How Does Steinbeck Present the Character of Curleys Wife

How does Steinbeck present the character of Curleys Wife? In this essay I am going to be assessing the character Curleys Wife from Steinbeck’s book Of Mice And Men. The book is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression it features two farm workers called George and Lennie. The travel around together in search of work sharing a dream of a place of their own, a small ranch where they can live and work for themselves. It tells the story of how violence may erupt to destroy those dreams.

Curleys wife is a character in the book who from the brief encounters with her is presented in two ways. Firstly the dangerous, flirtatious character who isn’t trusted by the rest of the ranch workers but then later one we realize how she is just a victim of loneliness with her being the only girl on the ranch and how she too has an incomplete American Dream to pursue an acting career. Curleys wife is a very important character and is heavily involved in the outcome of the story when George ends up shooting Lennie however there is the question of her innocence.

Before we meet Curleys wife, Steinbeck deliberately gives us a first impression of her to let us know their honest views on her with Candy and Georges conversation. Candy starts by saying “Wait’ll you see Curleys wife. ”, this makes us anticipated of her and gives us an expectation of what is going to be said about her. During the conversation the only positive thing said was that she was “purty”. She is portrayed as being flirty and not satisfied with her husband when Candy claims “Married two weeks and got the eye?

Maybe that’s why Curleys pants is full of ants. ” This makes the reader think because if they were newlywed they should be on their honeymoon period however one is overly flirtatious and the metaphor “pants is full of ants” shows the others paranoid over her, this gives us the sense something’s not right with their relationship. Steinbeck exaggerates the use of the phrase “the eye” to mirror the fact she repeatedly flirts with the men in search of attention.

Steinbeck describes her negatively when he refers to her as a “tart” when Candy says “well i think Curleys married... a tart”, the ellipsis shows Candy’s unsure whether he should refer to her in such an insulting manner but he chooses to anyway. The conversation prejudices Curleys wife before we even meet her and the fact George thinks she will be trouble prepares the reader for future events. Steinbeck uses his description of Curleys wife carefully to give us a certain first impression on her before finding out more about her. The escription starts with “the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off”, the light being cut off could be foreshadowing her being the obstacle that would eventually ruin George and Lennies hopes and dreams. Steinbeck then calls her a “girl” rather than a woman implying her youth and vulnerability, he continues keeps her unnamed to uphold the prejudice women faced in the 1930’s and to show the oppressive misogyny posed against her and how she is only seen through her relation to Curley and is ultimately a possession of his, unworthy of a unique identity.

Steinbeck also claims she was “looking in” showing her as an outsider who doesn’t really fit in and when she does look in, it’s to see something she hopes to have in the future, friendship. When Steinbeck starts to describe her appearance he starts with “she had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up” this makes us realise she hides her face with makeup showing her self-consciousness and gives the impression she is trying to look older however it’s not working by her previously being referred to as a “girl”.

Steinbeck repeats the word red when he says “her fingernails were red” and then “red ostrich feathers”, the noun red has many meanings for example, love but it also means danger and stop. This could again be showing signs of what the future could hold for her and how her desire for love becomes a great danger when leading to her death. Her facial features are a great contrast to her “nasal, brittle” voice that implies she’s about to break.

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. The perceptions we make of Curley's wife are corrupted from the views of the ranch hands. Because sexuality is her only weapon she is referred to by George as 'jailbait' and ' a tart' 'Jesus what a tramp. ' George has reason to be weary of her presence especially with Lenny around and the incident in Weed. Listen to me you crazy bastard... Don't you even look at that bitch. He is concerned about Lennie safety because he knows he won’t be able to resist her. The next time Steinbeck presents Curleys wife is in her conversation with Lennie, Candy and Crooks. In this extract we see how Curleys wife clearly enjoys having power over others and because she is the only girl on the ranch she is prone to discrimination by being made to feel like one of Curleys possessions.

We first get this impression when she refers to them as “ a bunch of bindle stiffs - a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep”, Curleys wife wouldn’t dare say these insults to anyone else but she would to these three men purely because one is older, one is mentally challenged and the other is a black man who in the 1930’s faced larger discrimination than girls. However her vulnerability is still shown when she asks “whatta ya think I am, a kid? ”.

