In the novella “Of Mice and Men” one of Steinbeck’s central character is Curley’s Wife. Steinbeck presents her as a dangerous and powerful due to his language techniques like metaphor, simile and structure. However in a misogynistic society she can also be seen as a lonely and vulnerable character. Steinbeck’s use of symbolism especially towards Curley’s wife creates a dangerous and powerful persona. “…rogued lips…nails were red.” This shows that she is always put together. The recurring colour red symbolizes a sign of danger which makes the readers wary. Steinbeck’s use of repetition emphasis her as a dangerous character. Similarly red can also be seen as the colour of passion and love. “…sausages…red mules… red ostrich” Steinbeck use of …show more content…
“…the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off.” She cuts the light out of the room physically and metaphorically Steinbeck is foreshadowing the destruction of George and Lennie hopes and dream to own “…a fatta lan...” She can also be seen as powerful character because she instantly cuts out light which is a very strong force showing she’s stronger than light, also creating an ominous and dramatic entrance. Steinbecks use of symbolism is used as foreshadow it shows that Curley’s Wife brings destruction into men’s lives by tempting and seducing them in a way they can’t resist which ends the dream for George and Lennie owning a “fatta …show more content…
“…some horses snorted and stomped their feet.” Steinbeck shows a certain level of power asserted by Curley’s Wife that even animals are wary of her presence. Steinbeck also shows a nasty side to Curley’s Wife because she is being ignore by the men she felt vulnerable and lonely. “Listen nigger she said. You know what I can do to you if you open your trap.” She picks one him because of his status in the hierarchy the only thing worse than being a woman in that was being black. Crook’s is the only she can pick on instead of seduce. However Curley’s Wife and Crooks could be seen at the same level in the hierarchy both of them have no names whereas she is just referred to as Curley’s Wife, Crooks had been given a name because of his crooked back. They are also vulnerable due to the men and
The author uses imagery to really describe the scene and to show the reader what Curley’s wife was like after she got to ranch full of men where she changed who she really
Curley's wife is not who the men on the ranch think she is, rather she is just an outcast woman who longs for a friend. Crooks is a socially weak and isolated "negro stable buck" (62). He lives in a time where segregation was enforced and African-Americans were discriminated against. Because of this, people regard him as inferior. Crooks is often excluded and unacknowledged.
Curley’s wife was being told what to do in a place where she knows her superiority. She was being a temptress in her ways but then made sure crooks knew that she could get him caught and made sure he never questions her again. Crooks sat down because he knew she was right. At the beginning of the book Curley’s wife is nothing but a cruel, wicked temptress whom everyone hates but can’t
(Steinbeck 87). On the ranch, Curley’s wife wasn’t allowed to talk to any of the workers because Curley was afraid she would be unfaithful. She faced a ton of
Curley's wife is similar to Candy, another character who suffered from isolation and loneliness. They were both at the bottom of their social hierarchy and worried about being marginalized. One falls under the category of ageism, and one falls under sexism. They were both affected by this rough time and were startlingly
Curley's wife can be seen as an outcast because Curley’s wife is the only female living on the ranch. Women were also looked at as property during this time period, and for this reason, her name was never mentioned throughout the novel. She also tends to seek attention from men other than her husband. The book states “‘If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk.
Curley’s wife would not be a pleasant character in many ways. As a wife of manager’s son, she was described as a charming and flirty woman and treated others with scorn. However, her appearances later had shown actually she was just an immature, innocent and lonely woman who missed her chance to be a successful movie star in Hollywood and compelled to marry Curley. “If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet” (Steinbeck 84) Accordingly, she felt unfair for her life and doesn’t want to get stuck on the ranch
Steinbeck uses his writing to convey the flaws of society and the prejudice toward marginalized groups at this time, and how isolating it is. Unable to have a name for herself, Curley’s Wife is found
She does not have the ability to leave and clearly houses contempt at her husband for locking her in. Since Curley’s wife does not have a lot of control over her own life, she attempts to make up for this by asserting dominance over others. She projects her anger at Lennie, Crooks, and Candy, those who are below her in status, as a way to release her bubbling rage. Throughout the novella, Curley’s wife is constantly making rude comments and this can be attributed to her holding onto a false sense of power, wanting to believe that she has
This is shown when “she closed in on him” to tell him “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Curley’s wife sees her power as a white woman and exerts this over the only person she can. Like a predator catching its prey she goes in for the kill by making Crooks “reduce himself to nothing.” This reinforces the idea of her being dangerous and vindictive as she abuses the little power she has. Readers immediately dislike her more because they can see her discriminatory ways towards black people.
As we proceed to understand the thoughts of prejudice, we are greeted by John Steinbeck’s literary
Throughout the novel, the male characters treat her as an object rather than a human being as she is referred to as “Curley’s Wife”. Curley's wife is always portrayed as a playful girl, as well as being referred to as "jailbait" and a "tramp". For example, there is a moment when Curly commands his wife to get back into the house, Curly doesn’t give a second thought about her and does not allow her to speak back, Curly then continues to tell her after their marriage he now owns her. Near the end of the novel, after Lennie had killed Curley’s Wife. No one seems to care for her.
Curley’s wife also states, as she targets Crooks, “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (81). Curley's wife feel she needs to prove her own authority as Curley’s wife by picking on social outcasts, because she knows she has no power over anyone else on the entire ranch and she is tired of feel empowered all the time. She uses her beauty to give her power over the men, and her position as a white person and the boss’ son’s wife to pick on a social outcast, such as a black person like
She lives with no other woman around. Curley's wife is very attractive. With her looks she can get people to do what she wants. Also, she is the boss's son's wife. People try not to bother her to stay away from trouble.
Curley 's Wife has used the quote ' 'Nigger... I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain 't even funny. " This quote tells us that Curley 's Wife knows that she is above Crooks in the social hierarchy since she is white and he is black. When she talks to Crooks she is also very confident and disrespectful and uses racist language. When you zoom into the quote you will also see a ellipses in the quote which shows the tension and anger which Curley 's Wife would never show to the other men.