Curley's Wife Character Analysis

All over the world, in the past and even today, there has been a major problem called sexism. Women everywhere are being oppressed and marginalized. There are no real reasons for this, except for the fact that they are women. John Steinbeck’s exploration of a real-world issue, which is sexism, is clearly shown in Of Mice and Men and The Pearl through the characters of Curley’s wife and Juana.

How could a character with no name be so deep and complex? The novella ‘Of mMice and mMen’ uses symbolism and hidden meanings to add depth to the characters, Curley’s wife being a prime example. The novella offers contradicting descriptions and presentations of Curley’s wife making us hate and disapprove of her while the next moment we feel guilty and mourn her. Steinbeck creates contrasting images of Curley’s wife by using literary techniques such as pathetic fallacy, juxtaposition and irony.

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.

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.

In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the character Lennis is a big, tall man who is described as a "big baby" because he has a mental condition that makes him act childish. The character referred to as Curley 's wife, is a petite and pretty lady. She is known to be a troublemaker and does not act the way a "normal" wife would. Although the two characters are very different, they share the feeling of being left out and alone.

Because John Steinbeck saw sexism as an important social issue in his time he wrote about it in his novel Of Mice and Men. How Curley's wife is treated by all the men in the ranch displays how women were treated back in the 1930’s. In the novel the readers are not given the name of Curley’s wife; she is being displayed as property. All the men in the ranch see her as a disturbance and do not want to associate with her. As Candy said, “‘I’ve seen her give Slim the eye. Curley’s never seen it. An I’ve seen her give Carlson the eye’” (Steinbeck 28.) Curley’s wife feels isolated and is looking for someone to simply talk to; but, all

“In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable.” -John Steinbeck. Loneliness can be affected by many things and can affect many things. Curley’s wife is a character whose actions are debatably driven by the feeling of loneliness. Some think her actions are driven solely by her personality and moral values. Others see nothing wrong with her actions and excuse them by placing the origin of it on loneliness. These actions, no matter what the commencement, have a great impact on the people of the ranch. They affect relationships, sensibility, and moral character. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the actions of Curley’s wife can be debated through what she does, her reasons of her actions, and the impact her actions have on

“‘Well, I ain 't suppose to talk to you or nothing. I get lonely’”(Steinbeck 86-87). that’s all that has to be said to describe why Curley’s wife acts the way she does, and how her life is lived. Also it shows what people say to Curley’s wife when she tries to talk to them, because none of them want trouble with Curley. In Of Mice and Men Curley’s wife is a married woman, who is not loved by her husband, and is really treated like an object on the farm rather than a human being. Curley 's wife is a victim, isn’t talked to by anybody, is in a loveless marriage, and lives a lonely life on the farm.

“I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella… Coulda been in the movies.”(Steinbeck 89). The book Of Mice and Men, which is written by John Steinbeck, has its main focus on an all-male ranch with a lone female. Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife is different from all the other characters which makes her unique. Curley’s wife has power, but can also be the subject of it. The impression of Curley’s wife definitely has an impact on the impression of women as well.

Innocent till proven guilty or Guilty till proven innocent? Curley’s wife, I feel is an innocent victim because she just wanted to talk to someone, only female on the ranch, Curley and his wife don’t get along that well.

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression in the 1930’s. Taking place in Northern California, and in this time period, gives the reader a different perspective and a hint of what life is like back then, and the misery’s and hardships of what people went through. Many themes are expressed in the book, the main one loneliness, which is Steinbeck’s focus. Most people desire contact with others to give life meaning. This is seen when Lennie goes into Crook's room to find someone to talk with, and later Curley's wife comes for the same reason. John Steinbeck’s presents Curley’s wife in a way that comes off as she is being abused. In Of Men and Mice Steinbeck clearly portrays Curley’s wife as a victim and not a villain, as others would see her. She is abused by Curley, mistreated by the other men on the ranch, and she is treated like she does not exist with no respect or value.

John Steinbeck was ahead of his time in his portrayal of women in the 1937 novel Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife exemplifies the stereotype and mistreatment of women from the early 1900s to present day. Curley’s wife struggles to find a voice in a male-dominated society and suffers mistreatment from other characters. Curley’s wife is dehumanized, discriminated, and persecuted until her death, which makes her the most deserving of the reader’s sympathy.ssd

Charlotte Perkins Gilman and John Steinbeck, authors of The Yellow Wallpaper and Of Mice and Men respectively use techniques such as dialogue, foreshadowing, symbolism, and unreliable narration in order to portray the idea of femininity – or rather, the flaws in this idea. Both fictional stories are based on real and human experiences, and in order to portray this, both authors have used a variation of techniques to help the reader understand the complex social context of the texts. To paint the idea that women are only used as object, Steinbeck and Gilman use dialogue heavily between both the males in the novel and the female characters. Symbolism is also used to show the objectification of women in Of Mice and Men. In the duration of both

In 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.

Curley’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. She thinks this because she is a white female and Curley’s wife, and Crooks is black. She is expressing her power, and taking advantage of Crooks. She does this because she recognizes he cannot do anything about it. Curley’s wife then takes the conversation farther, “ Well you keep your place then nigger. I could