Curley's Wife Sexism Essay
Broken Dreams
Sexism is shown throughout the book because of the way men talk about Curley’s wife. A fact that is important is that Steinbeck was raised in a society where men were considered more powerful than women, which explains why Steinbeck didn't give a name for Curley's wife. Steinbeck puts her in the book as if saying she’s Curley’s possession in a way. Curley’s wife says it herself that when she finds one of the men alone they treat her good but when the men are all together they gang up against her. Curley’s wife flirtatious actions are caused by her loneliness and not being able to communicate with others. Curley’s wife throughout Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is discriminated by the men on the ranch because she is a woman.
Curley’s wife is the only woman in the ranch and has no one to talk to and is left out because of her gender, and for being considered a threat. Curley’s wife gender separates her from the others because when she tries talking to the other men she pushes them way from her because they’re scared of losing their job, knowing that Curley is the boss’s son. “ I get lonely, she said. “You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to
…show more content…
Curley’s wife goes into the barn while the other men are away and sees Lennie and starts a conversation with him. The conversation escalated quickly and Lennie killed Curley's wife. When the men found Curley's wife dead and Lennie there, Candy says, " You god damn tramp," he said viciously. 'You done it, di'n't you?"(Steinbeck 95). Candy is being sexist with Curley's wife because he's blaming her for Lennie's actions of killing her because she's a woman. Candy also says, "I s'pose you're glad." (Steinbeck 95). Candy is saying angrily to Curley's wife body that she finally got what she wanted (attention). The one time Curley’s wife talks to someone results with her
Tina Fey Bossypants Summary Sparknotes
820 Words | 4 PagesShe is portrayed as a beautiful and promiscuous women and throughout the book, she is treated like an animal by the men on the ranch. She is described in the book as a pretty women that the men are fascinated by. Infact, Steinbeck does not even give her a real name, but rather is referred to as an object of her husband’s possession. Curley’s wife is a character that completely embodies the typical role women are thought to hold. Bossypants versus Of Mice and Men shows the difference between male and female authors, as they portray women differently in each text.
How Does Steinbeck Present Curley's Wife
410 Words | 2 PagesAlthough she may not intend to follow through with the threat, while doing so, she is forcing their attention on her. As Candy discovers Curley’s wife lying dead on the hay, he exclaims, “You done it, di’nt you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good.
Curley's Wife Victim Essay
744 Words | 3 PagesSomeone 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.
Dehumanization In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
384 Words | 2 PagesFinally, Steinbeck dehumanizes Curley by the negative criticism that always pursues her and her loss of identity when accompanying someone or something. This is why she is always commonly known as “Curley’s Wife”, proving that she is an unimportant and insignificant character in this book. Plus, everybody in the book says that Curley’s wife causes trouble for everyone; as George says, “She’s a jail bait all set on the trigger,” (Steinbeck, 49) and is constantly getting blame for all that goes wrong in Soledad; as Candy says, You God damn tramp. You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad.
Curley's Wife Misperceived In Of Mice And Men
976 Words | 4 PagesGeorge and Lennie just arrived to the farm where they find Candy and Candy starts to tell them how the farm works and about everyone on the farm, Curley’s wife is now being discussed and Candy states, “Well, I think Curley’s married… a tart” (28). Through this phrase, it is understood that everyone now on the farm believes Curley’s wife is a tart because she flaunts around all the boys and she isn’t portrayed as a very mature woman until the end of the novel where more is discovered about her. Curley’s wife is a very lonely person that just craves the attention she doesn’t get, so she acts like a tart since that gives her the attention she wants/ needs. Curley’s wife walks into the barn right after Lennie killed the puppy and Lennie avoided talking to Curley’s wife since he thinks, “Well, George says you’ll get us in a mess” (88). Through, this phrase, Steinbeck is portraying that everyone believes that Curley’s wife is going to influence Lennie to make bad decisions, which is what happened, but not everyone expected it.
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 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.
The Role Of Disabilities In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
705 Words | 3 PagesIn John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrayed a political statement by looking at mental and physical disabilities through different characters such as Curley's Wife, Crooks, and Lennie. Curley's wife is used to represent how women were treated during the 1930’s and almost treated with a disability. Women were portrayed as the help and they were supposed to stay home and work while the strong brave men went out and got money to support the family. By Steinbeck not giving Curley's wife a name he is showing how she is connected to Curly with an Invisible rope.
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.
Sexism In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
973 Words | 4 PagesWorld of Sexism 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.
Light And Dark In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1378 Words | 6 PagesCurley’s wife is portrayed to be a “tart”, someone who is always flirting with other people. When she is first introduced, Steinbeck writes “ The rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off”, which gives the impression that Curley’s wife is ominous and perilous for Lennie and George. The imagery implies that Curley’s wife is the darkness in their lives and that she is the obstacle in the journey of accomplishing the American Dream. During the climax of Steinbeck’s novella, he writes “ The light was growing soft now” represents the slow release of her soul and that darkness slowly filling the barn and their lives. It also indicates the gradual discharge of hope and belief from the minds of Lennie, George and Candy.
Social Classes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
833 Words | 4 PagesThe reader is positioned to view her negatively as she uses her beauty as power to seduce the workers on the farm and make her husband jealous. The men often complain about her throughout the novel, calling her names that no woman would ever appreciate. Candy tells George and Lennie his honest opinion of Curley’s wife, “You know what I think?” George did not answer. “Well, I think Curley’s married…a tart.”
Who Is Curley's Wife
581 Words | 3 PagesSimilarly 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).”
Gender Inequality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
913 Words | 4 PagesTherefore, when the men say that, they are basically calling a her a “slut”. Throughout the novel of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author reveals that there were false expectations based on gender through the character of Curley’s Wife. The amount of sexism and discrimination of women was explicit. Curley’s wife just wanted to fit in without being judged.
Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay
1173 Words | 5 PagesThe Death of The Unborn Female American Dream Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, takes place during the time of The Great Depression; an era extremely difficult for women. The novella contains many iconic characters that serve as a metaphor to our societal standards. Curley’s wife is introduced just like any other; however, the emphasis on her feminine features are metaphoric to where women stand in society. In order to prove that society makes it impossible for certain people to attain The American Dream, Steinbeck objectifies, sexualizes, and kills Curley’s wife to show that women cannot reach The American Dream. Steinbeck uses specific vocabulary to objectify Curley’s wife; alienating her from The American Dream.
More about Curley's Wife Sexism Essay
Tina Fey Bossypants Summary Sparknotes
820 Words | 4 PagesHow Does Steinbeck Present Curley's Wife
410 Words | 2 PagesCurley's Wife Victim Essay
744 Words | 3 PagesDehumanization In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
384 Words | 2 PagesCurley's Wife Misperceived In Of Mice And Men
976 Words | 4 PagesOf Mice And Men Rhetorical Devices
931 Words | 4 PagesCurley's Wife Loneliness Quotes
621 Words | 3 PagesThe Role Of Disabilities In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
705 Words | 3 PagesExamples Of Sexism In Of Mice And Men
1644 Words | 7 PagesSexism In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
973 Words | 4 PagesLight And Dark In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
1378 Words | 6 PagesSocial Classes In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
833 Words | 4 PagesWho Is Curley's Wife
581 Words | 3 PagesGender Inequality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
913 Words | 4 PagesOf Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay
1173 Words | 5 Pages