Curley’s wife is portrayed as being a whore – but this is only due to the way she dresses, her provocative ways and the way she acts around men, as if she is aware of her femininity. This could suggest that she is only like this because she is bored, like it is something to do – something interesting for a change. She is constantly trying to get people to notice her. But, because of Lennie’s purity and innocence, he doesn’t see her in the way other men do – a sexual object. When Steinbeck quotes “And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him”, it is clear to the audience that Curley’s Wife is using her sexuality as an object to create some sort of excitement for herself.
In the poem “Medusa” gender conflict through control is also illustrated when she says: “a suspicion, a doubt, a jealousy”. This depicts that she feels ownership over her husband and wants him to “be terrified” if he does not obey her commands. However, in “Les Grands Seigneurs” the narrator conveys that after she was “wedded, bedded … a toy, a plaything … wife” she is nostalgic for the first three stanzas to how men were towards her before she was married as she is now powerless. We can depict that there was less gender conflict before she was married. Moreover, in “Medusa” powerlessness is also portrayed when she rhetorically questions herself “Wasn’t I beautiful?
Through a modern perception on the playwright’s female characters, women can be seen as worthless, sexually corrupt indiviudals. Ophelia, often through the words of the men around her, can be partiicuarly perceived in this way. This is evident, with her father, Polonius when he says to Claudius, “At such a time, I loose my daughter to him; Be you and I behind an arras then; Mark the encounter…” (2.2.176-178) Polonius’ language here suggests that Ophelia is more of an animal than his daughter, and he as her father shows her little respect. This reading of Ophelia is also apparent through Hamlet’s language, describing her in unpleasant context or as a “dead dog”(2.2.81). He treats her with little regard and believes that she is a “breeder of maggot” This is also evident when Hamlet says to her, “ I say we will have no more marriages.
She also acts flirtatiously in front of the other ranch workers. Through her physical appearance and her own actions, Candy’s description of her seems very accurate. Our negative feelings towards her begin to change when she enters Crooks’ residence. Curley’s wife enters asking for Curley and receives cold hearted responses from the men; she then goes on to talk about her loneliness and isolation, and then begins to start verbally attacking the men and aims the reason for doing so, towards Curley. After Crooks asks her to leave, she threatens him, she says “listen nigger, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” she discriminates him and puts him down, so she feels in power.
We, as the reader, see this as unfair but they see it as normal as during the Victorian times, a husband could put their wife in a madhouse without question. Maud is presented at first as clueless as to what is going on around her but our opinion changes as we get further into the novel. “’and your last mistress’ she went on then, ‘she was quite a fine lady’” here, Maud is deceiving Sue, making her believe that she is ignorant to her plan. The way Waters’ makes the character of Maud act blind to what is going on around her is how she deceives the reader, by making them believe one thing and then revealing the other. Maud makes Sue believe that she is a lovely, kind person to aid her deception.
The word “tart” which shows the impression and effect Curley’s wife has on other workers on the ranch. The word “tart” is very blunt and straight forward which is the effect Steinbeck wanted to use because he wants to show the reader the immediate impression workers have about Curley’s wife. This further supports my point that Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife in a negative manner. The effect of this is that the reader has made an unfair judgement about Curley’s wife without her even speaking. This means that the reader sees her as a danger to Lennie but also makes the reader think that she is unfaithful and has married Curley for the wrong reasons such as money and power which is what all ambitious women
This enforces the idea that unlike Lennie, she is a complex character in the novel. Steinbeck mentioned that Curley’s wife’s voice had a “nasal, brittle quality” which is a clear sign of her flirtatious behaviour. Although her intentions were flirty, the fact that it was described as ‘nasal’ by the author made it obvious that it was unpleasant to the ears. The reaction from George made it clear to the reader that she was an attractive woman, however he was being apprehensive as he “looked away from her and then back”. This contrasts with Lennies reaction as his “eyes moved down over her body” blatantly checking her out.
As shown in Mr. Shaw’s short story, women are objectified as an object one is willing to risk his or her own well-being to enjoy. ”You’ll break your neck.” This quote seems to make an object out of the lady they are discussing in their conversation. The husband is looking around and has his eyes fixed on a lady who was passing by as they are crossing the street. This shows that Frances is jealous at her husband for looking at other female, and at the same time it also shows that her husband, Michael, is primarily focused his attention at the ladies around him. His blatant disregard of his own life when it comes to lady watching further demonstrates that he will do whatever it takes to look or enjoy the sight of other women.
This further suggests her need to overcompensate in her image as an attempt to impress the ranch workers and her husband. The reader may infer that Curley’s wife succeeds in her attempt for their attention when slim addresses her as “good-lookin” in a friendly manner, however we notice George stays constantly wary of her and treats her with a similarly brusque air “well he aint now.” Steinbeck uses this short and abrupt sentence to perhaps highlight George’s intolerance of her, and her dangerously flirty personality. Steinbeck prefigures the death of Curley’s wife, later in the novel, also through his physical description of her. This is shown through use of the colour red in her; “rouged lips”; “little bouquets of red ostrich feathers” and “red mules” perhaps meaning her association with the colour red holds connotations of danger and death. Her death is also prefigured in the very first introduction of her entering the bunkhouse “the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off” Steinbeck presents the sunshine as being part of Curley’s wife’s’ ‘dream’ and perhaps being used as a metaphor for the freedom and happiness she longs for, however when the light is “cut
Mrs. Mooney was previously involved in a dysfunctional marriage to a “shabby stooped little drunkard” (61). Similar to her own marriage, Mrs. Mooney indirectly forces Polly to marry for money. Mrs. Mooney is a ruthless character as a result of her previous troubles. Consequently, Mrs. Mooney’s maternal connection with Polly is non-existent, turning their relationship into a business. When Mrs. Mooney is observing Polly’s interactions with young men, she becomes frustrated that “none of [the men] meant business” and considers sending Polly back to her previous job (63).