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
“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
To change the topic, all through the work, she was only called Curley’s wife, it’s hard to tell if anyone at the farm knew her real name. This relates back to the fact that she was dehumanized by society’s warped vision of gender roles. It’s also a good metaphor for her general character and its representation.
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.
Is being a woman something someone should be blamed for? Growing up as a woman in the 1900s was very unfair for all females. They had less rights and were treated as if they were prized possessions. A book that provides insight into this topic is Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. In the book, the only female character is married to the boss’ son, Curly. Curly and his wife 's relationship has no true love involved and according to Curley 's wife, the marriage is very forceful. In fact, we do not even know the name of Curley 's wife! In Of Mice and Men, it is illusive that Curley 's wife is treated poorly and has an unfair life. All Curley 's wife wanted to do was talk with the other ranchers instead she is considered a tart for talking to other
She is shown as lonely and promiscuous in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. When looking at the way that she acts toward other characters, it is evident that Curley’s wife is often the root of many problems. She caused her husband to doubt his men and to isolate her. Due to her licentiousness and loneliness, Curley’s wife ultimately gets herself killed in the end of the book. Her death was a tragedy, but when paired with her personality, makes for an interesting plot for the story. The controversy surrounding Curley’s wife makes her the most memorable character in the
There was nowhere in the novel that states there was another female. Curley’s wife didn’t have or wasn’t allowed to have any friends at the ranch. This would contribute to as why she is so lonely. When she did try to make friends with the ranch hands Curley would get mad or they would ignore her. Curley’s wife didn’t understand why they would never talk to her. Curley’s wife states “I get lonely’ she said ‘You can talk yo people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley else he gets mad. (Steinbeck 87)
“‘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.
While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, he also socializes with other workers on the job and while playing horseshoes with them. Curley’s wife, on the other hand, cannot talk to anyone without suffering the consequences of a jealous husband: “ I get so lonely,’ she said. “you can talk to people , but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?” (87) More specifically, the other men on the ranch refuse to talk to her because Curley’s position of power on the ranch portrays him as having the ability to have any man on the ranch lose their job. Furthermore, when Curley’s wife was conversing with Lennie in the barn and confided in him, she said: “Well, I ain’t
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.
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.
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.
“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.
The characters in “Of Mice and Men” have memorable personalities that we all can relate to due to their set archetypes. John Steinbeck uses these common and generalized in order to have the readers relate more to his characters. This allows the reader to experience the story and feelings of the characters much better and lets the reader to connect to the character’s feelings, or force the reader to form opinions that aligns with those of the main protagonist(s).
In the story “Of Mice and Men “, Curley’s wife is an outcast. First, Curley’s wife has no friends on the farm, she became lonely and wants to talk to people on the farm (86). Curley’s wife become’s an outcast by no one talking to her, so Curley’s wife becomes lonely and walks around the farm looking for a conversation. Indeed, Lennie from the ranch is told not to talk to her or look at Curley’s wife (86). This action right here caused Curley’s wife