When the men on the farm found out that Lennie killed Curley's wife they set out to find him, along with George. George knows that Curley would not bother to care if Lennie killed his wife unintentionally
Similarly to Lennie, Curley’s wife also feels left out and different from everyone else. She is not considered a “normal” wife, or have a “normal” hope for her future. Most people during this time hoped to get married and become a housewife; Curley 's wife aspired to be an actress and only married Curley when it did not work out. Curley’s wife told Lennie, “I ast her if she stole it, too, an’ she said no. So I married Curley (Steinbeck 88).” She thought her mom had stole the letter she was waiting for from an agent who could get her into her career; she assumed her mom stole it because she thought her mom would have wanted her daughter to do what “normal” women do. Also, she is not considered a “normal” wife; “normal” for that time meant she was supposed to stay inside and do chores and cook. Instead, she goes around, talks to the men working and hides from her husband. Curley’s wife is lonely because no one talks to her to prevent trouble. George said to Lennie, “well, you keep away from her, ‘cause she’s a rat trap if I’ve ever seen one (Steinbeck 32).”
On the farm, cruelty and devastation breed. The main source of this infestation is Curley and his wife. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley and Curley's wife share the traits of selfishness and frustration. These two characters, specifically make life hard for their coworkers. Their violent outbursts and troubled personalities make them the perfect couple. However, for the others, this makes life on the farm substantially harder.
Because Curley’s wife is so alone, she goes to find someone to talk to. While other men are out playing horseshoe, she finds Lennie in the barn by himself. She begins to talk to him because she doesn’t know what else to do with herself. She is not fully aware of Lennie’s mental illness, however; she knows he acts like a little child and she knows he has just killed a puppy. “You’re a kinda nice fella. Jus’ like a big baby” (90). indulges in conversation and pressures Lennie to talk to her, though Lennie is under strict orders from George not to come in contact with her. Lennie remembers George’s command and persistently tries to avoid speaking with her. “‘Well I ain’t supposed to talk to you or nothing. George’s scared I’ll get in trouble.’” (86,87). However, against Lennie’s requests Curley’s wife goes on to talk to him. Steinbeck notes, “She changed the subject” (87). Lennie cannot always keep up with what is going on so when she changes the subject, his mind goes to another matter and he forgets George’s words. Her vision is so clouded by the thought of not expressing herself that she was not aware of the arising action. Once she pries Lennie’s attention from not being allowed to talk to her she focuses on herself and tells Lennie stories that she has never told anyone else. She barely has come in contact with Lennie prior to the situation at hand and already
John Steinbeck’s Of Mice & Men is a novel packed with racial and gender inequalities. The way it portrayed the character of Curley’s wife is particularly interesting and spoken about, and for good reason. Throughout the novel, Curley’s wife – who, accordingly, was never called anything else – was consistently dehumanized, and forced to fit into certain stereotypes. It’s also worth noting that Curley is an abusive husband towards her. Curley’s wife is a victim of sexism, correctly depicted by Steinbeck’s illustration of how society used to be.
Someone once said, “A villain is just a victim whose story hasn’t been told.” The character known as Curley’s Wife in Of Mice and Men is portrayed in John Steinbeck’s writing as an antagonist. Multiple time throughout the book she is insulted by the men, who call her things such as a tramp, or a tart. As the story continues, there are many hidden indications that she could be seen as a much simpler, innocent presence, rather than an evil. When looked at more in depth, Curley’s Wife can be seen as a victimized character.
The story is centered around two migrant farmers; Lennie, who has a mental disability, and George, who watches over and protects Lennie from getting into any trouble. One of the mens’ fellow workers, Curley, has a wife who is constantly ignored and discriminated against because of her gender. While attempting to reassure Lennie after the loss of his pup, Lennie repeatedly states that he must follow George’s orders and avoid talking to her. Frustrated, Curley’s wife begins to rant about her true feelings after stating “‘I get lonely’” (Steinbeck 87). She goes on to explain that she does not appreciate the way the men on the ranch treat her with disrespect. The fact that she can stand up for herself, even though she’s all alone, reveals just how strong and confident of a person Curley’s wife truly is. If she had continued bottling up all of her emotions, she would have never had the chance to express her true emotions. This why why “‘I get lonely’” is the most important phrase used in chapters five and six of the novella Of Mice and
Is being a woman something someone should be blamed for? Growing up as a woman in the 1900s was very unfair for all females. They had less rights and were treated as if they were prized possessions. A book that provides insight into this topic is Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. In the book, the only female character is married to the boss’ son, Curly. Curly and his wife 's relationship has no true love involved and according to Curley 's wife, the marriage is very forceful. In fact, we do not even know the name of Curley 's wife! In Of Mice and Men, it is illusive that Curley 's wife is treated poorly and has an unfair life. All Curley 's wife wanted to do was talk with the other ranchers instead she is considered a tart for talking to other
John Steinbeck was born at the beginning of the twentieth century and experienced the turning point of many eras that are evidenced throughout his writings. Steinbeck lived through the strong economic years during World War I, the dirt poor years of the Great Depression, and even saw the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s; all of his dreams for these decades are evidenced in his works, more specifically, Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men is set in the 1920’s in the Salinas Valley of California. Other writers, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, char-acterize the 1920’s as a fun decade with a booming economy filled with men rising from rags to riches, but Steinbeck shows how life was for men
Of Mice and Men provides us with plenty examples of dehumanization that guide us to conclusions, or insights or feelings of dehumanization. Some examples of this is the dehumanization of Lennie, Crooks and Curley’s wife. Of Mice and Men perfects the traits of dehumanization of Lennie by relating him to a number of animals like the horse. Steinbeck dehumanizes Lennie by comparing him to a horse when George says, “His huge companionship dropped his baskets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse” (Steinbeck, 2). Furthermore, Steinbeck helps us, by dehumanizing Crooks, living in a barn, to animals, to visualize how poorly Crooks is treated. To prove this, Crook says, “ ‘Cause I’m black.
