Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay

After the Great Depression in 1929, America’s economy was devastated. The increase of farming across the Great Plains states caused the precious soil to erode, turning the once fertile grassland to a desert like Dust Bowl. Hundreds of farmers and workers migrated to California in search of jobs aiming for the American Dream. The American Dream is the hopes and the goals of the characters in which they can obtain a better life through their hard work. In Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is portrayed to be extremely vital for the men as it serves as their motivation, yet ultimately proves to be unattainable through the memorable characters of Lennie, George and Curley’s wife.

People who face great odds will hang on to hope, however, many will lose it to the cruel reality they live in. This is the story told in the novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. In this novel, Lennie and George are traveling bindle stiffs who experience the losses that come with the Great Depression, and the hope of others that is dashed by the death of one person. This theme of hope and loss is shown through Curley's wife, Candy, and George.

Steinbeck uses Curley to represent the rich and powerful in the 1930’s and to criticize the lack of social mobility at the time. Curley’s appearance is a big factor as he wears “high-heeled boots” which distinguish himself from the other workers on the ranch, and has no authoritative or respect from the ranch hands, which will be discussed later. Curley has not earned his respect from what he does but from since Curley cannot distinguish himself naturally, he uses his appearance. He has to prove his

“And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck” (Steinbeck 91). The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck takes place in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. During this time period, many men would travel looking for work and would end up working for a rich ranch owner. Most of this novella takes place at a ranch owned by a wealthy man in Soledad, California. At this ranch, Curley’s wife is a very present and ornate character; however, she is not at all respected. Two weeks prior to George and Lennie’s arrival at the farm, Curley’s wife married Curley to escape her family and gain wealth after meeting him at the Riverside Dance Palace. Due to all the hardships she endures at the ranch, Curley’s wife is the loneliest and most alienated character in the novella.

The novellas Of Mice and Men and The Pearl are both often noted as social criticisms. The author, John Steinbeck addresses real-life issues that society is facing. Whether through direct statements and comments, or through a fictional characters’ situation, Steinbeck criticizes just some of the problems of society. He shows the way people are discriminated against, and why. He shows the issues society faces. Author John Steinbeck explores multiple real life issues in both works, and provides a message of how unfair the world is, as well as show how cruel humans can be to differences.

Due to the Great Depression, women’s rights took a back seat to employment and poverty. It was believed that women shouldn’t work but stay at home, clean, cook, and raise their children. The prejudice against women in the society was great back in the 1930s for they were degraded and underestimated. All the rights they had gained in the 1920s were neglected and the women were once again maltreated. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the victim of sexism is Curley’s wife who is so insignifact that even a name was not provided for her. Sexism is shown in the book when Curley’s wife is regarded as a bitch merely owing to the fact that she is flirtatious and wears appealing clothes.

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.

Throughout literature, women who are characterized as shameless temptresses are often the way they are because of a desperation to break away from society’s oppression of low-class, uneducated females. This is never more true than for Curley’s wife in the fictional novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Through considerate yet concise descriptions of her fantasy of Hollywood stardom, putting down of others, and attention-seeking ways, Curley’s wife is revealed to be a downtrodden female who suffers from her own internal, emotional conflict.

Albert Schweitzer once said, “We are all so much together, but we are all dying of loneliness.” Undoubtedly, Albert Schweitzer’s quote can be referred to Curley’s wife in the novel Of Mice and Men, and John Steinbeck’s message about loneliness. Without a doubt, Curley’s wife, from Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is a lonely character who fails to find companionship, and depicts Steinbeck’s message about loneliness.

Lennie and George dream of having their own farm, but George knows it can 't happen.

Of Mice and Men is a novel which tells the story of two friends traveling together and working on a ranch in Depression-era California. This story is filled with memorable characters, one of which being Curley’s wife. Curley is the ranch owner’s son. He and his wife got married at a young age, but her original plan was not to marry Curley. In this novel, she is illustrated as a ‘tart’. A result of her flirtatiousness is that her husband becomes very jealous of the other men on the ranch. These insecurities then cause Curley’s wife to become even more estranged from her husband. When Curley’s wife gets too comfortable with one of the workers, Lennie, she is accidently killed. In this novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is portrayed as a troublemaking, licentious, and desolate character.

For exactly 240 years, America has been dependent upon a single concept that formulates its very foundation: The American Dream. Throughout generations of history, the validity of the American Dream constantly fluctuates, and every single fluctuation drastically affects American citizens, an effect that is crucial to the success of the United States. Without such a foundation, the qualities of America are eventually undermined and the American Dream dissipates for millions of hard workers attempting to earn the right of egalitarianism, such as George and Lennie during the Great Depression. In John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men", the American Dream is effectively portrayed through dynamic characterization, character relationships, and symbolism.

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’s life influenced the context in his novel Of Mice and Men. In fact, he was knowledgeable towards the issues of women’s rights and mental disabilities, and even worked on a ranch as a migrant worker himself. Likewise, these same ideas and actions took place during the Great Depression and are vividly displayed within the characters and the plot of Steinbeck’s book. Women’s rights, mental disabilities, as well as ranch work during this time period are depicted through Curley’s wife, Lennie, and the setting of the ranch.

The Great Depression caused an abundance of hardships for the American people. Those who were wealthy lost much of their fortune, and those who were poor lost everything they had. However, white men lived a relatively easier life compared to women and those of color. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife as a symbol of oppression. This character’s purpose is to show the inferiority which women were looked to with and the objectification that they were forced to put up with. Steinbeck also uses her to represent the double standard which was present at the time by placing her in situations where the men were given more respect than her. Throughout the course of this novel, Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife to point out that the gender