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.
Curleys wife, In John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men, is an example of how the readers perception of a character can change without the character actually changing. Curleys wife is first introduced when Candy describes her to George. Candy says things such as “she got the eye” and goes on to describe her as a woman who likes to look at other men and then finally calls her a “tart”. Through Candy’s words we develop an initial perception of Curley’s wife as flirtatious and promiscuous. This perception is further emphasized by Curley’s Wife’s first appearance in the novel.
In addition to the previous paragraph, we also know that Curley’s wife is a married woman, a possession of Curley’s. Perhaps Steinbeck does not give the wife a name throughout the book because during the 1930s, women were regarded as a sign of possession, an object or a personal belonging. This affects the reader by thinking Curley’s wife was nothing more than a sexual tool for Curley. Her character is symbolic to women in the 1930’s which contrasts to the women today and how much respect there is for women now. During the time of sorrow, many people had an imaginable dream to accomplish.
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.
By the end of this play, we see how Nora’s secret changes the relationship between the couple, as she violates the stereotypical role-play as a wife and mother in her era, which generates her inspirational growth. Nora, the main character, was first introduced as a very sheltered, immature, and optimistic woman. Helmer we see as proud of his male role in society and in the household, father-like towards his wife, and greatly cares for his appearance in others eyes. When speaking to each other, Helmer communicates to Nora as if she was his child instead of his wife. He does this by things such as calling her nicknames with negative characteristics, such as his little lark, spendthrift and featherhead.
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 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
Fey makes choses to talk about the way women are treated in the entertainment industry with a joke on Betty White, which targets both sexism and ageism, which Fey repeatedly addresses, but with a softer approach through the use of humor. When Fey states “Science shows that fertility and movie offers drop off steeply for women after forty” she addresses both her ageing in the entertainment business and the concern that society places on women having a certain number of children by her age, but all centered around a funny tone in order to make her remark sound witty yet strong. The use of comedy made Fey’s argument regarding the negative portrayals of working women in the entertainment
Paper # 2 English 206 This paper will discuss the character of Daisy Miller and Lilly Bart and their place as women in society, and how they did not conform to the normal role of women in their eras. Both “Daisy Miller” and “ House of Mirth” reflect similar approaches; each story has a male character that is intrigued by a powerful, engaging, beautiful woman. Both stories also have a similar plot lined up for their female characters; focusing on women having a certain place in society and having them stray from these norms, eventually leading to their downfall. Both Lily and daisy are extreme flirts, who know how to seduce men. They are not your typical 19th century gals, but not fitting in with the “expected” norms doesn’t seem to affect their ability to attract men.
Both women are contrasting representations of Hedda. From the opening of the play her [Hedda’s] relationship with Aunt Julie is a strained one. Hedda views Aunt Julie as a symbol of what she herself loathes and could at the same time could quite easily become. Aunt Julie epitomises the idea of the domestic, dutiful woman with no true purpose of her own. She instead finds her purpose through the lives of the male characters and the arguably mediocre success that Tessman has had.