Of Curley's Wife and Men “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty-Mother Teresa.”(Brainyquotes.com). Curley’s wife is seen only three times in the whole novel. For example, when all the men went to town, including her husband. John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, displays many themes throughout the story- mainly loneliness. She is seen in only three parts of the story; the first time she is seen is when she runs into the cabin “looking” for Curly, the second time she was “looking” for Curly again and ran into George and Lennie, the last time she was seen was when she walked into the barn and was talking to Lennie. The first sighting of Curley's wife was when she busted into the men's rooms asking if they had seen Curly. She always uses the excuse that he has to find curly to be able to talk to people, “ Lennie's eyes moved down over her body, and though she didn't seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled …show more content…
a little. She looked at her fingers. "Sometimes Curley's in here," she explained. George said brusquely, "Well he ain't now."If he ain't, I guess I better look someplace else," she said playfully”(31 Steinbeck). She acts as if she is looking for Curly because that is the only way that she gets the men to talk to her because they are instructed to stay away from her. She feels like she is always going to be alone and that she can only talk to the men if “Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.”- Paul Tillich (BrainyQuotes). She knows all of the men though they do not like to pay attention to her because they think that she is a whore and that if they do curly will start a fight with them. Curly does not let her talk to any of the men and he threatens the men when he sees them near her. This is the reason that most of the men do not talk to her because they do not want to get in trouble with their bosses son. Curly’s wife found out what really happened to Curley's hand the second time she was seen in the story. She was seen by Crooks and Lennie when all of the men went out to the city and She had come into Crooks’ room and had been very rude and nosey. She is very rude and racist to Crooks though she entered his room,” She turned on him in scorn. "Listen, Nigger," she said. "You know what I can do to you if you open your trap? Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself.”(77 ). Though she is the only woman and has no one to talk to she feels as if she is higher than Crooks and can bother him about it. Curly’s wife was so alone that whenever she talked to anyone,”It is a strange desire, to seek power, and to lose liberty; or to seek power over others, and to lose power over a man's self.”-Francis Bacon (Brainyquotes.com). She wanted to make it look like she had more power so that people thought she was very strong and popular so that men would talk to her more. Her racism towards Crooks shows that though she is alone she will not “lower” herself to the level of talking to a black man. Curley’s wife spends all her time alone in her and Curley’s house as the men work in the fields.
She only acted the way she did so that she could talk to someone because her husband barely acknowledged her “’I get lonely’ she said ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley, else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to nobody?’” (Page 87). Curly never gives his wife the time of day and is always out bothering people and he only allows her to talk to him. She feels as if she is going to be stuck there forever and that Curly is only married to her to have someone to call a wife,” Loneliness is my least favorite thing about life. The thing that I'm most worried about is just being alone without anybody to care for or someone who will care for me”-Anne Hathaway (Brainyquotes.com). Being alone is not only saddening but it is also scary because you have no one to rely on. Curley's wife is alone all day and night and she has nothing to do on the farm so she must have so many things going through her
mind. Though Curley’s wife is seen only three times during the story she made a big effect on the people in the story. She meant many things to the men in the story mainly for Curly, Louie, and George. For Curly she was a trophy he would show around to the men on the farm, for George she was a whore who only wanted trouble, and for Lennie she was a person he was told to stay away from because she was a bad person. This statement by Joseph Conrad describes how Curley's wife is feeling,” Who knows what true loneliness is - not the conventional word but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. The most miserable outcast hugs some memory or some illusion.” (Brainyquotes.com). She feels scared and alone and regrets her decision of marrying Curly becuase no she lives in a life of solitude. All she wanted was some friends and some people to talk to but the men took it in a different intention.
Impressions of Curely's Wife in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck sees Curleys wife as 'nice girl' and not a 'floozy' however in the novel 'Of Mice and Men', Steinbeck introduces the character of Curley's wife; she could be interpreted as a mis-fitting character in the novel. In the novel Curley's wife is probably the most loathed on the ranch, the way she looks and acts lead others on the ranch to see her as a 'tart'. Additionally Curley might be the reason of Curley's wife behavior; Curley's wife is clearly lonely in the novel because Curley doesn't pay much attention to her. The lack of attention from Curley forces her to seek it elsewhere.
In conclusion I believe that Curley’s Wife is a very significant character in the novella because she represents the stereotypical woman and they way she acted, and was treated leads me to feel great sympathy for her despite her flirtatious demeanour. Steinbeck is very successful in creating sympathy throughout her character change and he presents her in this way to prove that the majority of women went through similar situations. This leads us to sympathise with all people society deem to be ‘inferior’ and we can even apply this lesson to today’s society.
“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.
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.
Curley's wife is reprehensible for Lennie's death. For example, if Curley's wife had not bothered Lennie after being told several times that Lennie was not supposed to talk to her and also, if she had not gone ballistic about her hair, she would not have died and neither would have Lennie. For example, when Lennie is alone in the barn with the pups, Curley's wife comes in and Lennie clearly states that he is not allowed to talk to her for the reason that George told him not to and Curley's wife says, “‘Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.’ Lennie said, ‘Well I ain't supposed to talk to you or nothing’” (86). This shows how Curley’s wife knew that George was going to get mad, but she talked to Lennie anyway, not caring what would
Curley’s Wife was probably one of the loneliest characters of all. She never talked to anyone and she never really liked Curley all too much. “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (p.86) Curley’s Wife seems to get a lot of the other guys in trouble. Curley always suspects that she’s fooling around with the other men, “Any you guys seen my wife?” (p.53) Curley’s Wife always gives an excuse to confront the guys saying, “Any you guys seen Curley?” Then she tries to hang around and make conversation. The guy’s see her as a tramp and a troublemaker but all she wants is someone to talk too.
