Steinbeck presents her as a negative married woman. She has been presented first through the dialogue of ranch-hand Candy when he describes her to George. His opinion is very sexist towards Curley’s wife as he says “Curley married...a tart”. This shows Steinbeck presents her in a very crude manner. The word “tart” shows the immediate impression and effect Curley’s wife has on the other men on the ranch.
Curley’s wife would always try to show more of herself, and of course the reaction of the men was to call her a “tramp” and a “rat trap”. This is also subtly changing the readers view. We can see that all the men on the Ranch feel the same way about her. Steinbeck almost puts you in the position of Lennie and George, so whenever she insults them, so also insults you, further exaggerating what you feel about Curley’s wife. For example, when she says “They left all the weak ones here” all the men ignore her to let her know that she isn’t wanted, and Crooks tells her to get out.
In this scene, our sympathy for her may disappear, but it helps to bear in mind that her cruelty comes from a places of anger and lonliness. In chapter 5, when confronting Lennie in the barn, Curley's Wife tells her tale of being involved with a man who let her down, waiting for his letters, thinking she has the ability to be a movie star, etc;. However, though my sympathy for her does have a resurgence, it is worth noting that she is confiding in Lennie
“The flightiness of her temper” (AL, p1401) is recognizable by Hester, her mother; just like her desperate, wild, defiant mood is evident in her disposition. Meade Page 2 From beginning to end in the story she consumes the hidden emotions of her mother and amplifies them for all to see. Pearl is the heart of literary symbolism. At times she is a vehicle for Hawthorne to assert the inconsistent and luminous qualities of her mother’s improper bond, and at others a reminder of Hester’s sin; which makes Pearl the perfect supplement of the scarlet letter. Although she serves as an invaluable treasure
Candy mentions that she, "got the eye" explaining that she is flirtatious and immoral in that wea re hit with the fact that she flirts with other men immediately after it is stated thatshe is married to Curley. Already, the reader is introduced to the idea that Curley's wife is an immoral "tart" which is strengthened upon her first appearance, which follows shortly after. She is first seen in the doorway of the bunkhouse , asking about the location of her husband, which is soon revealed as being a weak excuse to interact with the ranchers. She is wearing a "red cotton house dress" and a pair of mules decorated with "bouquets of red ostrich feathers." emphasisinig her sexual presence as the colour red, which is expressed repeatedly when Curley's wife's clothes are described, is often reffered to as the colour of love and passion.
Examine the role of Curley’s Wife In this essay I am going to examine the life and death of Curley’s Wife in the novella ‘Of Mice Of Men’. When we are first introduced to Curley’s Wife in Chapter 2 of the novella, it is shown that Curley’s Wife is at the heart of ranch gossip, with worker Candy giving newcomers to ranch, George Milton and Lennie Small, an uncomplimentary view of her. Candy begins by explaining how Curley’s wife a negative influence on Curley, “Curley’s cockier than ever since he got married” proving Curley feels he’s even more overpowering now as he has something the other men want”. Candy then goes on to tell them about Curley’s ‘Glove fulla Vaselin.’ He goes on to say why, “Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife”. This indicates that he is keeping his hand soft for his wife’s sexual pleasure, which proves that Curley sees his wife as nothing more than a sexual object.
In John Steinbeck’s novella “Of nice and men”, John introduced us to a character called Curley’s wife, she plays a complex and misfit character in this novella as no one else in this novella relates to her. In this essay I will discuss her The first mention of Curley’s wife was when Candy describes her to George in the bunk house. Candy gives us a strong impression that Curley’s wife is flirtatious and even promiscuous female before we even meet her. As he says that “she’s get the eye” which means instead of being faithful to her husband. She tends to look for other male ranchers.
She has no friends therefore has a lonely existence. Our first impression of Curley’s wife is by the men on the ranch and what they think about her. Some of the words the men use to describe her include ‘‘tart’’ ‘‘jail-bait’’ and ‘‘she got the eye.’’ These all describe her to be dangerous before we first see her. When we’re first introduced to Curley’s wife she is heavily made up with red lipstick and red ostrich feathers both of which symbolise sexuality as well as danger. She has a very flirtatious nature which makes her husband jealous.
A feminist point of view would be that the men are excluding her from having a social life. An audience composed of feminist readers, would evoke a sympathetic response when analysing the character of Curley’s Wife. She is said to wear the colour red; red is a primary colour which attracts young children because it’s bright and has an element of happiness in it. This description indicates the fact that she is an oppressed wife, forced to wear the clothes she is expected to wear but also holds onto a dream of the movies by wearing ‘ostrich’ feathers. Steinbeck communicates through this that she still desperately wants to achieve her goal but cannot due to Curley procrastinating her goal.
menThe next time we hear and see Curley’s wife is when she enters Crook’s bunk. She comes in this scene, interrupting Lennie, Candy and Crooks during their conversation. The first thing she says in this scene is “Any you boys seen Curley?” This shows again that she is still trying to find Curley, but they are never seen together until her death. In this scene she is trying to find someone to talk to, as you can see, as she is very lonely and has no-one to talk to. Once Curley’s wife says this the three men ‘swung their heads,’ showing that she had interrupted their conversation, which was about their dream.