Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Discrimination Essay

Imagine that you have a dream or goal that you’d like to pursue, but you’re denied the opportunity to even begin. This is a dilemma that most women faced on a daily basis in the 1930’s. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, this sort of discrimination is frequently demonstrated by all the characters, as this was an accepted “trend” in society. Although Curley’s wife is given a major part in the plot, she is often dismissed and overlooked. The male character’s disregard of Curley’s wife’s goals and dreams represents a broader discrimination of women in society.

Earlier in her life, Curley’s wife had aspirations for fame, striving to become a successful actress in Hollywood. She had discovered her talent when a famous actor had complimented her on her “natural” abilities. However, when she seeked to explore her interest, she was rudely denied by her controlling husband, as he wished for her to marry him and move into a ranch. She also suspected that her mother had stolen the letter that had accepted her into Hollywood (88). Both Curley and her mother had done their best to keep Curley’s wife away from her dream and she was forced into a life that did not match her interests. This shows how women in that time didn’t truly have control over their lives and they did not get to make their own impactful life decisions.

Curley’s wife was never given a basic right that every human being deserves; a name.

She was always labeled as “Curley’s wife”. Even her own husband paid little attention to her name, or lack thereof. This practice of judging women based on their occupation was a horrible feature of society. She was a flat character in the novel, rarely described as anything more than a “plot device” to further enhance the other characters’ lives’. The labeling of women in general demonstrated how little respect men had for them. They thought of women to only have simple jobs and expected them to thrive in lonely and depressing

environments.

Curley’s wife wasn’t allowed to have the one thing that she had wished for the most; a friend. She wasn’t permitted to leave the isolated environment created in her home. Instead, she was instructed to remain there and complete her tasks as a “house wife”. She wasn’t allowed to have a relationship with someone beside her husband and she was restrained to spending most of her time alone. When she entered the bunkhouse, where the men resided, she was quickly and abruptly dismissed and ushered out (32) as well as being called “jail bait” several times (32). The men thought of her desire to have a friend as “suspicious” and they decided to avoid any conversations with her. This proved to be disastrous for Curley’s wife as she became very lonely and on the brink of severe depression. She finally found Lennie, but that relationship ended quite brutally. In conclusion, Curley’s wife was never given the opportunity to live a life that she chose and that included having friends and creating a social life for herself alas her only relationship was unhealthy and sometimes abusive.

To conclude, Curley’s wife was often disregarded, disrespected and mistreated. She was a lonely woman with ambitious aspirations that were deemed invalid by her male counterparts. Men were more privileged and had more power in the american society during the 1930’s. Our society has improved and has become much more sophisticated in order to provide woman with an equal status as men.