'Antagonist In Curley's Wife'
Simply put, Curley’s wife was an antagonist. In the story, she was depicted as a so-called tart, but towards the end, she reveals that the true nature of her flirtation is the need to dispose her solitariness. In the novel, she confesses that “I...talk to nobody.I get awful lonely… I can’t talk to nobody but Curley” (Steinbeck 86-87), an example of oppression of women which arose from men’s belief that wives are husbands' belongings, as proven by the use of the title “Curley’s wife” instead of her real name. When talking with Lennie, instead of seducing him, she converses friendly, delighted like a teenage girl who just met her friend. She was innocent. The author endeavored to paint how unfair view and oppression destroyed women, demonstrating