Author John Steinbeck creates some of the most realistic characters in literature in his novelette Of Mice and Men. George, Lennie, and Curley’s wife are examples of both strength and weakness. In the end, each of them are pushed beyond the limits of what a normal human being should endure. Curley’s wife is a victim in her own life. Her dreams of becoming an actress are crushed, she is lonely, and she is murdered by Lennie. Curley’s wife dreams of rising into fame becoming a Hollywood star are ruined. A man mentioned to Curley’s wife that he could get her on a show, but her mother said no because she was too young. Then another time, she met another man, he was from Hollywood and could get her into pictures and movies. That man said he will …show more content…
Since then, she never heard from that man, Curley’s wife thought her mother stole the letter. She fought with her mother, who denied stealing the letter from her. “I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself." She said darkly, ‘Maybe I will yet.’ And then her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away. ‘I lived right in Salinas,’ she said. ‘Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol' lady wouldn' let me. She says because I was on'y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I'd went, I wouldn't be livin' like this, you bet.’" (Steinbeck 88) That same night Curley’s wife met Curley and married him to get away from her mother whom she thinks has ruined her chance of becoming a famous Hollywood …show more content…
She has no one to talk to because her husband can’t even spend time with her. Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch. She is bored and lonely, but her trails to interact with the ranch men only serve to push them further away from her. In one of the scenes, she appears at the doorway, asking where is her husband and complains she is lonely. Candy tells her to go and spend time with her husband and she can’t be fooling with other men on the ranch. Curley’s wife protested that she can’t find nobody to talk to and hates staying in the house “Well, I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?” (Steinbeck 78), and she also mentions in another scene when she talks about her husband staying at home, he does not talk to her, he just talks about the next person he’ll beat or punch. “The girl flared up. ‘Sure I gotta husband’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guy she don’t like, and he don’t like nobody. Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twice, and then bring in the ol’ right cross? ‘One-two,’ he says. ‘Jus’ the ol’ one-two an’ he’ll go down.’” (Steinbeck 78). Her life is one of loneliness and she has nothing to be happy to. By getting to marry Curley, she gave up on her dreams of being a Hollywood star. Now she has no friendships and no
The daughter in law of the ranch’s owner, which we will refer as Curley’s wife from now on, was killed instantly by a fatal injury to the neck caused by a retarded worker, Lennie. Born with talents of acting, Curley’s wife was invited to an audition by a famous Hollywood director at the age of eighteen. Unfortunately, her mother turned down the audition for her, due to unclear reasons. She then married to Curley, the son of the ranch’s owner, and lived on the ranch until her death. From the workers on the ranch, we learned that Curley’s wife was very lonely
Steinbeck has written ''Of Mice And Men '' about an adventure of George and Lennie trying to accomplish their American dream's during the Great Depression during the 1930's where thousands of people lost their jobs in the Wall Street Crash making them feel hopeless. George and Lennie come to work at a ranch near Soledad in California. There they meet fellow ranch mates and a woman called Curley's Wife. In this essay I will focus on how Curley's Wife's personality and actions change throughout the novella and who she affect her and other bunkmates throughout the novella. In addition to that I would be showing how Steinbeck creates tension by using Curleys Wife.
This emphasizes her craving to talk to others. Even though Curley’s Wife gets shut out by the other men, she still is determined to make conversation with others. She looks at the bright side and tries to be cheerful to not let Curley get to her.
”Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways?” (Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain.
First of all, Curley’s wife is warned, and even told, to stay in the house multiple times throughout the novel. Curley, her husband, spends most of his time running around the ranch searching for
Finally, loneliness is predominant through many of the actions and words of Curley’s wife. Being the
Curley’s wife acts very provocative, playful, childish and flirtatious, this is because she is very lonely and has no power at all. Nobody knows the real person she is because no one ever dares to get in trouble with her. Curley’s wife is often presented negatively by Steinbeck such as when she is cruel to crooks after his hopes have been raised by the dream. This is easily shown when Curley’s wife snaps at Crooks. “keep your place then, Nigger.
