Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife A Victim

In the 1930s, a woman’s expectation was only to be a wife. They were only to be seen and not heard. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two men named Lennie and George who are looking for work. When they come along to work on a ranch they meet new people and try to stay out of trouble. However, they meet the boss’s son Curley who is very small but good with his hands. His wife is friendly with the rest of the men on ranch, which causes conflict with the other men, which cause her accidental death. Steinbeck uses dialogue and characterization to reveal Curley’s wife as a victim because of her gender.
Curley’s wife had dreams and goals that she wanted to achieve way before she even met Curley. While Curley’s wife was talking to Lennie she tells him she “ain’t used to livin’ like this I coulda made somethin’ of myself”(Steinbeck 88). Curley’s wife is concluding that she had a better life and could have done accomplish her goals. She even believe that she “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes”(89). Curley’s wife believe that she could have been in movies if she never married Curley which ruined her dreams. She even thinks about leaving Curley at times.

Curley’s wife implied that she isn’t really interested in Curley throughout the novella.

As she was talking to Lennie she said “I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella…”(89). She is telling Lennie that she doesn’t want to be with Curley no more. She flirts with other men on the ranch to make her husband jealous. After George and Lennie come to the ranch she comes to the door and “lean against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. You’re the new fellas that just come, aint ya”(31). She uses her beauty to flirt with the other man and make Curley jealous. However even though she is beautiful the men still don’t care what she

say.
Even though Curley’s wife reveals herself as being beautiful to the men on the ranch, they still don’t listen to what she have to say really. She really can’t tell them what to do. Curley’s wife even thinks that no one listen to her and it “Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live”(88). In Curley’s wife eyes no one cares about how she feels or even want hear how she feels. All she want is to be heard while she was talking to Lennie she “hurried before the listener could be taken away”(88). She tries to keep Lennie’s attention because she never had nobody to talk to and they stay there and listened, so she tries to keep talking so Lennie won’t stop listening.
Steinbeck uses characterization and dialogue to reveal Curley’s wife as a victim because of her gender. Throughout the novella she insists that she could have had better life and accomplished her goals without Curley. In the 1930s, women were really seen to be at home and just be a wife. Just like Curley’s wife was basically to be seen but really not heard. The potential antagonist is Lennie because he is the one that causes problems throughout the novella and the one who killed Curley’s wife.