Preview

Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Character Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
530 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Character Analysis
Have you ever experienced the painful grip of loneliness while searching for companionship? Or had your heart set on a dream that you knew was out of your reach? These realistic examples describe the battle of human nature within the characters Of Mice and Men. In fact, the characters Of Mice and Men undergo these emotions on an unexpected journey. As the journey unfolds into a quest, the characters gain unexpected personal growth.
The quest altered George’s character throughout the novella. George is a hot tempered and impatient character. However, he is deeply devoted to his traveling buddy, Lennie. He protects Lennie and longs for a future of freedom with him. On the other hand, the reader discovers that George was not always kind to Lennie. In Chapter 3, George confesses that he bullied Lennie because of his mental disabilities. For example, he was being cocky one day and told Lennie to jump in the Sacramento River. George was horrified when he realized Lennie couldn’t swim, so he jumped in to save him. This incident taught George that it’s not fair to take advantage of the weak.
…show more content…
Curley’s Wife is portrayed as a “tart” and “tramp” according to the male characters in Of Mice and Men. She frequently flirts with the ranch hands on her father-in-laws’ farm. Even though she’s a trouble maker, Curley’s Wife experiences extreme loneliness and the hurt of her own broken dream. She explains on page 97 that she had a chance at an acting career but instead she was trapped into living an unhappy life with Curley. This proves that Curley’s wife is not a heartless “bitch” but actually a human being that has aspirations and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In chapter 1, Steinbeck introduces us to George and Lennie, two migrant workers who are traveling to work on a ranch in Soledad, California. The odd duo is trying to survive and save up money in the 1930s: Great Depression.…

    • 415 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the Book Of Mice And Men, “she's a jailbate set on a trigger”from George…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Initially the character of Curley’s Wife is described to the readers by the men on the ranch that George and Lennie last work on, in their conversations with each other, before Curley’s Wife’s character is fully introduced with speech and description of physical appearance. Expressions, such as the idiom “she got the eye”, are used to describe her, implying that she is promiscuous and flirtatious, something that is later emphasised by her being referred to by the derogatory term of “tart£, implying that she is suggestive and perhaps even similar to a prostitute in terms of the way she portrays herself. The word “tart” could also suggest that she presents herself flamboyantly in front of the men at the ranch, illustrating her desperation for attention. The fact that she is married and is still promiscuous and portrays herself flamboyantly in front of other men could suggest that she is unfaithful and immoral, or alternatively that her sexual needs are not fulfilled by her husband, providing a reasonable explanation to why Curley wears a glove “fulla vasaline”, something that is seen as “dirty” by George. She is described to be “heavily made up” which could add to her being unfaithful and untrue as she almost is disguised and covered up by cosmetics, covering her real natural appearance. Steinbeck purposefully conveys Curley’s Wife negatively through the ranch men in order to create an initial pessimistic and hateful approach toward her character by the readers.…

    • 1953 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex Character, named Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous but most of all an isolated character. She plays a main part in the novel; in doing this she displays and presents many of the main themes.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the two main characters, George and Lennie, frequently run into Curley, a contentious and hostile man. Curley is one of the main sources of conflict in the book, as we see when George warns Lennie: “…You gonna have trouble with that Curley guy… He’s gonna take a sock at you the first chance he gets” (Steinbeck, 29). Curley is representative of aggression and oppression, which Steinbeck shows us in both Curley’s actions and words.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a short novel by John Steinbeck, which is set in 1930s America. At this time in American History they were suffering from a hard hitting economic depression. This book is set on a ranch in Soledad, California. Throughout this novella, Steinbeck addresses key theme, for example discrimination, loneliness and the American Dream. Curley’s wife is a complex character. She is the only woman on the ranch. Curley’s wife is used as a plot device by Steinbeck to explore themes like discrimination and attitudes toward women in the 1930s. Although, she is thought of as a ‘tart’ at the beginning, throughout the novel we develop our opinion of Curley’s wife.…

