Through crafting isolated and powerless characters, authors skillfully critique societal expectations by shedding light on marginalised individuals. John Steinbeck’s classic novella ‘Of Mice and Men’, is a compelling exploration of universal themes such as power dynamics, longing and the intricate interplay between human compassion and cruelty that remain integral to our society. 1930’s America, ravaged by the Great Depression, was a milieu steeped in gender biases and societal stereotypes where the weight of prevailing standards and expectations weighed heavily on women as they struggled within the restrictive limitations of traditional roles. Through Steinbeck’s evocative storytelling, he invites the reader to examine the prevalent social …show more content…
She wears light colours such as pink and white which reflect upon her naive nature and the hope present about the future in one's early years. Moreover, appearing to be a figment of imagination with fading colours and outlines around her, creating a sense of nostalgia and wistfulness reinforcing the tragedy of her situation. The daisies further underpin the possibility of breaking free from the cyclical oppression and disillusionment faced by characters such as Curley’s wife. Conversely, it also suggests the irrevocable destiny of the young girl, and how she might grow up to face limitations imposed by gender roles and societal conventions. Additionally, when Curley’s wife says “I tell you I ain’t used to living like this,” she says “I’m not used to living like this”. I coulda made somethin’ of myself” she expresses her severe thirst for becoming an actress and subverting the society's expectations of women, such as the notion of being a homemaker. Steinback criticises the limited opportunities for women and the disillusionment experienced by many individuals in achieving their ideal ‘American dream’, encouraging readers to address the persistent injustices and inequalities in today’s
Comment on how the character of Curley’s wife is portrayed in Sinise’s. 1992 television film version of "The Thriller" How is this characterization different? to that of the original novel by Steinbeck? Introduction The “Of mice and men” by Steinbeck was written in the 1930’s during the period. great depression Era which came about as a result of the Wall Street crash.
The American dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Even though the dream does not discriminate, people during the 1930s did. During this time period multiple groups of individuals were excluded from this iconic dream. In John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men he exposes the ageism, sexism, racism, and ableism in the 1930s. Steinbeck’s use of allusion, metaphor, symbolism, and juxtaposition create archetypes of the most commonly discriminated against people during the 1930s.
In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife as a flirtatious, mischievous, and over all isolated woman. Steinbeck doesn’t give this character a name, yet she is one of the most important characters in the story. Curley’s wife first comes off as flirtatious to the main characters, George and Lenny, when they first hear about her from the character Candy . Candy is talking about how she gives men “the eye”. He also displays his feelings about her by saying, “Well, I think Curley’s married… a tart”(28). This is setting George and Lenny up to expect she is a flirt.. Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife in her first introduction as a scantily dressed woman.. Steinbeck writes, “Both men [George and Lenny] glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. A girl was standing there looking in. She had full, roughed lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled cluster, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers”(31). The color red is sometimes considered for portraying a sign of danger or sex. This passage supports Curley’s wife as being flirtatious and also how she’s dangerous and can cause trouble displaying herself while she is married. Also, when George and Lenny are talking to Curley’s wife she tries to flirtatiously talk to them too. After their first conversation she re-adjusts herself. Steinbeck displays her with “She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”(31). Steinbeck is explaining to the reader in detail that Curley’s wife is trying to show herself to Lenny and George to get thei...
“Nobody’d listen to us” (81) exclaims Crooks when talking about being ignored. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the characters Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy experiencing loneliness and isolation while living on the ranch. These characters attempt to socialize, succeeding and failing. Loneliness and isolation of the characters results in yelling, bullying, and even a broken neck.
Curley's Wife in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. ‘Of Mice and Men’ was originally a novel by John Steinback which was written in 1937. It was also made into a film in 1939, and then later. in 1992. It is a tale of the friendship between two men, George and Lennie, who has travelled to work on a ranch together and how their friendship is put to the test.