The use of this rhetorical question makes us remember how she doesn’t want to be thought of as a little kid linking Back to when Steinbeck repeatedly called her a “girl” rather than a woman giving us the impression that even she realises how lowly she is thought of in the ranch so Steinbeck makes her speak “contemptuously” to show how she thinks they are beneath her. This scene adds to making the reader dislike her and see her as the downfall of the men in the story. Steinbeck lets us learn more about Curleys wife in the final scene before her death.

Here we learn that she too has her own dream just like all the other men on the ranch, her dream was to become a movie star in Hollywood and here we also see a completely different side to her initial flirtatious character we originally meet. Curleys wife’s naivety is demonstrable in her approach and attitude towards her dream. “I coulda made something of myself” she refuses to accept that her dream had a very little chance of coming true, when she says “maybe I will yet” she uses her dream as an escape from her loveless marriage and pitiful life; she is deluded that her dream will be realised and clings to the hope of a better life.

Curleys wife also blames others for the breakdown of her dream, especially her mother, “My ol’ lady wouldn’t let me.... if I’d went I wouldn’t be livin’ like this you bet” she is using her mother as a scapegoat for the failure of her dream, and her current situation. Therefore by marrying Curley, she has managed to escape her mother who she feels is responsible for preventing her from achieving her dream of being a movie star. “an I coulda sat in them big hotels”, Curleys wife’s dream revolves on what could have been, she yearns for luxuries and attention,.

Like the men she desires friendship, but her dream is more materialistic; she seeks the attention she feels she deserves. When Curleys wife is telling Lennie about her dream, Steinbeck states that “Her words tumbled out in passion of communication as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away” This links to her desperation for someone to talk to and how she yearns for some sort of interaction. Curleys wife dream makes her more vulnerable and human. Steinbeck recreates this impression by portraying her innocence in death.

Steinbeck uses very specific language when describing how Curleys wife was murdered by Lennie. In this extract we see how she underestimated Lennie’s great strength and this is proven when she says “Jus’ like a big baby”, we as readers know he is capable of murder and we know he is anything but a big baby adding to the tension. Steinbeck does give us a moment of hope when he remembers his Aunt Clara who he has occasionally forgotten, this gives us hope that he will remember Georges warnings on Curleys wife but this isn’t the case.

Curleys wife invites Lennie to feel her hair after hearing about his love of stroking soft things and she soon realises her mistake when she goes “Don’t you muss it up” and when Lennie refuses to let go she cries “let go” “you let go” the use of these short sentences lets us realise her panic. Steinbeck declares how she “writhed to be free” this could really mean how she ached to be free of the ranch and of Curley.

Then when he adds how “her hoarse cry came out” it creates a major contrast to when she wasn’t heard by the men and when her voice is needed the most she is being stifled. He even mentions how her “eyes were wild with terror”, they aren’t being described with being heavily made up. When Curleys wife is killed Steinbeck ensures the readers sympathy for Lennie is maintained. The reader sees the killing as an inevitable consequence of Lennie’s bear-like strength and Curleys wife’s desire for attention.

The use of the simile “and he shook her and her body flopped like a fish” creates an unsympathetic image, further emphasised with the alliterative “f”, as we tend not to feel sorry for dying fish in the way we may for a different animal. The sympathy the reader may feel for Curleys wife is weakened with “and she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck” as this seems harsh. This tone reminds the reader that Lennie would not have wanted to break her neck it was just something that happened so, even though he has committed a terrible act, the reader does not fully blame Lennie.

The repetition of the natural imagery, including the clear link to the animalistic imagery when Curleys hand was crushed as he “flopped like a fish on a line”, both links Curley and his wife as the enemy, but also reminds the reader of Lennie’s early description as a bear, reiterated with his “paw”-like hands throughout the novel. Because of this, it seems clear that this was both inevitable and natural as bears do kill fish, and Steinbeck could be highlighting the predatory nature of the world; it could also suggest that Steinbeck was trying to show the constancy of the natural world and Lennie is just another victim in this world.

However when Curleys wife is dead Steinbeck seems to show her the respect she deserves as his description of Curleys wife after her death is evidently more complimentary than previous occasions. He starts by saying “The meanness and the planning and the discontent and the aches for attention was all gone from her face” this straight away lets us realise that only from her death we see the other side to her, the side that was unhappy with her marriage and her life, her incomplete dream and the constant craving for a companion and all this because of her death simply disappears.

