Curley's Wife And Crooks
“No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself” (John Steinbeck). John Steinbeck, American author of local color novella Of Mice and Men, attempts to give voice to and normalize victims, the “other human beings,” of the 1930s American social standards. Pariahs of the Great Depression period are introduced throughout the laborious journey embarked on,with the aim of achieving the conventional American Dream, by Lennie Smalls and George Milton.Although their positions in the culture of the ranch are very different, Crooks, Candy and Curley’s wife are similar in that each represents an outcast who is scorned by mainstream culture and struggle to find a comfortable “place” in society. …show more content…
Only 10 years prior to the 1930s were women granted the right to vote, only then did American society start to consider women as separate entities in comparison to their husbands or other male figures in their life. Curley’s wife, however, continues to be in close association with Curley, her husband. Similarly Curley’s wife is intentionally not given a name that individualizes her from Curley, this encapsulates the notion of the 1930s society that deems women as property of their husband thus estranging them from having their own dreams, opinions and a chance at a successful independent lifestyle. This is made apparents when she exclaims that she “could of went with shows. Not jus’ one, neither” (78). Ordinarily Curley’s wife seeks acceptance and companionship from male figures on the ranch, and she is represented as a flirtatious person. This is symbolic of how women were outcast as useless and unsuccessful, illustrating a woman’s sole purpose in society as pleasing and showing affection to the man. Ironically, Curley’s wife attempts to find a comfortable position in the society, which has outcast her, by oppressing Crooks. This is evident when Curley’s wife threatens Crooks by exclaiming that she “could get [Crooks] strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (81). Despite the hardships Curley’s wife faces she doesn’t hesitate to diminish Crooks optimism and
How Does Steinbeck Present Lennie's Attitude Toward The Ranch Workers
709 Words | 3 PagesIn the 1930s, African Americans were casted away from all white people, leading them to loneliness. This topic is explored in John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men. The story takes place in California during the 1930s, a time when black people were hated by the majority of white people. Crooks, a black ranch worker lives in his own bunkhouse because most of the white ranch workers do not want to live with a black ranch worker. Most ranch workers dislike Crooks, and Crooks despises all of the ranch workers.
How Does Steinbeck Present Curley's Wife
948 Words | 4 PagesShe uses her power to dominate over Crooks, Lennie and Candy ‘left all the weak ones here’ this signifies that, similarly to Curley, she likes to stir trouble and mock people who are weaker than her to make herself feel better and boost her confidence, however this is showing the reader the opposite of what Curley’s wife wants us to think, it shows that internally she is damaged and lack confidence and happiness. In this chapter, Curley’s wife picks on all the characters, she firstly points out Candy’s old age and calls him a ‘lousy ol’ sheep’ showing her disrespecting character to the elderly, this could be because she doesn’t get any respect and so treats people like they treat her. Moreover, she uses her power to threaten Crooks, who is the only black character in the novella, ‘I could get you strung up on a tree’ this illustrates the verbal abuse black Americans had to endure in the 1930s society. Overall in this chapter, we see that Curley’s wife is self-obsessed and lives in her own word, she feeds on other people to make herself look better in her own
How Does Steinbeck Present Curley's Wife
410 Words | 2 PagesDespite being the only female on a ranch full of foul-mouthed men, Curley 's wife exploits both her sexuality and her status to demonstrate power throughout the novel. For instance, when first meeting Curley’s wife she attempts to enhance her body for the new men: “She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward” (31). From Curley’s wife’s actions we learn that since the beginning she finds it necessary to flaunt her body, instead of showing her real personality. Furthermore, she is using her physical attraction to portray an appearance that is automatically seducing in hopes of placing herself above the newly arriving men. After Crooks tells Curley’s wife to get out of the barn, she erupts
Curley's Wife Imagery
1294 Words | 6 PagesSteinbeck 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.
Tone In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
263 Words | 2 PagesHe made her stay in the house all day. Unwilling to comply, she would sneak out to talk to the workmen. The men on the farm however, percived curleys wife as a “tramp”, beacuase of the sexual image she brought upon herself. Making them stop approching and conversing with her. she felt alone, seeing that she had no friends, no future,
Why Is Curley's Wife Lonely
578 Words | 3 PagesWhat is loneliness? Well it is feeling sadness because one has no friends or company. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Curley's Wife is perceived as a tart, or an extremely flirty person. In reality she is lonelier than any other character. She lives on the ranch with everyone else and just wants to make friends but everyone fears Curley and tries to avoid her.
