candy and Candy describes Curley’s wife as a “tart” who has “the eye”. This provides the reader with only a description of a married woman who is immoral and only causes trouble for the ranch hands. Specifically, the word “tart” dismisses her as a person and rids the reader of any thoughts about her having feelings.
In result of Curley’s wife being hurt by other’s expectations and failures, she belittles those who are weaker than her in social class and body. Curley’s wife once wanted to become a movie star, however her famous connection ended up betraying her, leaving her bitter and stuck in an unhappy marriage. By socializing with Lennie and Crooks, she betrays her husband’s trust in her, along with hurting Crooks. Her life ends when Lenny loses control of his own power and snaps her neck. Through Curley’s wife, Steinbeck portrays his dark belief of human connection: that humans are hurt and then hurt others around them, in a tireless
Desmond Tutu, a South - African social activist and retired Anglican priest once said “ Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness”. Of Mice and Men is a novel which revolves around the lives of struggling farmers and how they still maintain hope despite their hardships. The symbolic representation of light embodies the hopes and the American Dream, whereas the dark epitomizes the harsh realities and truths of their lives. Steinbeck uses light and dark to foreshadow the upcoming events in the forlorn lives of the migrant workers. He also combines aspects such as the setting and characters with light and dark to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind as to how the world of the migrant workers looks like.
The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.