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The grapes of wrath and humanity themes
Portrayal of women in american literature
Portrayal of women in american literature
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Curley’s wife is also portrayed as a victim because she’s stuck with Curley. Curley’s wife is about 17 maybe 20 and she’s having a sad life dealing with Curley. Steinbeck writes “Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I ought’n to. I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” (89). Steinbeck shows that Curley’s wife doesn’t even like him. This what shows how Curley’s wife is nothing but a victim because she does things that she doesn’t want to do. If she was a free woman and does whatever she wants, then she would be a better person to herself.
After reading ‘The Murder of Helen Jewett” it gave me insight on how crime in New York City was in the 1830’s and another view on how life for men and women differed. The book starts off talking about Dorcas Doyen famously known as Helen Jewett and how she was highly thought of but then the news comes out of nowhere with several stories about her past some twisted to make her seem as bad as a prostitute who has bounced around a few times could be seen. But her actual story was that she was born in 1814 in Temple, Maine to a regular working family. She lost both of her parents at a young age her mother died when she was at the early ages of her life and he father who was an alcoholic died shortly after her mother. She was put in a home, orphaned
Curley’s wife is an outsider on the ranch, simply because she is the one. only woman there is. Steinbeck never named Curley’s wife. She is defined by her relationship with Curley, as his property, not as an individual. Namelessness also has the effect of reinforcing how insignificant she is in the life of the ranch, how dependent she is on Curley, for her.
Curley’s wife comes off as a provocative, flirtatious, lustful woman, but is really hiding her true identity as a depressed and lonely person. Throughout the book Curley’s wife does show her true identity, but still tries to stay positive and deal with the bad hand she was dealt. Curley’s wife is a prime example of even though your life took a wrong turn that you shouldn’t give up. Curley’s wife may of been depressed, but she still tried to communicate everyday with someone no matter what they said to her.
Her resistive attitude was made apparent when she was first introduced in the novella as Curley’s wife. In order to emphasise Curley’s wife’s inadequacy, Steinbeck doesn’t give her a name. As a victim of this lack of authority, she finds someone to bully and is presented as a powerful and intimidating person. Alongside many other Americans of the time, Curley's wife also had an American dream. Fear prevented her trying, as she knew if she failed, she would be left with nothing. Candy, a swamper, introduced her. Initially, she was mentioned in rumours which subtly hints at the idea that she had developed a bad reputation over time, which gives the reader opinions and biased views on Curley's wife even before she enters. Curley’s wife had the right to articulate her opinion, in fact she had more rights than Eva Smith, and despite the fact her husband was the boss, she still found that she was unable to speak. Presumably, the reason for this being the absence of an involved father figure. In fact the only man she could get close to ‘promised’ her to put her in the
The character of Curley’s Wife is very hard to unravel, as throughout the book, Steinbeck’s representation of women through characters such as George and Candy, is very harsh. This is because the sociological opinion at that time was that they were either, mothers, sisters, or prostitutes, as the audience soon see, George and other ranch workers refer to her as “bitch” “loo loo” and “tramp”. There were also a growing number of prostitutes during the Great Depression period, as they would offload their services to those whom were able to pay and have some decent income during the Depression. Other aspects that may make Curley’s Wife seem like a tart, is Curley’s “Glove Fulla’ Vaseline”. Curley literally keeps a glove full of Vaseline, in order to keep his hand soft, possibly for a sexual act. Curley boasts to Candy that the hand is for his wife, which tells us that she gives him consent to do these acts to her, and also, Curley’s nerve to inform fellow workers about his glove shows that he believes that his own wife is a tart, which is very controversial today, but back then, women were seen as nothing more than possessions, yours to do what you will. George informs Lennie to avoid Curley’s Wife at all costs, and not to talk to her, because of her promiscuous behaviour, he believes t...
Curley's wife is seen as a cheap possession, a toy that belongs to Curley. A possession that he gets to control. His lack of love, respect and attention results to her death in the end. By all the men she’s seen as a tramp, they think that she’s out cause trouble. But the truth is she’s desperately lonely. She just wants someone to talk to. She’s missed out on a wonderful life that could have been hers, and that hurts her.
