Role Of Responsibility In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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

Finally, 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 is described as an attention seeking woman who is desperate and yearns for recognition because of her loneliness and her unsuccessful dream of being an actress. In section 6, Curley’s wife desperately tells Lennie her story of when she was young, she was promised fame and a chance to be on a show, “but my (Curley’s wife) ol’ lady wouldn’ let me (Curley’s wife)”. This expresses that there are always obstacles that prevent people from succeeding just like how her mother refuses to let her be in the show and be an actress to get the attention she always yearns for. People start off with great potential, viewing their dream as obtainable and as their biggest motivation, but in this cruel world, they are only reaching for a tragic aim. Moreover, Curley’s wife expresses that she will never stay in a place where she “couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself (herself)”, but what she does contradicts what she says, instead of having a better life or gaining recognition, she marries Curley and is back into a similar or even worse situation she started from.

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. In fear of repercussions

Curley is minimizing his chances of forming a meaningful relationship every time lashes out because of his own insecurities. He is also always keeping his eye on his wife and nagging people about her whereabouts because he doesn’t want her to leave him for someone else. “If you can’t look after your own God damn wife, what you expect me to do about it? You lay off me” (Steinbeck 62). Since he is unable to connect with other people, he starts to become distant from

Curley’s wife in this novel represents loneliness. Moreover she often had no one to talk to. She was habitually rejected by the ranch hands. Curley’s wife was always looking for someone to bend an ear to; she was not trying to seduce them. Curley’s wife is looking for someone who will listen and talk to her.

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

Curley’s wife was never thought of, by the men on the ranch, as anything other than Curley’s wife. They continually talk about her and what she does and how she is ‘flirts’ with all of the men. Curley’s wife tells Lennie how she could have done more with her life if she had not have married Curley. She described to Lennie about how she was about to be a movie star and everything but her mother stopped her so she married Curley. Curley’s wife also describes how Curley treats her and how she wants to leave and do something with her life.

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. One example showing Curley’s wife being a troublemaker is when George first met her, he was very cautious.

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1937) is an intensely-focused novella that deals with friendship, trust, the relationship between good and evil and the role of justice. It is the second book in Steinbeck’s trilogy about agricultural labour, alongside with In Dubious Battle (1936) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939).

Have you ever been misunderstood before? Have things ever gotten really tough and you just don’t know what to do? Well, in the story “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, Curley’s Wife is very misunderstood. The story takes place during the great depression in Salinas Valley, California. During the great depression not many people had it easy and Curley’s Wife was one of those people who didn’t have so easy especially because she was a woman and at the time they didn’t have many rights. Curley’s Wife is the most misunderstood character because of her background, her seemingly unloving husband, and troubling times during the great depression.

She thought her mom had stole the letter she was waiting for from an agent who could get her into her career; she assumed her mom stole it because she thought her mom would have wanted her daughter to do what “normal” women do. Also, she is not considered a “normal” wife; “normal” for that time meant she was supposed to stay inside and do chores and cook. Instead, she goes around, talks to the men working and hides from her husband. Curley’s wife is lonely because no one talks to her to prevent trouble. George said to Lennie, “well, you keep away from her, ‘cause she’s a rat trap if I’ve ever seen one (Steinbeck 32).”

Curley’s wife is one of the most alienated characters in the novel Of Mice and Men, if not the most alienated and isolated character as it is displayed through her being nameless, being very flirtatious, and the perception of her by the men on the ranch. Indeed, the author constantly is showing that how regardless if you are amongst people or have company, but however there is no sensation of love what so ever, it is just as equal to living a life through despair and desolation. Whenever Curley’s wife appears in the book she is either looking for her husband or other company to converse with, however it has a reverse notation and it pours out of her in resentment and disillusion as she states, “Why can’t I talk to you?I never get to talk to

Curley’s wife is perhaps the least mentioned and regarded as a minor character but she is perhaps the most essential in the message of attachment. All she has is Curley, whose abusive nature is causing her to despise him more and more every day. She craves talking to others and forming an attachment to the boys on the farm (39). This causes her to try and make conversation with everyone around her. "Nobody can't blame a person for lookin', (40)", She says this as she reached a point where all she wants people to acknowledge her.

The couple fails to admit to each other that they are not in love for fear of losing their power and status as individuals. Curley’s marriage is revealed to be a sham through his wife’s conversation with Lennie, “Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughtn 't to. I don’ like Curley.” (pg. 89 Steinbeck)