Curley?s wife spent her whole life trying to grab attention. She was always labeled and ignored by everyone on the ranch, an example of this is when George tells Lennie that she was troubled and to stay away from her. Curley?s wife was ignored and used from early on, when she was given false intentions on being a movie star.
We can see how Curley’s wife feels about Curley on page 78 of Of Mice and Men, where John Steinbeck writes, “ “Sure I gotta husband’. You all see him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to the guys he doesn’t like, and he doesn’t like anybody.
She is frequently held responsible for numerous problems the men have. Everyone gets annoyed by her, since she constantly wears provocative clothing and flirts with the guys. She is constantly “looking” for her husband, asking around in her nasal, brittle voice, which is irritating in itself. In reality, she just desires attention from the other ranch hands. The problem is that the other men do not want to get in trouble with Curley, who does not like his wife going around with other men. Whit warns George of this in the beginning of the story, saying that she only causes trouble. “ ‘Well--she got the eye.’ ‘Yeah? Married two weeks and got the eye? Maybe that’s why Curley’s pants is full of ants.’ . . . ‘Well, I think Curley’s married. . . a tart’ ”(28). Everyone knows that Curley’s wife is a tart, or a promiscuous woman. Her decision to marry Curley was made extremely quickly, as she wanted to get back at her mother, because she believed her mom stole a letter from her. Because the men do not wish to talk to Curley’s wife, she is often lonely. A reason for this detachment is that she does not know how to approach people, frequently insulting others. The only time she ever conformed was when she talked to Lennie in the barn; however, this conversation was not a true discussion, as Lennie did not comprehend what she was saying. Earlier in the book, she attempted to talk to Candy, Crooks, and Lennie, but all of them wanted her out of the room. “She looked from one face to another, and they were all closed against her. And she looked longest at Lennie, until he dropped his eyes in embarrassment”(78). Curley’s wife felt the most alienated at this point, because even the lowliest on the farm were rising up against her. Candy makes a stand, telling Curley’s wife that they have a place to go to, even if they are canned. Unbelieving, she laughs Candy off. After a while, Crooks even
Curley’s wife suffers from loneliness also. Her only companion is very controlling. Curley makes sure his wife doesn’t talks to anyone. She is a victim of herself because she married a man that she hardly even knew. She married him though to have a companion. She killed herself and Lennie because of her need for companionship. She craves companionship because she is an attractive woman with need for interaction. Curley’s wife says,” Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? (Pg. 77)”.
Curley’s wife is a complex, main character in John Steinbeck’s novella, “Of Mice and Men”. She is introduced as an insignificant secondary character, but evidently posses the importance of causing the end of the novella. Despite the weight of her role, her value is hindered because of the culture towards women in the 1930s. Steinbeck uses imagery, foreshadowing, and metaphors to show loneliness analyzed through a Feminist Lens.
Curley’s wife is a difficult character to understand. Steinbeck hasn’t named her; this could be for a number of reasons. He may have wanted her to be seen as lonely therefore not naming her shows no one gets close enough to her to call her by her first name. He may have done it to show the other characters only see her as the wife of Curley rather than an individual. He may also have done it to show the male attitudes towards females. Curley’s wife also helps to provoke mixed emotions in the reader. We often feel sorry for her such as when she talks of her loneliness, but on other occasions the reader can find her cold hearted. This is seen when she is racist towards the other characters.
Even know Curley's wife is very beautiful she still finds herself lonely on the ranch. She isn't able to talk to the guys, and can’t connect emotionally with her own husband. In the second to last chapter Curley's wife finds Lennie in the barn. She later says in the barn to Lennie, “Why can't I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody, I get awful lonely.” (Pg86) Though she has Curley as a husband it seems that she doesn’t like him that much. She can’t talk to him on an
She needed people to talk to, like the others do. “A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I’ll tell ya a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick.” (Steinbeck, 72-73). Crooks has shown us that he truly needs someone however he can’t because he is different. This goes for Curley's wife as well. Those who are different are lonely because no one wants to get involved with them. When she is lonely, Curley's wife goes to talk to people but they never accept request. “I get lonely, you can talk to people but I can't talk to nobody but curly. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?” (Steinbeck, 87). Curley's wife explains that she is lonely. However, no one really notices it. She knows that she is claimed by someone she does not love. She only wants someone else to talk to him. Have her being viewed the way she was, was unlikely to happen. Being the woman on the ranch was awfully hard to live happy. She knew that they won't talk to her, so depression became a factor.
Curley’s wife, she’s the one in the story that has no actual name, she is just known as “Curley’s wife.” She is the only female on the ranch, the book tells how she is fare and beautiful, but is a bit of a tease. Throughout the whole novel she is always looking for Curley, all the men on the ranch view her as Curley’s property. Candy describes her to George and Lennie as a tart (Miller).This term “a tart” is just a way of saying that she is unfaithful to her marriage, and has a sexual way about her. She is always seeking for attention from all the other men. Towards the end of the story she sees Lennie in the barn sitting on the ground leaning over what was his puppy, so she goes in and sits next to him; she leans over and begins telling him about how her life would have been if she wasn’t on the ranch. Lennie had been mesmerized by her from the start, she began teasing him by describing how soft her hair was, only because she knew that he loved soft things, she takes Lennie’s hand and says “Here, feel right here.”(Steinbeck 90) At this point Lennie gets carried away and wouldn’t let go of her hair, she began to scream telling him to let go. Lennie panics and ends up holding her down and ends up killing her by snapping her neck. George told Lennie at the very beginning of the story that if anything happens and he gets in trouble to go and