Steinbeck also uses words such as “sweet and young” to project Curleys wife more positively as a pretty, young woman, free of all mean qualities. This contrasts to the other times he referred to her as a “girl” because this time he is reflecting her purity rather than her childlike features. When he says “Now her rouged lips and her reddened cheeks made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly” it shows us what her life could have been like if she were to have completed it to its full potential. The way Steinbeck portrays her now is a lot more poetic showing his respect.

In my conclusion I think Steinbeck manages to portray two sides to Curleys Wife in the book Of Mice and Men. The first side is the misunderstood girl who isn’t trusted and her need for company and a friend is mistaken for a flirtatious troublemaker. However at the end of the novel Steinbeck makes her intentions clear and shares her dream of becoming a Hollywood movie star giving the readers the chance to see the vulnerable side of her, the one that shows her as not wanting but needing somebody to talk to.

The need for such things is what caused her death. Lennie was keeping her company and she needed this so much that she was willing to let him harm her, and in this case kill her. Steinbeck also shows her differently in death as well. He gives Curleys wife respect and describes her as being beautiful and majorly contrasts the provocative way he did beforehand.

Curley's Wife Of Mice and Men

In Of Mice and Men, character symbolism lets the reader see what life was like in the 1930’s. Many of the characters portray a certain person that could have been living in the 1930’s. This book is about the adventures of two men, George Milton and the mentally disabled Lennie Small.

They were migrant workers who had to search for work during the Great Depression. You see the friendship between the two men, and how they care for each other and try to protect each other. Author John Steinbeck does a great job of expressing character symbolism in the story.

He shows how back then, the American dream was extremely hard to accomplish because of The Great Depression, and unequal rights towards women and the mentally different. Curley’s wife symbolizes how women were treated in the 1930’s. In the 1930’s women were treated as objects.

They had no rights or freedom. It was impossible for women to accomplish the American dream, because woman were property of a man, giving them no independence to be something other than a housewife.

My first example on how Curley’s wife was treated as an object is simply in her name, she doesn’t have one. In the story Curley’s wife is addressed as Curley’s wife. You never find out her name. This gave her and all women a persona of worthlessness, that they were just put on the earth to be mistreated housewives and not have anywhere close to the same opportunities as men. Since women didn’t have many opportunities besides prostitution, Curley’s wife didn’t have much of an exciting life. When her husband Curley was not around she would get lonely.

In this quote, Curley’s wife expresses her loneliness, “’I get lonely,' she said ‘you can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley, else he gets mad. How'd you like not to talk to nobody? '" (Steinbeck 87) Curley’s wife says this quote when all the men went to town, including her husband.

It shows that she spends all her time alone, in her house as the men work in the fields. She is also not allowed to talk to anyone but her husband who spends all of this time in the fields, so she feels like she is living alone all her life.

Many people dreamed for the American dream, especially Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife dreamed of being a highly paid actress. In this quote Curley;s wife is expressing her dream of being an actress,"’Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes ... An' I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took of me.

When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an' spoke in the radio, an' it wouldn'ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. ... Because this guys says I was a natural. ’” (Steinbeck 88) Here she is dreaming of a better life than the one she has now.

But because of the time period it was very hard for women to accomplish their dreams let alone be allowed to have them. In Of Mice and Men, character symbolism lets the reader see what life was like in the 1930’s. Curley;s wife symbolized the level of equality that women had in the time period that took place in the story.

Women were property and objects. Steinbeck does a great job of symbolism of women through Curley’s wife. He shows how back then, the American dream was extremely hard to accomplish because of The Great Depression, and unequal rights towards women and the mentally different.

Curley's Wife Essay

Explore the ways Steinbeck presents one or more minor characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ In this essay I will be giving you an insight on how Steinbeck presents one minor character in the novel, Of Mice and Men. John Steinbeck wrote the novel in 1937 the novel is set on a ranch in the Salinas Valleys in California during the Great Depression due to the Wall Street Crash in America. America’s stock market crashed and many people ended up unemployed which led to them leaving their families to look for jobs around America including some of the characters in the novel.

My essay is focused on Curley’s wife and I will be discussing the ways Steinbeck presents her appearance, personality, dreams and the ranch worker’s views her. Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife as a flirtatious woman and attention seeking towards other men. This is shown on (page 53) “She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers roughed lips, wide spaced eyes, with red fingernails”. This quote foreshadows and signifies that Curley’s wife will have sexual feelings to other men throughout the story because of the ways she appears and acts.