Life is full of choices: where to go to school, where to live, who to marry, and what jobs to apply for, and most of the time each of us control what happens with these choices. What if those choices brought someone to the point of being trapped and feeling helpless? In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the wife of Curley is in just that spot. She made the choice to marry a tyrant of a man and is now forced to live with the consequences of her decisions. Curley’s Wife is misunderstood due to the workers’ assumptions, Curley’s relationship with her, and her unclear background.
In Of Mice & Men, the character Curley’s Wife is depicted as flirtatious, promiscuous, and insensitive. However, her husband Curley sees her as only a possession. Most of the workers at the ranch see her as a tart, whereas Slim, the peaceful and god-like figure out of all the men, see her as lonely. This answer will tell us to which extent, is Curley’s wife a victim, whether towards her flirtatious behaviour, or to everyone’s representation of her.
In the late 1920’s, the stock market dropped, leaving thousands of Americans jobless. Many men left their homes and families in search of employment. Two farm workers in California, Lennie Small and George Milton, travel from ranch to ranch searching for work to get them by. In John Steinbeck’s story Of Mice And Men, George and Lennie go through the journey of finding a new job to “get the jack together” and “live off the fatta the lan’.” In with this journey comes obstacles that they may or may not be able to pass through. In Of Mice And Men Steinbeck uses characterization, conflict, and dramatic irony to show how Lennie and George learn to cope with obstacles caused by Lennie’s disability.
John Steinbeck’s creative and carefully planned writing expressed the difficulties of oppression in this Era. Of Mice and Men explored the effects of systemic oppression on women,
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.
How does one compare the life of women to men in late nineteenth century to mid-twentieth century America? In this time the rights of women were progressing in the United States and there were two important authors, Kate Chopin and John Steinbeck. These authors may have shown the readers a glimpse of the inner sentiments of women in that time. They both wrote a fictitious story about women’s restraints by a masculine driven society that may have some realism to what women’s inequities may have been. The trials of the protagonists in both narratives are distinctive in many ways, only similar when it totals the macho goaded culture of that time. Even so, In Backpack Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing we hold two unlike fictional characters in two very different short stories similar to Elisa Allen in the “Chrysanthemums” and Mrs. Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour”, that have unusual struggles that came from the same sort of antagonist.
“I never seen no piece of jail-bait worse than her” (George) what is the reader supposed to think about Curley’s wife?
In section four Lennie, Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife are left on the farm because they are considered lesser. Lennie isn’t brought along with them because he has a mental disability and George does not want to take care of him while he is trying to have a good time. In some situations -for example doing farm work- Lennie can be helpful, but in this situation, he is a burden. Crooks is left behind because he is African American. Is this time period African Americans did not have equal rights, and although most of the men on the farm respected him as a worker, they would not consider him a friend or an equal. Candy is left behind because he is older. They cannot relate to him the same way they can with each other and it would be a nuisance for them to have to drag an old man to a brothel. Finally Curley’s wife is left behind because she is a woman. She will never be “one of the guys” and will certainly not be brought to a brothel. In fact, Curley did not even want his wife to know he was at a brothel. Curley’s wife describes the situation the best, “‘They left all the weak ones here,’ she said finally.”(p.77) All the ones left behind are the ones who aren’t viewed by everyone else as equal or normal.
You may be thinking Curley’s wife is just a troublemaker who caused her own death by being a tart, but challenge yourself to broaden your perspective. She is a misunderstood character that never has a chance to be fully understood. The main victim of the story is not Lennie, George, or anyone else in the novella Of Mice and Men. This person is Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife is a victim in the story because of her loneliness, unfulfilled dreams, and loveless marriage.
One of the many themes in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is women, they have no privilege and are seen as nothing but trouble. During his lifetime women are also seen as lower class citizens. Some of the women in the novel are Curley’s wife and the prostitutes, they are just seen as sexual objects. Throughout the story, Steinbeck expresses the great dislike for the women, through how the men feel about Curley’s wife. By the time the readers finally meet Curley’s wife, they already have a negative opinion about her.