Steinbeck also presents another view of Curley’s wife. In his omniscient description [form: overall writing technique] of her, he writes that she ‘bridles a little’ at Lennie’s attention; she is metaphorically shying away from the fixated attention. Steinbeck also unobtrusively mentions that she is a ‘girl’; both these observations suggest her innocence and vulnerability.
Curley makes sure his wife doesn’t talk to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even knew. She married him though, to have a companion. She killed herself and Lennie because of her need for companionship. She craves companionship because she is an attractive woman with a need for interaction.
Curley’s wife has only been married to Curley for two weeks, but still the men on the ranch already have many negative opinions on her. These opinions and judgements take away from her authority and make her powerless on the ranch. While arguing with Curley about his wife Carlson says, “Whyn’t you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs. You let her hang around bunkhouses and pretty soon you’re gonna have som’pin on your hands and you won’t be able to do nothing about it” (Steinbeck 62). The way Carlson speaks of Curley’s wife makes her sound like she is a possession, not a human being. This ties back into her not even having a name, but simply being defined by her relationship with Curley. Instead of confronting Curley’s wife about her behaviour, they consult with Curley instead and tell him that he needs to reign his wife in because she is too distracting and unpredictable. They treat her with no respect and it takes away from all of the authority that she should have over them because of her wealth and connection to Curley.
Curley’s wife is a difficult character to understand. Steinbeck hasn’t named her; this could be for a number of reasons. He may have wanted her to be seen as lonely therefore not naming her shows no one gets close enough to her to call her by her first name. He may have done it to show the other characters only see her as the wife of Curley rather than an individual. He may also have done it to show the male attitudes towards females. Curley’s wife also helps to provoke mixed emotions in the reader. We often feel sorry for her such as when she talks of her loneliness, but on other occasions the reader can find her cold hearted. This is seen when she is racist towards the other characters.
Curley’s wife feels as if she is ‘owned’ by her husband. She is told by her husband not to speak with the ranch workers or be around them but despite this she still flirts with the other men. An example of this is when she meets George Milton and Lennie Small for the first time. She comes in “just looking for Curley”, which is her excuse for talking to the newcomers. I believe she does this out of loneliness and isolation, which had been caused by Curley and the ‘time’ they lived in. When this happens today in Western society, it is considered to be a form of emotional abuse. Although times have changed and it has been given a different name, I feel that this ...
The way Curley’s wife was treated changed the responsibility she had, the views of her, and being alone all the time. In life, women and those who are different aren’t seen as equal. They all have harder lives than the typical man does. Unfortunately, one of the characters who were different was outnumbered and was seen on a lower
A name is part of a person’s identity and defines one’s personality. John Steinbeck does not give Curley’s wife a name in Of Mice and Men because of his unfavorable opinion about women. All the male characters are seen as hard, tough and strong, but most importantly (with the exception of Lennie) independent. The only well defined female character is Curley’s wife, who is seen as an unscrupulous and untrustworthy influence on those around her. Curley’s wife, the antagonist who destroys all hopes for George and Lennie, shows how women’s portrayal during the 1930’s was generally negative due to people’s sexist views. Female and male stereotypes of the era cause Steinbeck to deny Curley’s wife a name. The mere reference to someone by their name
Due to the fact that she’s involved in a loveless marriage, she questions, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (86), while attempting to talk to Lennie, when he then obliviously rejects her without his intention. Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck generally depicts Curley’s wife as a troublemaker who brings ruin on the men and drives them mad. Curley’s wife, who walks the ranch as a temptress, seems to be a prime example of this destructive tendency. An attractive woman whom Candy says "has the eye" and George calls "jail-bait," Curley's wife is seductive, cruel, and intimidating. George expresses his assessment of her and tells Lennie, "I seen 'em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be,” (30). Although her purpose is rather simple in the book’s opening pages—she is the “tramp,” “tart,” and “bitch” that threatens to destroy male happiness—her appearances later in the novel when she confronts Lennie, Candy, and Crooks in the stable, she admits to feeling a kind of shameless dissatisfaction with her life. Her vulnerability when she admits to Lennie her dream of becoming an actress makes her utterly human and much more interesting than the stereotypical dumbfounded brat. Curley’s wife was portrayed as someone who is no good and just seemed
Curley’s wife exposes her dissatisfaction with her current life, but then hastily disparages all of those who have learned of her powerlessness. All the men except