Sexuality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
What constitutes the label of ‘tramp’ towards a woman? Is it the clothes she wears? Is it her interactions with the opposite sex? In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the men living on the ranch judge Curley’s wife by this criteria. Curley’s wife uses her sexuality to befriend the men on the ranch so that they acknowledge her. As a result, the men on the farm deem her a tramp in an unfair manner.
According to Social Change: The Sexual Revolution, only six percent of unwed females in the United States in 1900 engaged in premarital sex. This applies to Of Mice and Men because the novel took place in the 1930s, and despite her marital status, the men surrounding Curley’s wife oppressed her sexuality and expected her to conceal it. Regardless, …show more content…
This results in the men unreasonably labeling her a whore. To illustrate, Curley’s wife tells Lennie, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). Curley’s wife tells Lennie her feelings through this. When she says this, she contradicts her typical flirtatious behavior, and goes against the expected norms of society referenced in Social Change. As a result, Lennie denies her requests for friendship. This justifies Curley’s wife's in utilizing her femininity, since men only pay attention to her through seduction. Because people only listen to her when she seduces them, Curley’s wife is over-sexualized. The men prove responsible for this by only listening when any semblance of sex is on the table. By doing this, they bait Curley’s wife into receiving no attention if she does not hint at sex. Then if she does, they give her attention, but label her a whore as a consequence for breaking societal norms. To show, George states, “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her” (Steinbeck 32). With this aspersion, George defames her reputation by first labeling her as a bitch. Moreover, George claims she is the worst jailbait he has ever seen. Sexual labels are the last thing Curley’s wife needed. This is because Section 213 of the 1932 Federal Economy Act prohibited more than one member of a household from working, thus banning many married women from government employment (“Working Women in the 1930s”). This showcases and compares the discrimination Curley’s wife faced in different aspects of her life; such as when the government created loopholes to ban women from working, and when George unfairly debases her. Furthermore, Curley’s wife realizes that because of her status
According to Social Change: The Sexual Revolution, only six percent of unwed females in the United States in 1900 engaged in premarital sex. This applies to Of Mice and Men because the novel took place in the 1930s, and despite her marital status, the men surrounding Curley’s wife oppressed her sexuality and expected her to conceal it. Regardless, …show more content…
This results in the men unreasonably labeling her a whore. To illustrate, Curley’s wife tells Lennie, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). Curley’s wife tells Lennie her feelings through this. When she says this, she contradicts her typical flirtatious behavior, and goes against the expected norms of society referenced in Social Change. As a result, Lennie denies her requests for friendship. This justifies Curley’s wife's in utilizing her femininity, since men only pay attention to her through seduction. Because people only listen to her when she seduces them, Curley’s wife is over-sexualized. The men prove responsible for this by only listening when any semblance of sex is on the table. By doing this, they bait Curley’s wife into receiving no attention if she does not hint at sex. Then if she does, they give her attention, but label her a whore as a consequence for breaking societal norms. To show, George states, “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her” (Steinbeck 32). With this aspersion, George defames her reputation by first labeling her as a bitch. Moreover, George claims she is the worst jailbait he has ever seen. Sexual labels are the last thing Curley’s wife needed. This is because Section 213 of the 1932 Federal Economy Act prohibited more than one member of a household from working, thus banning many married women from government employment (“Working Women in the 1930s”). This showcases and compares the discrimination Curley’s wife faced in different aspects of her life; such as when the government created loopholes to ban women from working, and when George unfairly debases her. Furthermore, Curley’s wife realizes that because of her status