Curley’s Wife is a young woman in the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck. She is not given a real name, as she’s only known as Curley’s Wife. She is also the only woman in the whole plot of the novel. She is first introduced in the beginning of the book, and causes the end of the book. Steinbeck generally describes women as troublemakers who ‘bring hell’ on men and drive them mad. Curley’s Wife, who walks the ranch as a desperate woman, seems to be a good example of this; Curley’s bad temper has only worsened since the wedding.
Curley’s Wife is described as a slim, young woman who supposedly looks very attractive. George and Slim both refer to her as “jailbait” or a “tart”. She was first introduced in the bunkhouse, where she said
In the afternoon of August 26th, 1930, two horrible and unfortunate deaths have occurred on a ranch near the Gabilan Mountains. The victim was the daughter in law of the ranch’s owner. (Due to her husband’s will, we are not to publish her name). She was in the barn house when killed by Lennie Small, a mentally retarded worker that just came to the ranch few days prior to this incident. Lennie left the ranch not long after the murder, but was soon chased down by the ranchers, including the first victim’s husband and several other men, and got shot in the head by his former partner, George Milton, on the bank of an anonymous river.
Curleys wife is provocative with her body language as she is described to have “put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward” and “she looked at her fingernails”, she is very conscious of the affect she has on men and uses this to her advantage however her inappropriate clothes and her behavior I think are designed to provoke interest and attention rather than to invite intimacy, we later learn this is because of her loneliness in her marriage to Curley. Her loneliness is clear by her constant asking of the whereabouts of Curley proving she is just looking for an excuse to continue her conversation with the ranch workers.
It was a Sunday afternoon, and Curley was playing horseshoes out with them other farm workers. I wanted to get away from that blasted Curley. He never let me talk to anyone, not anyone on the farm. Not only that, he won’t even treat me like I’m his wife, barely even talkin’ to me unless he had a hateful thing to say. I’m tired of life on this farm.
A Saint or a Demon Was Curley's wife a victim or a danger to the world dominated by men? Well, some facts must be stated about Curley's wife before it is possible to analyze which category she fits in. She was a young girl who had several chances to stardom, but her mother always discouraged her. She later married the man in the story known as Curly.
Essay about Curley’s wife Curley’s wife is the only female character in the novel Of Mice of Men; Curley’s wife is never given a name and is only referred to in reference to her husband. Like the other people on the ranch, she is very lonely and has dreams of a better life which never come true. The author John Steinbeck introduces Curley’s wife in a symbolic ness way, this is shown when George is talking to Lennie about the dream and when Curley’s wife first meets both the men. “Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off.
Curley’s wife is probably one of the most misunderstood characters in the novel, often being looked down upon, or talked badly about. She is the only woman on the ranch, and who appears consistently throughout the novel. At one point, some of the workers are
to Crooks' door when all the men are in town on Saturday night we realize that she is
John Steinbeck uses Curley 's wife to portray the woman 's role in the 1930s. Back then, women were treated as property and trophies to their husbands. Women 's insignificance is signified by the fact that Curley 's wife is never given a name. She is always referred to as Curley 's belonging. Additionally, Carlson 's statement about Curley 's wife needing to go back to her place where she belongs characterizes women 's roles by saying that women should be at home performing domestic chores. In essence, women were looked down upon and never seen as equal to the men.
Curley’s wife is a complicated character. She is unfaithful and bitter. But that’s only because she is extremely lonely and feels unwanted by her husband. She takes the feeling of dissatisfaction and projects it at all of the men on the ranch. She regrets the direction her life has taken but still has hope that she can achieve her dream. All the characters in the novel feel like outsiders and Curley’s wife is no
Everyone should have a name. In the story of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, one of the main characters does not have a name. Curley's wife does not have a name. It may seem weird but there are reasons why Steinbeck chose to leave her nameless. Steinbeck may have chosen not to give Curley's wife a name due to the fact that in the late 1930s women did not gain the respect of men at all.
Curley’s wife - a flirtatious, mysterious women in the novel. She is the only women that is described by Steinbeck in the novel. How we call her- “Curley’s wife” shows that she is just a possession of Curley. And the others names that George and Candy had given to her are “looloo; jailbait; tart”; these names show how badly she was treated in the ranch particularly and the sexism in American society in 20s - 30s generally.
Generally, during the course of the novel, women are viewed negatively. They are seen as objects, not real people. For example, throughout the novel, Curley's wife is merely known as 'Curley's wife'. She is never called by her real name. The term 'Curley's wife' implies she is owned by Curley, and not a person with freedom. From this, the reader can tell that Curley's wife lives in an unfair World, in an era of inequality. This suggests Steinbeck
This is very odd for a woman especially to enter a working environment, when wearing such clothing. T In this particular aspect of the character of Curley’s wife, she is a victim of her tarty behaviour.
In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck set in the Salinas valley in the 1930’s, many people can hold the blame for Curley’s Wife’s death. There may be only one person who physically killed her but, many others helped to cause the death of Curley’s Wife. The people who had more responsibility than the others are Curley’s Wife’s Mom, Lennie, and Curley’s Wife.
As with Crooks’ treatment of Lennie, however, the author reveals the reciprocal nature of prejudice and resentment in the farm. Curley's wife encounters a lot of discrimination because of her sex over the course of the novel. Living on a ranch where the large majority of the inhabitants are male, she is very lonely. George knowingly comments, "Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain't no place for a girl" .