Curley's Madness

In some works of literature, madness or irrational behavior plays a significant role. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men illustrates the concept in a unique way by depicting not the character with mental disabilities, but their key opposition as being absurd. Curley’s behavior consisting of aggressiveness, cockiness, and use of myths to improve his sexual performance can be described as paranoid and pugnacious, but not entirely unjustified. His reactions are highly amplified versions of appropriate responses to situations that plague him such as his wife’s scandalousness, his own insecurity, lust for power, and fears. Curley’s “madness” impacts the story by representing society’s lack of acceptance, competitiveness, and mercilessness.

Madness

is a term that may be used to describe foolishness or chaotic behavior, Curley’s actions being aptly defined by the later.

His behavior is seemingly irrational due to the extremity he conducts them with. Constantly paranoid about his wife’s whereabouts, Curley is often depicted as frantically questioning others if they have seen her and, as stated by Whit, “‘He spends half his time lookin’ for her, and the rest of the time she’s lookin’ for him’” (Steinback, 53). Rumors spread that Curley’s daily routine consists of filling his glove with vaseline and consuming raw eggs in order to improve his sexual performance as “‘Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife” (Steinback, 27). While Curley may be described as paranoid, ‘skittish’ is an inaccurate adjective for the character. The man is often portrayed as pugnacious and intimidating. Candy comments that “‘Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys’” (Steinback, 26). His aggression goes so far as for him

to threaten Lennie for something as innocent as laughter by articulating “come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show ya who’s yella” (Steinback, 62). Curley’s aggression is accompanied with mercilessness, showcased when he plans to shoot Lennie in the gut in order to provide the boy with a painstakingly slow and agonizing death to achieve volatile revenge. Despite being consistently pugnacious, Curley is abruptly silenced and suddenly breaks character when violently injured by Lennie as “his struggling had become weak. He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw” (Steinback. 64). Although Curley’s actions are indeed extraordinary, there remains reason to his apparent madness.

Several factors play key roles in explaining a character’s actions and motives. Curley’s paranoia and distrust in his fellow men at the plantation stems from his awareness of his wife’s attractiveness. Despite being wed, Curley’s wife’s behavior is described as persistently sultry and, as Whit states, “‘she ain’t concealin’ nothing. I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody. I bet she even gives the stable buck the eye’” (Steinback, 51). When Candy comments on Curley’s ruthlessness, he states “‘He’d slough me. He just don’t give a damn. Won’t ever get canned ‘cause his old man’s the boss’” (Steinback, 27). Due to his inherited advantage over the other men, Curley uses this leverage as reason to act as though he possesses authority over the others. His belligerence and cocky behavior are enabled because, despite his actions being wrong and uncalled for, especially in a work environment, he has the ability to evade punishment due to his father’s lenience. Depicted as a ‘little guy’, Curley’s selective aggression towards larger men stems from his personal insecurity concerning his own size. He tries to compensate for his lesser stature by presenting himself in a threatening and intimidating manner, attempting to establish dominance over others to achieve power. Additionally, his sinister act is a facade to mask his cowardice and fear. When defeated by Lennie, Curley’s guard is let down as he showcases unease by avoiding eye contact and complies to Slim’s demand without hesitation, declaring “‘I won’t tell,’ said Curley. He avoided looking at Lennie” (Steinback, 65). While there is explanation for Curley’s extreme behavior, there simultaneously exists reasoning for Steinbacks inclusion of the character that impact the meaning of the work as a whole.

In literature, characters, their motives, and their actions serve as a double-edged sword not only to engage in advancing the plot, but also in adding significance to the novel.

Curley is no exception to this trend. His aggression represents a lack of acceptance towards people who are different or behave in a way deemed ‘unreasonable’ in society. Curley reprimands Lennie for wanting to remain quiet, believing that a man of his size must “‘talk when he’s spoke to’” (Steinback, 25). Furthermore, Curley’s refusal to consider Lennie’s abnormal disability or the ill behavior of his wife excuse the murder represents society’s mercilessness towards people with disabilities despite their innocence. Due to Curley’s status as son of the plantation’s boss, he possesses unmerited power over the others. Not only can he evade punishment, he may also use his advantage to convince the boss of someone’s misbehavior despite the validity of his accusations. Because of this power, the workers of the plantation advise Lennie and George to maintain distance from Curley and his wife to avoid trouble. They are made acutely aware that the unfair odds of going against them are drastically in favor of the boss’ family, made clear when Curley’s wife states to the stable buck “‘well you keep your place then...I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny’” (Steinback, 81). This disadvantage and hopelessness apparent in the workers represents the futility of people compromising with

others that withhold more power in society be it politically, financially, authority, or by any other means.

A highly renowned novel, Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men accomplishes a great deal of symbolism and meaning for a considerably short read. Curley’s seemingly irrational behaviors and aggressively paranoid nature were justifiable to a degree when considering his insecurity, fear of losing his wife, and desire for power over others. His competitiveness, lack of acceptance, and mercilessness represented that of society, and the remaining cast of characters’ responses inversely showcased the differing attitudes of people towards, reacting in either acceptance or attempting denial only to be faced with inevitable defeat.