Why Is Curley's Wife Lonely

Hunter Smith

Mr. Zavos

Communication Arts II-B, Hour 6

5 May 2015

Of Mice and Men

“Sat’day night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am i doin’? Standin’ here talkn’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs, a nigger, an’ a dum-dum and lousy ol’ sheep an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else”. This quote is showing how Curley’s wife is very lonely since Curley is never home. This helps show the theme, loneliness, in the novel. In, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is lonely because, her husband isolates her, none of the men on the ranch talk to her, to avoid any kind of trouble with the boss, and lastly women were treated very badly since they were low in society.

Curley is one of the main reasons his wife is so lonely. Curley does not let his wife communicate with anybody on the ranch nor them to talk to her. ‘“I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely”’ (steinbeck 43). In this quote it shows how Curley isolates his wife by never letting his wife talk to anybody but him. Another reason why Curley’s wife is lonely is because he isolates her by keeping her in the house, or at least tries

to. “‘Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twicet, and then bring in the ol’ right cross? ‘One-two,’ he says. ‘Jus’ the ol’ one-two an’ he’ll go down’” (Steinbeck 38). Curley wants to keep his wife to himself, by keeping her in the house. This makes Curley’s wife more lonely and causing her to thirst for anyones attention.
The lack of communication was not the only reason Curley’s wife is lonely. Curley, along with all the other men love going to the brothel, and Curley visited the brothel quite a bit.. “‘In town in a whorehouse. That’s where your money’s goin’. Jesus, I seen it happen too many times. I seen too many guys with land in their head. They never get none under their hand’” (Steinbeck 37). This quote shows how Curley and all the other men are all about the whorehouse. It shows what how Curley is never home with his own wife, which makes her lonely and seek for any sort of attention or company.
The last reason Curley’s wife is lonely is because during this time women were low in society.

After Curley’s wife was told she was a natural and was going to make it big in life, she had never gotten the letter the man said he was going to write her, she did not matter that much. “‘Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself, an’ where they stole your letters, I ask her if she stole it, too, an’ she says no. So I married Curley’” (Steinbeck 44). In this quote it shows how she had nothing or was going nowhere in life, so she married Curley. Also Steinbeck shows that women are very low in society by depriving Curley’s wife of dreams, not becoming famous, family and friends, ran away from her mom and can not talk to anybody, and most of all he did not give her a name, she is labeled as Curley’s

wife.
Steinbeck shows in many ways how lonely Curley’s wife is throughout the novel. She is isolated by Curley, she can never leave the house, Curley does not like her to have any sort of communication with anyone besides himself, and how women were were low in society, Steinbeck did not even give her a name, she is labeled as Curley’s wife. These things show how steinbeck portrays loneliness for the theme in his novel Of Mice and Men.
Works Cited
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. 8 March 2015. PDF File.