Steinbeck also presents her wearing the colour red throughout the story. The colour red is a colour synchronised with danger this shows that people should keep away from her because she may be dangerous. The colour red can also be synchronised with love and romance this means that she could be flirtatious towards other men and she also can show love towards them. This is why she dresses this way it also suggests to the reader that Curley’s wife acts seductively towards other men because she dresses up in a seductive way so she can catch the attention of other men on the ranch such as George and Lennie.

She dresses that way because she is a tramp and they like to seduce other men towards them despite having a husband called Curley. This also shows that she is not really loved by Curley because she needs other men to catch her attention and body. She also could be found innocent “wide spaced eyes” this is something which she cannot help. The worker’s on the ranch view Curley’s wife in a negative way. Evidence to support this is “I seen em’ poison before, but I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her “Said George (to Lennie).

This quote suggests that Curley’s Wife is unsafe to be around because she is “Jailbait” meaning she is a young woman considered in sexual terms. This shows that Curley’s wife could land Lennie in jail due to her being presented in that way. Due to Lennie calling her “Jailbait” this means that the reader is supposed see Curley’s wife in a negative way. This would also make the reader predict that Curley’s wife would be dangerous, trouble and bad as the story progresses. George also says “worse than her” this is suggesting that she is the worst jailbait he has seen.

The reader also learns that they have encountered a problem like this before “I seen em’ poison before” this shows that they have come across another women like this before. We see this in the introduction In Weed, Lennie “pets” a girl’s pretty dress and frightens her away which makes George and Lennie run out of town due to people chasing them. This quote may be prejudicing the reader because before the reader has actually learnt much about the character they are already presenting her in a negative way.

This is because women were not seen as important in the 1930s and they had no rights therefore women were not well-respected so men could just talk about women in that manner. Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife in a provocative way so she can be noticed. This suggests that she uses provocative body language, ‘she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward’. This is her flimsy excuse to be with the men on the ranch. She both talks and acts playfully and flirtatiously in front of the ranch workers.

She behaves in this manner because her sexuality is her only weapon to gain attention. Therefore this makes her body as an object because by using her body she can be noticed. Loneliness is a major theme in the novel. This suggests that she does this because she is lonely; she is the loneliest character in the story. She is also the only woman character so she needs company by anyone. Her husband, Curley does not really love her and she does not love him. Several times throughout the story she does this she says she’s looking for Curley but really that is just an excuse to be with other men.

Steinbeck makes great use of isolation; it is shown throughout the story. Curley’s Wife is a character who is isolated. This shows that she is isolated because she can’t really go anywhere nor do much on a ranch so she needs people to keep her busy so her time can pass by. The main theme of the novel is ‘The American Dream’. Like many characters in the book, Curley’s wife also has a dream. She dreams of being a film star. Steinbeck makes very good use of dreams throughout the novel. Steinbeck uses context ‘The American Dream’ to present Curley’s wife’s dream.

This can be shown in chapter five on (page 125) “Could ‘a been in the movies an’ had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I could ‘a sat in big hotels and had pitchers took of me. This quote shows that ‘The American Dream’ is important context here. ‘The American Dream’ states that anyone can achieve anything they dream of in America. However, for Curley’s wife, like lots of ordinary Americans, this does not turn out to be reality. She also repeats “I coulda” this suggests that it could have been but now is no longer a possibility.

Instead being in Hollywood she is stuck with her unloving husband Curley who does not really care for her. This may be the reason she is always attention seeking around the ranch so she can get noticed because her dream was to be noticed and “had pitchers” took of her. Steinbeck presents her in regret who has failed in life. In addition she talks about how she wants people to take pictures of her so she can be famous. She also says this before Lennie kills her this suggests Steinbeck’s view of the pointlessness of dreams.

Curley's Wife Om Thesis Paper

What does it mean to be a victim of loneliness? Merriam-Webster defines it as “being without company; cut off from others”. In the novel Of Mice and Men we see one character experiencing true loneliness, Curley’s wife. Set in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression, on a ranch in California, Of Mice and Men follows the journey of two men. When these two men, George and Lennie, come to work on the ranch, it sends the whole ranch in a new direction. Curley’s wife just hopes that she can find a companion, and who better than new people. But one thing always stands in her way, her loneliness.

