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.

Even the other men notice that these fights are not started necessarily out of rage, but rather out of pent-up jealousy that stems from Curley’s self-consciousness.

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

wife. George asks if Curley’s wife is pretty and another man responds, “‘Yeah. Purty . . . but . . . she got the eye’” (28). It is obvious that Curley only married his wife for her physical beauty as she has absolutely nothing else to offer him. By marrying a beautiful woman, Curley was aiming to combat the insecurity he feels towards his masculinity. Curley’s stature not only goes as far as to make him feel self-conscious about his looks, but furthermore holds him back from doing the same things other men can do which contributes to his lack of confidence in his masculinity. Curley’s marriage brings the concept of having a trophy wife to a whole new level. Curley hopes that by having the most beautiful woman the men have ever seen as his wife, he can make them question what he did to deserve her. He wants them to think that this seemingly perfect woman would certainly not settle for anything less than an equally perfect man, that man being Curley. Going into the marriage, Curley also believed that having a wife, especially one with such little intelligence, would give him another way to exercise his power and prove his dominance, which men valued supremely at the time. This all relates back to Curley’s insecure masculinity because the typical man at the time was one that had complete power and dominance over everything belonging to him, including his wife. While Curley has been bossing people around for his whole life, this is his way to prove to himself and the others that he can have utter control over another person. The final way in which Curley is characterized as insecure is once again in the scene where the men are talking about the relationship dynamics between him and his wife. They are discussing how Curley recently seems to be acting out more in terms of establishing his dominance over the others when one man mentions, “‘Maybe he’s showin’ off for his wife’” (27). This statement from one of the ranchers shows that Curley is insecure in his relationship with his wife, which is not surprising considering the relationship is only there to make Curley feel better about himself. Traditionally, a marriage partner is someone to feel fully comfortable with, be one’s true self around, and be someone to confide in. This is the complete opposite of Curley’s relationship with his wife. He feels a need to prove he is worthy of her “love” by showing he is better than the other men in order to make her want him. However, Curley doesn’t want her love but rather her approval. Curley needs her validation in order to feel confident in himself. He needs her to say these things explicitly to him, because he does not have enough faith in their relationship to know that these things should be a given. Curley constantly needs to know where his wife is, what she is doing, and who she is talking to because he does not trust her at all. Deep down he knows their relationship is not strong at all and could break any second. However, he does not want anyone else to know about these things that worry him because others knowing that he does not have the perfect relationship he projects would further damage his masculinity. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, all of Curley’s self-doubts can be tied together and demonstrate Curley’s insecure character through what other characters say about him despite the arrogant front he puts up. Despite the way one presents themself, it is human nature to have private self-doubts and insecurities that one tries to combat using superficial or vain methods.