Curley's Wife Death Analysis

All Lennie wants to do is tend the rabbits. The boy cannot help it; he adores soft things. From rabbits to puppies to women’s hair, Lennie cannot keep his hands off any smooth texture. The untimely death of Curley’s wife was caused by an unfortunate set of circumstances. These circumstances were set into motion by the actions of other characters more than by Lennie himself. If Curley and his wife had acted differently and if Lennie’s disability had been taken into consideration, her death might never have occurred.

Lennie is very childlike, despite his appearance. His tall, bulky figure contrasts with his naïve and innocent personality. Throughout the novel Lennie shows his playful character through his words and actions. In the book Lennie says, “‘Let’s have different color rabbits, George’” (16) which illustrates that Lennie has a light hearted personality. Lennie’s childlike mentality prevents him from acting with malicious intent, and just like a child, Lennie

Curley’s wife is to be primarily blamed, despite the fact that she was the victim. She may have become attention seeking due to the negligence of her husband, Curley. It could also be said that she longed for someone to adore her, because she suffered from narcissism. She was seeking attention due to her loneliness. For example, when all of the men were outside playing horseshoes, she received no attention. In reference to page 86 Curley’s wife says, “’All the guys got a horseshoe tenement goin’ on … Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’”. Therefore, Curley’s wife snuck into the barn and hoped to capture Lennie’s interest. Out of desperation, she turned to Lennie to admire her. She was fully aware that Lennie was developmentally disabled, and therefore he could not be held accountable for his