Curley’s wife is a major victim of loneliness because of her failed dreams, her struggle to be someone’s friend, and her lack of love. Curley’s wife had a big dream all set up in her mind. The only problem is that it never happened. She came so close to coming to her dreams, but then it was all taken away. From a young age, Curley’s wife wanted to be a famous movie-star. She dreamed of being around all the big directors, and completely changing her life. She had met with a few directors and all said she had that “twinkle” in her eyes that would win a crowd.

She almost had the opportunity to go to Hollywood, she just had to wait for a letter. Unfortunately, that is all she did, wait, and wait, and wait. It never arrived. She went so far as to blame her mother saying she took the letter because she didn’t want her to fulfill her dreams. With all of this said and done, she left her hometown and found the Ranch. This failed dream of being a movie-star made Curley’s wife very depressed and lonely. She married Curley just because she wanted another person to fill the void of her lost dreams. The only problem is that she is very distant from her husband.

It sent her deeper into loneliness. Curley’s wife comes off as a tramp and flirtatious to all the men on the ranch. They all tell George and Lennie to stay away from her, that she only causes trouble. But in reality, all she wants is a companion. When talking to Lennie, alone, in the barn on the ranch, Lennie repeats one sentence over and over to Curley’s wife. “‘George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you--talk to you or nothing’” (Steinbeck 86). Everyone just seems to be shoving Curley’s wife away. All of these men keep portraying her as a troubled girl, and it makes her relationship with everyone difficult.

She just wants someone to be her friend, and without one, she is lonely. Ever since she left Salinas, Curley’s wife has always lacked love. She loved the director that came to visit her and told her he would write to her. But when she never got the letter, it was almost as if she gave up on love. She married Curley, but it wasn’t real love. She married him because she wanted another person in her life. She wanted to be part of something. But she is never with him, and she is never with anyone for that matter. Neither of them try to show love to each other. But Curley’s wife lacked the love she thought she deserved.

Katharine Gammon explains the psychology of loneliness and how a lack of love affects us,“The reasons trace back to humanity's evolutionary history, when people needed each other to stay alive. Loneliness doesn't just make people feel unhappy, it actually makes them feel unsafe — mentally and physically. ” Curley’s wife feels not only unhappy, but unsafe. People are portraying her as something she isn’t and she isn’t getting credit for the things she does have/do. They are just making her feel more lonely. Some may believe that Curley’s wife’s actions set her up for her troubles and even her death.

They may believe that she was just a tramp and troubled girl who had it coming to her. But while some may believe that, Curley’s wife was indeed a victim of loneliness because she believed in her dreams, and they were crushed. She wanted to be a person’s “someone” but she lacked all the love. She is in fact a true victim of loneliness. Steinbeck never gave Curley’s wife a name, and that shows her loneliness. She was in extreme loneliness because of her failed dreams, her struggle to be someone’s friend, and her lack of love. Loneliness is a real feeling, action, and emotion. Curley’s wife had it all.

I think Mother Teresa scored it right in the bag when she talked about loneliness. “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. ” Mother Teresa knew what poverty was, and according to this quote, Curley’s wife was in the most terrible poverty. Work Cited Gammon, Katharine. Why Loneliness Can Be Deadly. N. p. , 2 Mar. 2012. Web. 27 Mar. 2013. Merriam-Webster. online ed. 2013. Merriam-Webster. Web. 27 Mar. 2013 Steinbeck, John. Of Mice And Men. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 1937. 86. Print. Quotes, Brainy. BrainyQuotes. N. p. , n. d. Web. 27 Mar. 2013.

How Steinbeck Presents the Character of Curley’s Wife

eys Examine how Steinbeck presents the character of Curley’s wife in ‘Of mice and men’ . Refer closely to the text in your answer to support your views. Throughout the novel Steinbeck presents the character of Curley’s wife in a number of ways. Initially he tells us that she is a beautiful girl who is lonely and she is the only female on the ranch. Steinbeck explains that she is presented as a sexual object for Curly. Even though she is the boss’s son’s wife she is still low in the hierarchy within the ranch. She clearly uses her sexuality as a weapon and is seen as a sexual predator.

This is shown as she wears a lot of red and ostrich feathers. The red signals love, danger and sex. Unfortunately her sexuality has no impact on the farm because everyone is scared of being friendly or seen with her due to her husband’s power. She is flirtatious ‘you guys seen Curly anywhere? ’ She asks this just to be able to enter the stable to be with the men and this is used a decoy to get her to be able to socialise with the men. Stein beck is giving the reader a negative image of her, almost as a sex slave.

We see this negativity in other character’s description of her: George states she is a ‘rattrap and a tramp’ , Lennie calls her ‘ purdy’, Candy states ‘ well that gloves full of Vaseline’ this refers to the idea that Curley wife is merely viewed by all as an object of sexual desire yet men are wary of her and avoid contact where possible. She seeks out greater weaknesses in others in order to protect herself or to survive. This she does with her appearance: ‘full rough lips, heavily made up eyes, finger nails red, her hair hung in little clusters’ . Her choices of clothes are very feminine and tempting desire.

She wants to be admired and noticed. Her actions and mannerisms are also very sexual ‘leans against the door frame so her body is thrown forward. ’ Steinbeck is trying to present the character as a tease and an object of desire. This however clearly shows that she is a beautiful and desirable women who is merely seeking reassurance and love. Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife as not being important. This is evidenced by the fact she has no name and is only defined by her relationship with Curley. This is quite sad and emphasises that she has no real family, friends and is the only female.

She is Curley’s possession and is used in the novel to show his masculinity and that she is trapped in a loveless marriage. Yet despite being unimportant she has a big impact on George, Lennie and Candys future dreams – they disappear on her death. Steinbeck shows the hierarchy of people clearly in the novel. Curley’s wife has little power as men are portrayed as more important. This is shown when Curley orders her to go back to the house and he treats her as a possession. Sadly the novel refers to her background as not being happy as her mother instructed her not to marry Curley but she did.

Curley’s wife is shown as a lonely character who is desperate for companionship. She flirts with the men on the ranch and forces her company on them. Sadly she pays the price for her need of company when she encourages Lennie to stroke her hair and he overpowers her and accidently kills her. The American dream is key to the novel – this means everyone should have equality and hope for the future. Curley’s wife has a dream of becoming a Hollywood star, ‘says I was a natural’ and ‘I could have been in the movies’ This is still her dream to escape from the ranch.

This emphasises her innocence as she still believes she will get her chance in life and these were her last thoughts before she was killed by Lennie. Steinbeck shows Curley’s wife as a victim - sweet and innocent in death. No one is sad for her – they only worry about Lennie- George is only worried about Lennies mistake, Curley wants revenge and to be seen as a strong man ‘I’m gonna shoot the guts outta the big bastard’ Throughout the novel no one shows her any sympathy: Candy is angry as his dream has been shattered now ‘you god damn tramp…. you messed things up’. She has lived a life without love and without achieving her dream.

Of Mice and Men Curleys Wife

Page 1 2 Essay length: 1165 words Submitted: 21/08/2012 Share this essay: Do not show me this again Are you in the right place? Jump to John Steinbeck and see how teachers think you should prepare in: GCSE 854 AS and A-level 93 International Baccalaureate 1,024 University 15 Read more Save Submit similar essay Essay preview GCSE JOHN STEINBECK i»? Task Of Mice and Men: In a letter . John Steinbeck Wrote of Curley wife: She is a nice girl and not a floozy. Discuss and explain your own impression of Curleys wife.

In Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck describes Curley wife as a character of many contradictions she is shown as both a nice girl and a floozy; lonely yet vindictive; Motherly but also seductive. In this essay I will try to discuss both of her sides. Throughout the novel Curley wife acts and dresses as a floozy; in the very beginning when we first see her she is dressed up nice and has her nails painted red which in those days was a sign of danger, she dresses in very good quality clothes and takes care of herself much more then she should as she is in a ranch full of men and has chores as all the women those days had.

She spends too much time on her appearance, in the novel it says she has rouge lips, hair in little sausages, and not only is she dressed very nice, she also acts very seductive by showing off her womanly parts she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so her body was thrown forward. She leans against the door frame teasing the men, she knows she will get lots of attention because she is a young pretty girl and the men are always in the ranch and she is the only girl there.

She also talks very flirtatiously with the men as she says things playfully showing she has no interest of finding her husband as she intended to do in the first place. When she is about to leave she says Nobody can blame a person for looking which has a double meaning. It can be interpreted as you canat blame a person for looking which would mean you cannot blame her for looking for Curley and you cannot blame a person for looking and admiring her.

Also, when she enters the bunkhouse she says I am looking for Curley which is a lie because she is only saying that to flirt and talk to the men. We can tell that because when Slim says he has just seen Curley heading toward their house, she immediately becomes apprehensive and heads away because she does not want to be seen flirting with the men. The men know that she is in a loveless marriage to Curley.

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