The Corrupting Power of Women The portrayal of women in Of Mice and Men is limited and unflattering. We learn early on that Lennie and George are on the run from the previous ranch where they worked, due to encountering trouble there with a woman. Misunderstanding Lennie’s love of soft things, a woman accused him of rape for touching her dress. George berates Lennie for his behavior, but is convinced that women are always the cause of such trouble. Their enticing sexuality, he believes, tempts men to behave in ways they would otherwise not.
For instance, when Curley’s wife tries to talk to Lennie in the Barn while he avoids her, she says, “I get lonely, I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad”(42). Curley is careless with his wife since she is always solitary and had no one to talk with because of Curley’s jealousy. Curley is not a good husband since he constantly does not let his wife to speak with George or any other worker of the ranch because he gets upset and jealous. Also, when Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie, Candy, and Crooks in Crooks bunk she states “I think I know where they all went even Curley”(37).
She then starts to mimic the actions and words of Mary; this in turn builds a solid proof in the eyes of the court that Mary Warren practices witchcraft. Abigail could care less of who she accused and sentenced to death, she watches people die in front of her eyes without feeling any regrets on her actions. In the end of The Crucible, Abigail and Mercy Lewis steal Reverend Parris’s money and aboard a ship because the town detests her and she loses her reputation in Salem. Abigail didn’t expect this ending, she thought by sentencing Goody Proctor to death she will live happily ever after with John. Lack of guilt made Abigail do contemptible actions, which took the lives of innocent
The women use their emotions in order to figure out that Mrs. Wright did commit the murder. By the end of the play they decide to protect her because they seemed to relate to the abuse she endured in the household. The murder was justifiable because during this time period there was no such thing as divorce. Mrs. Wright was dying slowly because of her husband, and the only way to escape was to kill him the same way he killed her bird through strangulation. Mrs. Wright’s situation is comparable to a prisoner who is condemned to incarceration for life with no parole when they have never committed a crime.
Curley’s wife clearly feels neglected by her husband and she likes to create attention for herself as she feels she isn’t noticed. She is extremely lonely, and that is why she is constantly going in to the bunkhouse to allegedly ‘look for Curley’ but really she is crying out for the attention and affection that her loveless marriage lacks. “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?” and “Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs – a nigger an a dum dum and a lousy ol’ sheep – an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.” This shows how desperate she is for contact with people. She is isolated because she is the only woman on the ranch, and because of this Curley is possessive over her. No characters in the novel care for Curley’s Wife (except for Lennie for a brief time) and very little attention is given to her- partly because they are intimidated by the potential wrath of Curley, son of the boss, if they step out of line concerning his wife.
Curley’s Wife has no name and is initially seen as the possession of her husband. She is also a good-looking lady who wears quite a bit of makeup, form-fitting dresses, and ostrich feathered-high heels. As the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife is lonely and sad – something her marriage to Curley only makes worse. She reveals throughout the course of the story that she is unhappy in her marriage because her husband seems to care little for her, and is really more interested in talking about himself than anything else. She’s just self-obsessed, and unable to judge herself and her position honestly.
Steinbeck portrays Curley's wife at the beginning of the novel as a tramp, a tart that threatens to destroy any male on the ranch. However, her appearances later in the novel that show her to have a more vulnerable, humane side change that. For example, the scene when she confronts Lennie, Candy and Crooks in the stables (109-114) shows her from a completely different perspective. It suggests that she is not entirely malevolent and can be considered innocent, however ultimately she does bring about her own doom. Curley's wife is an insecure, misunderstood and lonely woman caught in a tragic situation.
‘No one cares about me’ this makes the reader feel sorry for her as nobody cares about her and nobody wants to be with her. At Curley’s wife death the reader feels for her as when Lennie is touching her hair and gets harder and harder it says ‘her eyes were wild with terror’ which makes the reader feel bad as she only wanted somebody to talk to and when she finds someone to talk to she gets killed for just being nice and letting Lennie feel her hair. Curley has something to do with his wife wanting attention as he goes out to town every Saturday with the men and they go to the brothel while she sits at home and isn’t even allowed out just to the town. Curley also sort of traps Curley’s wife by not letting her speak to the men but his allowed to do what he wants. She only gets attention from Curley and she doesn’t even get much attention from him so wants to speak to others to make her feel less
Since she is the only woman on the ranch, she is set apart from the others. Curley, her own husband ignores her. He does not regard his wife as a person needing love and companionship, but rather as an object which can be put aside, pushed around. Instead of being attentive to his wife, Curley is frequently going out with “the boys” to a whorehouse. Curley’s wife has no love for her husband and wished to leave him, but her final escape route is blocked since her father is deceased and her mother doesn’t want her.
* Curley's wife is so overwhelmed by her loneliness; she seeks friendship from other men. She seeks out the friendship of Lennie for all of the others fear Curley and will have nothing to do with her. "Think I don't like to talk to somebody ever' once in a while.” Short Answer Quiz over Chapters 1-3 1. What trouble did Lennie and George have in Weed? 2.