    • 2193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    She is married to the sons of the owner of the ranch so why would she be after the workers who have nothing.…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley's wife is one of the most significant characters in John Steinbeck's novel "Of mice and men," although we never learn her name. We learn about her through her own words and actions and also through other characters' descriptions and opinions of her. Before Curley's wife makes her first appearance, she is introduced to us through Candy's opinion of her. He tells George that, although she has only been married to Curley for two weeks, she has already "got the eye." He also describes he as "a tart" that has been flirting with both Slim and Carlson. Curley's wife's first appearance is dramatic. She suddenly appears in the open doorway, cutting off the bright sunlight, as if she has brought the darkness with her. The reader is already influenced by Candy's description of her so that when Steinbeck describes her as having "full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up" we see this as confirmation of her being "a tart." Equally, it could simply mean that she takes pride in her appearance and tries to get noticed. However, she does flaunt herself " she smiled archly and twisted her body" and is clearly aware that Lennie is fascinated with her. George's first impression of Curley's wife is that she is "a tramp" and the worst "piece of jail-bait" he has ever seen. Later in the novel, the young ranch hand Whit also tells George that he thinks Curley's wife flaunts her body and has "got the eye goin' all the time on everybody." He agrees with George that she is trouble. Steinbeck gives us a more direct insight into Curley's wife's character in the scene when she meets Candy, Lennie and Crooks in Crooks' room. She sneers at the men, telling them that men are afraid to talk to her when there is more than one of them present, "You're all scared of each other, that's what." When she says, "They left all the weak ones here" she may mean it as an insult, but she also seems to accept that she is one of "the weak ones" who has been left behind, because she knows Curley…

    • 370 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the passage the first words that Steinbeck uses are that “Both men glanced up,” and through this we are introduced to Curley’s wife through her effect on men and not through any notion of herself, which Steinbeck does to show us she is only worthy for the use of men. Not so long after in the sentence we are told “the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway way cut off.” Here, Steinbeck uses the light symbolically to highlight how imposing she is and present the idea that she is the obstacle to a better life. It soon becomes apparent that Curley’s wife is an outsider of the group when it states, “A girl was standing there looking in.” which is a metaphor for the isolation she feels. It could be reflective of the gender roles at the time; women were only wanted for men’s sexual desires rather than their company. One could also interpret it as how similarly to a ‘girl’, (which she ironically is no longer), she is seeking attention and wishes all eyes to be on her by standing in the view of everyone and could be seen as trying to listen in on their conversation – both very childish manoeuvres.…

    • 1816 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Often times, women are put down by others. In Of Mice and Men, Being the only woman on the ranch, Curley’s wife was referred to as a so called “tart” by the men. A tart is an offensive term referring to the idea of a temptress. In the novel, Curley’s wife is viewed as a tart by the way she is portrayed. Due to the clothes she wears and the actions she makes, many people come to this untrue conclusion. Therefore, because of this idea and her kindness, she is blamed for the death of her friend, Lennie, at the end of the novel. However, it is clearly perceptible that Curley’s wife is not a temptress nor is she directly responsible for the novels tragedy due to the fact of her loneliness, her not being treated fairly, and her trying to make friends…

    • 1189 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife to present the theme of loneliness in Of Mice and Men. Her real name is never revealed in the story, showing that she has never been considered as a real person with an identity of her own. In fact, Steinbeck depicts women as troublemakers who bring ruin on men and drive them mad- Curley’s bad temper has only worsen since their marriage. Her purpose in the book is rather simple- she is a ‘tramp’, a ‘tart’ and ‘a bitch’ that threatens to destroy male happiness. Moreover, in the novel, we can frequently see that Curley and his wife is looking for each other, but we do not see them together, except when she is dead. Since Curley’s wife is the only female in the ranch, it is only out of jealous suspicion that Curley goes looking for her, at the same time, showing off to those ranchmen. However, Curley’s wife looks for him simply out of boredom and possibly as an excuse to spend time with other men, which makes her a pathetic figure.…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Names have been an important facet of society for as long as Homo sapiens have existed. A name is defined as “a word or symbol used in logic to designate an entity.” In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck teaches a lesson about the nature of human existence and shows how grim and isolated people become without hope. Steinbeck neglects to address Curley’s wife’s character by name in order to emphasize her position as a literary element and provide commentary on society in the time period during which he lived.…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    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.…

    • 480 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Curley’s wife, in Of Mice and Men, finds Lennie alone in the ban one night and confesses it him her broken lifelong dream of becoming a movie star. She explains, “Well, a show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me… If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet” (88). Curley’s nameless wife is not a character, but the embodiment of the unattainable American Dream. She is an excellent example of the countless people who were forced to settle for less than the perfection of the dream.…

    • 430 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays