In this essay I will be exploring the ways John Steinbeck shows the character of Curley’s wife in the novel. I will be focusing on the way Steinbeck uses language to portrays the character of Curley’s wife in different ways. I will also reflect on the impact of the character on the audience and how our perception of her is regularly changing during the novel.
The novel is set in the 1930s during the great depression, where women were expected to marry and look after the children. A woman was not expected to have her own opinion and they did not have numerous rights. These social expectations and views are reflected through the character of Curley’s wife in the novel.
In Curley’s wife first appearance she is shown as an attention seeker and troublemaker. For example
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For instance ‘Jesus, what a tramp.’ This Quote suggests that Curley’s wife is treated as an inferior since she is called disgraceful names. Colloquial language is used in this quote with the word ‘tramp.’ This gives a conversational tone in the writing implying that it is casual to call Curley’s wife names. The informal word ‘tramp’ signifies that she is seen as a promiscuous women and that the men have very little to non respect for her. She is seen as irrelevant since she doesn’t have an identity. She is seen as Curley’s property and is not given a name. This could make the reader feel compassionate towards Curley’s wife because of the way she is treated. On the other hand the reader could feel relived because of the way Curley’s wife acts she is getting what she deserves. This links back to the 1930 when the novel was written because women didn't have many rights and where seen as a man’s ‘property’ because their only job in life was to get married and have children. This reflects on the character as she is seen as underclass and has no identity. As a result Steinbeck shows Curley’s wife as irrelevant and underclass
Generally, during the course of the novel, women are viewed negatively. They are seen as objects, not real people. For example, throughout the novel, Curley's wife is merely known as 'Curley's wife'. She is never called by her real name. The term 'Curley's wife' implies she is owned by Curley, and not a person with freedom. From this, the reader can tell that Curley's wife lives in an unfair World, in an era of inequality. This suggests Steinbeck
Essay about Curley’s wife Curley’s wife is the only female character in the novel Of Mice of Men; Curley’s wife is never given a name and is only referred to in reference to her husband. Like the other people on the ranch, she is very lonely and has dreams of a better life which never come true. The author John Steinbeck introduces Curley’s wife in a symbolic ness way, this is shown when George is talking to Lennie about the dream and when Curley’s wife first meets both the men. “Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off.
Curley’s wife is probably one of the most misunderstood characters in the novel, often being looked down upon, or talked badly about. She is the only woman on the ranch, and who appears consistently throughout the novel. At one point, some of the workers are
John Steinbeck uses different methods to present Curley’s Wife and women in the 1930s. Throughout the novella Steinbeck represents women to be lower in society than men. In the novella women only have three different roles. A wife, an aunt and prostitutes. Steinbeck uses these roles to show the roles of women in society. Curley’s wife, Aunt Clara and Susy and Clara from the cathouse represent he microcosm of the women in American society.
Curley’s Wife was a subject of Prejudice because she was a woman. During the 1930’s a woman’s place was to be at home raising a family, also women were seen as second class citizens and property of their husbands. Before we meet Curley’s Wife, the reader already has an opinion of her because of what the character Candy calls her- “jail bait”; George calls her a “tramp”. It’s implied that she is a tart and a promiscuous woman; she craves the attention her husband doesn’t give her.
of the cruelty she shows when talking to the men and by the way she treats Crooks.
Curleys wife is provocative with her body language as she is described to have “put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward” and “she looked at her fingernails”, she is very conscious of the affect she has on men and uses this to her advantage however her inappropriate clothes and her behavior I think are designed to provoke interest and attention rather than to invite intimacy, we later learn this is because of her loneliness in her marriage to Curley. Her loneliness is clear by her constant asking of the whereabouts of Curley proving she is just looking for an excuse to continue her conversation with the ranch workers.
This demonstrates how Curley’s wife’s uses her attraction of her body to achieve her desired outcome over the men, thus showing how Curley’s wife goes through the temporary nature of the shifts and notions of power to control the other men while having her life influenced by her husband.
When she was in the barn with Lennie, she began to tell her dream of being a movie actress in Hollywood, with luxurious life, money and respect other people that she currently doesn’t have. Her dream almost came true, but then Curley came destroyed her dream, and now, she has to stay in the dirty ranch, doing housework and doesn’t have any freedom, being treated as a possession of
A social issue that Steinbeck desired to reveal in Of Mice and Men was the reality women were facing as they were regarded as property or objects and not as individual people in the 1930s. Women would often times not even have the chance to defend and explain themselves against this cynical perspective on them, “Well, I think Curley's married a tart... ‘Listen to me, you crazy bastard,’ he said fiercely ‘Don’t you even take a look at at that bitch’...You mean Curly's girl?” (Steinbeck 28, 32, 55). The first thing we hear George say about Curley’s wife is that she’s a tart and the second thing we hear about her that
John Steinbeck uses Curley 's wife to portray the woman 's role in the 1930s. Back then, women were treated as property and trophies to their husbands. Women 's insignificance is signified by the fact that Curley 's wife is never given a name. She is always referred to as Curley 's belonging. Additionally, Carlson 's statement about Curley 's wife needing to go back to her place where she belongs characterizes women 's roles by saying that women should be at home performing domestic chores. In essence, women were looked down upon and never seen as equal to the men.
Swell guy, ain't he? Spends all his time sayin' what he's gonna do to guys he don't like, and he don't like nobody."(78) This quote shows Curley's wife's displeasure with her husband it also shows that Curley doesn't really spend much time with her unless he's talking about who he want's to fight next. Curley's wife try's to make up for her husbands absenteeism by trying to make friends with the other ranch hands, but she go's about it in a way that scares the away from her. She wears too much makeup and shows off her body to the men in provocative ways.
Curley’s wife, on the other hand, is not insecure, but suffers from ostracism and isolation because she is a married woman. Michael Meyer points out, “…the hardship for a woman to live on the ranch as presented in the novel should not be ignored”. Curley’s wife only wants someone to talk with her, but the men on the ranch mistake her trying to start conversations as sexual advances: “I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody… I don’t know what the hell she wants” (Steinbeck 51). They also ridicule her, calling her a
Curley's wife is cast out because she is a woman. Curley watches over her carefully since she is his wife and the only woman on the farm. Curley does not allow his wife to converse with the other workers because he is afraid she will be unfaithful. She complains that individually, the men are generally nice, but in groups, they shun her and are sometimes cruel. Since Curley's wife is oppressed, she lashes out at a target that is weaker than she is, which is usually Crooks. He does the same.
One character in the story does not even have a name: Curley’s wife. Steinbeck illustrates her as someone who is a pawn of those around her. On the surface, she is reduced to a rude and selfish woman. But, if one looks deeper, Curley’s wife’s gender and class hinder her high aspirations and reduces her to ridicule. Her husband restricts her contact with others and does not show any affection towards her. She reveals this while