He also points out that no one ‘is going to want to pay money for cut-up whore’ – as in, in his eyes, the woman is now incompetent for superficial reasons. Alice dismisses these disrespectful statements, hardened by her way of life. Instead of the cowboys being imprisoned, they are planned to be subjected to a whipping, which Little Bill feels is an adequate punishment. This punishment could be seen as both an adequate deterrent and fair; however, the morality of this as a formal punishment is subjective. Instead, the cowboys are fined.
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.
He behaves threateningly to Lennie because "he hates big guys. Kind of like he's mad at em' because he ain't a big guy."(29). Shortly after Lennie and George encounter Curley's wife and Lennie can't help but gawk at her; "she's purty. "(35).George sternly tells Lennie "you keep away from herm 'cause she's a rat-trap.."(36). Lennie in his instinctive animalistic way burst out "I don't like the place, George.
The author makes it clear that the men think she is not worthy of respect, and believe she is simply ‘jail bait’. Additionally, she is referred to as bitch, poison, a rattrap, good-lookin’, and purty. So while she may be attractive, it simply serves to make the men more suspicious of her, thinking she has an agenda against them. Women were viewed as not real people, simply temptations or a source of pleasure. This can partly be blamed on the fact that many of the itinerant workers only knew women from the ‘cat-house’.
The term ‘tart’ has connotations of someone who is unfaithful, and this would cause the reader to distrust Curley’s wife as a character. Steinbeck gives the reader the impression that she is portrayed as a villain as the workers did not have nice things to say about her. We are encouraged to dislike her without actually her being present or doing anything in the story. Steinbeck also uses light and darkness to portray attitudes towards Curley’s wife. An example of this is when Curley’s wife first appears in the bunkhouse; both Lennie and George notice that the rectangle of sunshine is cut off.
Being a nigger, Crooks is hated by the whites at the ranch and he resents this. As he says "If I say something, why it's just a nigger sayin' it" and this shows his anger at being pushed to the side. Being troubled has made him seem cruel and gruff, but also has turned him to self-pity and the idea that he is a lesser human. He says to Lennie, "You got no right to come in my room.....You go on get outa my room. I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse and you ain't wanted in my room."
Being so alone has made him seem mean and cold hearted, but its all a mask to hide his self-pity and loneliness and Crooks starts to believe that he is a lesser human. He says to Lennie pg72 "You got no right to come in my room...You go on get outa my room. I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse and you ain't wanted in my room." He continues by saying that the whites believe he stinks and one can interpret this as a way of saying that the whites would find it a disgrace that a nigger should breathe the same bunkhouse air as them. Crooks also has a fake hope that he is protected by his “wrights” but toughs are dashed by his argument with Curlys wife.
She is constantly objectified by the ranch workers who see her as nothing but a sexual object which we see as she is the target of name-calling from the ranch workers, being referred to as a “tart”, “loulou” and “tramp”. Due to the fact that she’s female, she is seen as a sexual object by the ranch workers because they already have a low view of women already as the only time they mention women is when they are talking about a whorehouse .Also because she is introduced with the characteristics of a prostitute e.g. “full rouged lips” , and she seems like quite a promiscuous person which is why the ranch workers are cautious of her because sex ruins men economically and medically. Curley’s wife as a symbol Curley’s wife is symbolic of many things such as sexism during the Great Depression and all the women repressed in a dominant society. She is could be symbolic of Eve, from the Garden of Eden as she brings both death and sin as soon as she enters the story.
She is the only female character and also the only character not given a name. She is a farm femme fatale that will certainly prove dangerous for Lennie, out of place among the rough working men. Her rouge, painted fingernails dress are ostentatious, meant to attract the attention of the workers. She will prove equally dangerous to George and Lennie as her husband. Lennie's previous problem with a woman at Weed and Curley's wife's aggressive manner combined with Curley's paranoid bravado and immediate dislike for Lenny make a conflict concerning the three characters inevitable.
143-137) This quote reflects the argument because it is evident that men in the Elizabethan era had a patriarchal attitude which caused them to treat women with no respect. Hamlet was able to insult Ophelia with such harsh language without expecting any consequences for his foul behaviour. Women were seen as sexual tools or a voiceless body, never a