Of Mice And Men Curley's Insecure Analysis

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.

Curley engages in these fights for what appears to be the prospect of showing off to the other men and establishing superiority, but on a deeper level he is trying to use fighting, and always winning the fights in a sense, as a method of self-acceptance and his own satisfaction. He knows that even if he loses, the other men will know the loss was not due to his own weakness, but rather due to an unfair matchup, and therefore Curley is praised for even surviving the brawl. Because of this, whether Curley wins or loses the fight, he is able to feel fulfilled and is looked at as brave and powerful. This approval from others, allows Curley to approve of himself, if even for a few moments. Curley craves this approval from others, but primarily from himself because it curbs his insecurity which he tries to hide from the other men as best he can. Curley is also characterized as insecure about his masculinity when the men are talking about why he married his