Finally, the literary device of foreshadowing is used in order to hint upon future events as a result of loneliness. Steinbeck foreshadows forthcoming conflicts within the story due to a lack of companionship and trust amongst the farmers. After being shamed by the men, Curley’s wife declares, “‘You’re all scared of each other, that’s what. Ever’ one of you’s scared the rest is going’ to get something on you’” (Steinbeck 77). By accusing the men of being fearful and skeptical of one another, Curley’s wife hints upon disputes and predicaments that are to soon arise on the ranch. For instance, Lennie has a compelling desire to stroke soft things due to his mental illness. Subsequently, Lennie becomes the cause of his puppy 's death after petting it too forcefully. In an attempt comfort Lennie, Curley’s wife offers Lennie a piece of her hair for him to stroke. Following this, Lennie loses all self-control, shaking Curley’s wife and, eventually, snapping her neck. As a result of the chaos created by Lennie, the true morbidity of the other farmers is revealed after forming a group with intentions to lynch Lennie. Even George, Lennie’s only true friend in life, makes the final decision to shoot Lennie in the back of the head in order to relieve himself of the burden that is Lennie, himself. The men’s inability to look past Lennie’s mistake reveals their lack of trust and companionship amongst one another, all of which was foreshadowed by the blatant words spoken by Curley’s wife. Lastly, Steinbeck foreshadows the betrayal of friends, leading to loneliness, pain, and suffering. After an outburst between George and Lennie, Lennie decides that it would only be best if he leaves George to go live alone in a cave. After this being said, George opposes Lennie’s suggestion by saying, “‘I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody’d shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself’” (Steinbeck 12). George’s opposition hints upon Lennie being alone at the end of
Animals, what are they? One may receive a very scientific definition, perhaps explaining that they are something like a living organism that can eat living substances, and that they have complex or intricate body systems. When people describe them, many say that they are foolish little creatures whose purpose only serves as maybe to work or even possess a friendship with humans in some cases. But what if there was really more than meets the eye, an even deeper connection that many fail to see on a day to day basis? Nature and animals are both crucially important aspects in Of Mice and Men. This can be seen constantly throughout this novel in which both animals and nature alike relate to people and even occasionally foreshadow
Curley’s wife, who was never to be named, was a complex and important main character in John Steinbeck's novelette “Of Mice & Men.”. She had a complicated past from aspiring to be a young actress but never getting the support needed from her family. She was practically forced into marriage with Curley; she never actually loved him. From the first time she was brought up in the novelette, she was portrayed as a flirtatious, ignorant tramp. This portrayal, however, is based on the viewpoints of Steinbeck’s male characters. Steinbeck himself is not one of those men. To confuse Steinbeck's voice with that of his male characters would be to wrongly accuse the author of misogyny. In fact, Curley's wife is a sympathetic character
The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the story Seabiscuit both reveal that dreams bring people together and give them something to work for, even when achieving their dream seems impossible. The relationships between Red and Charles Howard in Seabiscuit and between George and Lennie in Of Mice and Men display the true impact of dreams and how crucial it is to have them.
Humans are connected with one another through simple gravity-like forces that are ubiquitous and powerful, but in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton, the characters isolate themselves. While the english poet John Donne once said that “No man is an island”, his contemporary John Milton believed that “Solitude sometimes is best society”. So, which is true? In both books the characters act as if they are“islands”, but this does not create the “best society”.The characters’ detached isolation toward one another causes them to end up feeling empty and disconnected. In both Of Mice and Men and The Outsiders characters build mental barriers to protect themselves