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How does steinbeck present the character of curleys wife in of mice and men
Curley in of mice and men
Curley in of mice and men
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The novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, contains many characters that would significantly change the plot if they were not there to be in it. One of these characters is Curley. Curley is a minor character who plays a large role. He is like the bully of the story and is the cause of many of the events that take place on the ranch. There are multiple ways that the story would change if Curley was non-existent. One of the several ways that the plot would change is that his wife would not be on the ranch. Without a husband, Curley’s wife would have left the ranch or not have been there at all since the beginning of the story. This would result in Lennie being saved from death. Without a lady to kill, he would not have a mob of ranch workers running for him with guns in hand. The loss of this mean minor character would ruin the chances of Lennie getting shot. Another possible way that the story would …show more content…
One example of this is the fight between Curley and Lennie. If Curley had not been there to take part in the fight, Lennie would not have needed to worry about him. In addition, the other men who were there to witness the fight would not have been so stressed if the fight had not happened. Because Curley was there, the men on the ranch had more worries to deal with than their basic everyday anxieties. This is why Curley causes many of the unpleasant events on the ranch and why not having him in the story would help the other men. As described, Curley’s presence on the ranch causes adverse things to happen. If he was removed from the story, the plot would change greatly. Curley’s wife would not have been present on the ranch. Lennie’s death could have been avoided. Additional stress for the ranch workers could be lost. In conclusion, Curley’s lack of presence in Steinbeck’s novel would cause the plot to change greatly in mainly good
She flirts with the other characters on the ranch but they pay her no attention either. This essay will go on to look at the character of Curley's wife and how characters perceive her. When first introduced to Curley's wife in the novel she comes into the bunkhouse, when both Lennie and George are in there. She is apparently looking for Curly but she already knows that new men have arrived.
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.
In conclusion I believe that Curley’s Wife is a very significant character in the novella because she represents the stereotypical woman and they way she acted, and was treated leads me to feel great sympathy for her despite her flirtatious demeanour. Steinbeck is very successful in creating sympathy throughout her character change and he presents her in this way to prove that the majority of women went through similar situations. This leads us to sympathise with all people society deem to be ‘inferior’ and we can even apply this lesson to today’s society.
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, Curley’s insecure character is shown through what other characters say about him. One instance in which Curley’s insecure disposition is shown is when the other men are talking about him after he verbally attacks Lennie. When George demands to know why Curley disrespected Lennie, one of the other men responds saying Curley tends to pick fights with big guys like Lennie and furthermore explains, “Kind of like he’s mad at ‘em because he ain’t a big guy” (26). A great deal of Curley’s insecurity stems from his size. Despite superficial efforts to make himself appear bigger, Curley knows he will never amount to the size and strength of the other men on the ranch. To compensate for his size, he often times tries to prove himself through fighting.
Mr. Curley’s has a dream to be an important and to be a powerful factor on the ranch. Mr. Curley is greedy when it comes to possessing power over those who work on the ranch. An example of his arrogance would be when he tells Lennie, “Well, nex’ time you answer when you’re spoke too.” (Steinbeck 26). Mr. Curley talks condescendingly to the men on the ranch especially Lennie. Mr. Curley doesn’t feel like feeling in competition with other men when it comes to having power on the ranch. Curley might feel insecure about his size which is why “He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys.” (Steinbeck 26), Curley almost feels intimidated by the bigger men working for him by demonstrating his power that he holds over them. He
Shortly before her death, Curley’s wife shares her life story with Lennie and reveals how she is forced to marry a man she dislikes and give up all hope of achieving her dreams. This is all because she was conned by a boyfriend in the past and now must marry in order to survive. Throughout the novella, she is only known as Curley’s wife and we never learn what her own name is since she is referre...
Curley?s wife spent her whole life trying to grab attention. She was always labeled and ignored by everyone on the ranch, an example of this is when George tells Lennie that she was troubled and to stay away from her. Curley?s wife was ignored and used from early on, when she was given false intentions on being a movie star.
Steinbeck displays, Curley’s wife as more of an object to the men at the ranch. He conveys this idea through the description of her appearance. When Steinbeck introduces the reader and George and Lennie to Curley’s wife he takes a long time to describe her. “She had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red “. This quotation suggests that Curley’s wife is an object to men in society and that she is as worth as much as she is wearing. Not only does Steinbeck describe her appearance he also describes her actions when on the ranch and talking to the men. He does this to show the awareness that the men have towards her. “She puts her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”. A lot of the men on the ranch try to ignore and do not want to start a conversation with her but through Steinbeck’s description of her actions the reader can see that she craves attention from the men on the
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 power made it easier to take advantage of people and i guess kind of control them. For example he had complete control over his wife. She was not able to talk to anyone on the farm because Curley told her not to and he got jealous all the time. She did not have any friends and she was lonely all the time she did not even want to be with Curley because he was not a nice person at all.
... and feels uncertain of his future in the ranch. For Crooks, it was being segregated from the rest of the workers that made him lonely. And for Curley’s wife, it was the inability to talk to anyone else other than her husband. For George, the hope of such companionship dies with Lennie, and true to his original estimation, he will go through life alone.
In the Steinbeck novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, he introduces us to the character of Curley’s wife. She could be interpreted as a mis-fitting character in the novel, as no one relaters to her. This essay will go on to examine the character of Curley’s wife and how characters perceive her and how this influences the readers interpretation of her.
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
Curley is an insecure man, and that shows in his characterization. He is shown as being physically very small, and constantly brags about his expertise with women to all the men on the ranch. However, he is always worrying about where his wife is and who she
As they arrive to the ranch, conflict immediately arises when the boss and the boss’ son appear. The main source of the conflict, however, originates from the boss’ son, Curley. Curley is described, by the other men, as someone who dislikes tall, muscular people like Lennie. Lennie, being the gentle, timid giant he is, clearly had absolutely no intention of creating problems with Curley. Curley, however, had other ideas in mind. Later, Curley’s wife appears in the text. Many of the men dislike her because she is described as being a “bitch” and a “tramp.” Additionally, since she is Curley’s wife, many are advised to stay away from her. George even tells Lennie that he has to stay away from her as best as possible because she emits a troublesome personality. Towards the end of the book, however, Curley’s wife tries to become a bit friendly towards Lennie. She tells him to stroke her hair but, unfortunately, he strokes it too hard and ends up snapping her neck out of fear. Lennie escapes the scene but Curley is determined to hunt Lennie down and kill him. However, in a turn of events, it is not Curley who kills Lennie, it is