Curley's Wife A Villain Analysis
165 Words | 1 PagesCurley’s wife is not completely innocent, but she is not a villain. When she gets opportunity’s to show her true colors she is mean to the men on the ranch, which makes her at the least part villain. When Lennie is with Crooks and Cansy , she speaks to Crooks very rudely and says, “listen Nigger. You know what I can do to you if you open your trap”(Steinbeck 104)? Curley’s wife believes that she can take control and overpower Crooks.
Of Mice And Men Rhetorical Devices
931 Words | 4 PagesIn such time of the Great Depression and gender equality, this novel presents the character of sexism, Curley’s wife, to show how her dreams has been achieved through death. During her talk with Lennie, she tells him that she “‘[...]never get[s] to talk to nobody [and that she] get[s] awfully lonely’” (Steinbeck 86). Even though she is depicted as a flirtatious, “‘[...]purty [...] bitch’”, her true life was lonely and segregated from the male ranchers (Steinbeck 32). Steinbeck applies this paradox in the story to picture the reader about how a character’s identity can either encourage or ruin his or her reasons to live and achieve a future.
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.
Curley's Wife Loneliness Quotes
621 Words | 3 PagesHungry for attention, Curley’s wife pays the men in the barn a visit, only to be pushed away by their cruel comments and harsh words. Offended and unwanted, Curley’s wife turns the tables against Crooks and insults him by saying: “well, you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (80). Although she does not intend to hurt anyone, the men do not want to take chances retaliating at her resulting at them having to leave the ranch. When Candy found Curley’s wife half-hidden among the straw, lying still, he came to found out his dreams were taken from him.
Comparison Of Characters In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1725 Words | 7 PagesIn the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck illustrates a ranch in the 1930’s during the great depression where those who fit into mainstream society run the show, and those deemed “outcasts” are rendered useless. Steinbeck depicts characters with setbacks that diminish their value in the eyes of society, and contrasts them to characters that have no difficulties conforming to the norm. Crooks, being a black man isolated by his race, and Candy, a elderly man limited by his age and missing limb are examples of Steinbeck characters that experience hardships because of the differences. The poor treatment of Crooks and Candy by the other characters, and their chronic unhappiness in a place that doesn’t value them, comments on how
How Does Crooks Present Curley's Wife
2062 Words | 9 PagesCurley’s married woman is the lone adult females at the spread in Of Mice and Men. She is by and large portrayed as a immature. lonely. bored and infantile miss. “Baloney! ” is her ‘word. ’
Power Of Crooks In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
768 Words | 4 PagesOf Mice and Men “listen, nigger,” she said. “you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” (pg.80). This shows how the word “nigger” is used to control a black person. In the book of Mice and Men the word “nigger” is used quite often but towards crooks, since he is the only black person in the book.
Examples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men
1644 Words | 7 PagesAforementioned, Curley 's wife represents discrimination towards women, she is constantly looked down upon and isn 't treated with respect. However, when she is talking to Crooks, “‘Well, you keep your place then, n*****. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny,’”(OMAM 81). Crooks and Curley 's wife go through something similar. They are both discriminated based on a difference that the other men on the farm don’t have.
Social Classes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
833 Words | 4 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, is a compelling story that has captured and embodied the struggle and loneliness felt by many during the Great Depression. While desire for the American Dream is prominent in the novel, Steinbeck is able to demonstrate the wants from different social classes through the construction of characters such as George Milton and Curley’s wife. With these characters, Steinbeck successfully displays the difference in ideas, values and attitudes of certain social classes in the 1930’s and the illustrates the rarity of achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck wrote this novel during the Great Depression, when America was suffering greatly by the disastrous crash of the stock market. From this point in time, separation of the different classes became
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