Curley’s wife’s dream was to one day become a famous Hollywood actress. Fame and fortune were the two things she desired most, and having expensive clothes living in extravagant hotels. Curley’s wife had met a famous Hollywood director who had told her that she was a natural at acting. He said he would mail her a letter about becoming an actress. He never mails her back, even though he promised he would. Her dream also becomes impossible because of her marriage to Curley. Curley will not let her leave now, and she has to tend to the ranch instead of pursuing her dream to potentially become a film actress.
She has a big dream to become a movie star and when her mother did not let her go, she settled with marrying Curley. She does not love Curley and is very unhappily married. She only gets the wrong attention from the men at the ranch, and being the only woman makes her have no one to relate to. “‘Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried, ‘Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody?’” (Steinbeck 86). Curley’s Wife does not understand why she is treated like there is something wrong with her. Giving the other men at the ranch “the eye” is wrong, but she does this because she does not get the attention she wants from her husband. Her loneliness leads to her confiding in Lennie, and ultimately, her
Each set of characters presented a new theme to give meaning to the book. Curleys wife presented sexism and how gender played a role in who will get to experience and hold the American Dream. She also gave the awareness of how women were continuously dehumanized and viewed as less than equal to men during that time. Steinbeck was inspired to write Of Mice and Men, from his childhood experiences and observations of immigrants moving from ranch to ranch in search of jobs. This gives a representation of how he believe the American Dream was unattainable. Steinbeck explored the nature and lives of the people during that time and connected that to the characters in the novella which set the stage for the
She has no friends and no one takes the time to listen to her. As the only woman on the ranch she has nobody to turn to. Curley doesn’t appreciate her or take the time to talk to her. When she goes to Crook’s stable her emotions overtake her and she admits her loneliness, “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in awhile? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?” (77) She is always stuck in the house either alone or with Curley. Curley just ignores her and doesn't give her the attention that she wants. So she finds it from other men. As the only woman she has only the workers for company. She is isolated and all alone. She only gets attention when she flirts with the men, nobody appreciates her for anything else. They all know she’s unfaithful and flirty, so when alone with her they take advantage of her. The men on the ranch only give her attention if it is to flirt with her,“”If I catch any one man, and he’s alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an’ you won’t talk...Ever’ one of you’s scared the rest is goin’ to get something on you.”” (77) The guys on the ranch only pay attention to her when they are alone with her. So they can mess around with her without the other workers knowing. They especially don’t want Curley to find out. It’s hard for Curley’s wife to feel at home on the ranch when no one wants to be her friend.
Curley’s wife perfectly represents the “average woman” in America in the 1930s. She would like to depend less on her husband, she has a fantasy of becoming a renowned actress and she feels secluded and miserable. She has to live in a
Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men' explores the everyday lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this era, American men were forced to leave their families and become 'drifters'. These were people who didn't have a fixed job and continually moved from place to place.
In Of Mice & Men, the character Curley’s Wife is depicted as flirtatious, promiscuous, and insensitive. However, her husband Curley sees her as only a possession. Most of the workers at the ranch see her as a tart, whereas Slim, the peaceful and god-like figure out of all the men, see her as lonely. This answer will tell us to which extent, is Curley’s wife a victim, whether towards her flirtatious behaviour, or to everyone’s representation of her.
In a plot full of twists and turns throughout the whole story, John Steinbeck’s book “Of Mice and Men”, published in 1937, astonishes the readers by taking them on a journey to the 1920s. This period witnessed a severe economic depression in America and thousands of unemployed people. Basically, the story is thoroughly narrated from the perspective of two ranchmen; George and Lennie. The latter caused the core issue in the story due to the lack of an adequate mental ability. Although George and Lennie are the protagonists; Curley’s wife appeared as a notable antagonist in the story. She was depicted as a lonely victim who has been labelled due to her ‘awkward behavior’. Namely, she was often caught attempting to start a conversation with other ranch hands while they were working.