We can see that Curley’s wife is portrayed by Steinbeck as a ‘tart’ in the beginning of the book, she is not cared for or liked by many of the men on the ranch at all as she irritates them and they think that she is not loyal towards Curley. However, by the end of the book the reader feels sorry for her as we see deeper inside her and see how lonely she is, she only has the image of a tart because she is so alone and the only way she knows to make friends is by being a flirtatious person. The first mention of Curley’s wife is in chapter 2 when George and ‘the swamper’ are talking about her. They say that she is ‘Purty ... but- well-she got the eye’. They mean that she is always looking and flirting with other men.
Curley’s wife: It is as though she belongs to Curley. This is very disrespectful considering that the prostitutes in town are given a name! Crooks: Is given that name by the ranch hands because of his ‘crooked back’. This indicates that his identity has been determined by his disability.Both characters are DEPERSONALISED because of their lack of identity- they have become objects, not
The reader now thinks that Curley’s wife was misunderstood, lonely and didn’t deserve the abusive comments she received. Candy then says ‘you ain’t wanted here’ making the reader feel more apologetic towards her. Despite this she calls them ‘a bunch of bindle stiffs’ and claims that she is only there because ‘they ain’t nobody else’. She then turned on crooks ‘in scorn “listen nigger”’ this is very cruel and spiteful but maybe she was only retaliating. She also tries to ally with them when she says ‘I’d like to bust him myself’, she is referring to Curley and says how she also hates him too.
This suggests how little respect women were given in that particular time period; Curley’s wife is a woman, and therefore not good enough to have an actual name. She is avoided by everyone on the ranch because they fear she is trying to seduce the men; she is objectified, and never thought of as a real person with
George and Lennie, Candy, and Crooks develop the theme of American Dream in the novella “Of Mice and Men”. The decisions that were made in pursuit of their ideal American Dream strongly developed the theme of the American Dream in the novella. The American Dream is a strong theme developed in this novella, but it is also a theme that is universally recognized with dedication, h ard work, and
When Lennie and George first meet Curly’s wife, she was being flirty and Lennie couldn’t stop staring. What she really wants is someone to talk to, because Curly doesn’t pay attention to her. He treats her as property. So the only way to get the attention of the guys is by using seduction. Towards the end of the story she find Lennie in the barn and start being flirty because she knows she can make him talk to her.
She would flirt with the ranch hands for her own fun and she stupidly tried the same with Lennie. She was racist and a bit of a "tart". You could also look at her sympathetically. She was the lonely wife of jealous husband. All she wanted is someone to talk to but all there was were the ranch hands who didn't want anything to do with her because they would get in trouble.
An' I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took of me." This detail shows exactly what Curley's wife wants, as well as showing what she has not got, she is the only female on the ranch and is married to a man who sees her as sexual object "he wears a glove fulla vaseline," and she is treated like a girl, "maybe you just better go along an' roll your hoop". She also has no friends like when she says- "I get lonely" and no one to talk to. Curley’s wife is downhearted by the dreams and hope’s she has I believe because she doesn’t look in the present she looks in the past of what she could have had so I don’t think hopes and dreams help
“He glanced coldly at George then Lennie.” (Steinbeck Pg 23) Getting defensive over the very sight of Lennie and George trying to pick a fight with the wrong people. Curley’s Wife; Judged from the start Curley’s wife is discriminated against from the start, the men on the ranch just assume she’s a whore when in all actuality she only married Curley because she had to. “She had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eye’s, heavily made up, her hair hung in little rolled clusters like sausages.” (Steinbeck pg 29) The very definition of beauty in the 1930’s Curley’s wife is lonely and in need of a friend other than her over bearing husband. Her only mistake when it came to talking to Lennie was panicking when he latched onto her hair which was ultimately her down fall.
Steinbeck’s use of one female character called Curley’s wife is a very recognisable character, but with Steinbeck never giving her a name, indicates that she has no identity between many of the male ranch workers. Also, the use of Curley’s wife symbolizing all the women in the 1930’s tells us that women had no position within the working world. On the other hand, women were seen to be well appreciated, especially if they were married. Whereas Curley’s wife wonders around the bunk houses full of men trying to act flirtatious as we have established in the previous paragraphs. In the second interaction we have with Curley’s wife.