She is newly married to Curley.
We never know her name - she is merely Curley's 'property' with no individual identity.
She is young, pretty, wears attractive clothes and curls her hair.
She seems flirtatious and is always hanging around the bunk-house.
She is lonely - there are no other women to talk to and Curley is not really interested in her.
"What kinda harm am I doin' to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself."
She doesn't like Curley - she tells Lennie that she only married him when she didn't receive a letter she'd been promised to get into Hollywood.
She is naive.
How does Steinbeck present the character of Curleys Wife?
In this essay I am going to be assessing the character Curleys Wife from Steinbeck’s book Of Mice And Men. The book is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression it features two farm workers called George and Lennie. The travel around together in search of work sharing a dream of a place of their own, a small ranch where they can live and work for themselves. It tells the story of how violence may erupt to destroy those dreams. Curleys wife is a character in the book who from the brief encounters with her is presented in two ways. Firstly the dangerous, flirtatious character who isn’t trusted by the rest of the ranch workers but then later one we realize how she is just a victim of loneliness with her being the only girl on the ranch
Curley’s wife is symbolic of Eve – the female character who, in the Biblical story, brings sin and death to the world. She is also symbolic of women everywhere who are repressed by male-centered societiesJohn steinbeck dresses her in red to represent danger but she is actually quite a charming character as we see at the end. all she wanted to do was be in the movies and to b glamourous. but i would say her main function was to link back to what happened in weed and be the reasoning behind why the…
character Curley's Wife exemplifies loneliness,showing that she always want to be the attention of the group but the people think that she is a troublemaker however George and lennie exemplify friendship,proving that they look after each other when one of them is in trouble. Throughout the novel, Curley's wife is pritrayed as a lonesome characterthat is in desperate need for attention;even if it comes from her hudsband's employees.In the story Curley's wife…
Explain the ways Steinbeck presents ideas about the good and bad in Curley’s Wife This perception is further emphasized by Curley’s wife first appearance in the novel. Her physical appearance of ‘full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up, further build our preconceptions of her. Red the color of her attire and the style of her hair and makeup suggest some sexuality. Also, she uses suggestive and provocative body language, ‘ she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the…
Perhaps the most significant development in this chapter is Steinbeck’s depiction of Curley’s wife. Before this episode, the reader might dismiss her as easily as George does. She shows herself to be a flirt, a conscious temptress, and a manipulator. However, in the final moments before her death, Steinbeck presents his sole female character sympathetically. Her loneliness becomes the focus of this scene, as she admits that she too has an idea of paradise that circumstances have denied her. Her dream…
1936. It is set in the society of the 1920's. Steinbeck uses many different techniques to present Curley’s wife such as colour imagery, appearance, metaphors and similes in the early stages of the novel. The effect of these techniques is that the reader creates a mental image of Curley’s wife even before she even enters the novel. The author sets up our perception of the character 'Curley's wife' in a way that allows us to develop our understanding of her through other characters (the ranchers)…
women, the elderly, “the colour folk” and the disabled. Of mice and men deals with sexism, racism, and discrimination against those with disability. Mainly this prejudice isn’t noted or fought against by any character – they all just suffer. Curley’s wife is perhaps the loneliest person, because she is that only girl on the ranch. She tries to communicate with other men because Curley, her own jealous husband, ignores her. The same goes with other men: they ignore her because they just think she’s…
Steinbeck’s use of the character of Curley’s Wife is the only female character in the novella. Steinbeck uses different methods to diminish the importance of Curley’s wife. Steinbeck never gives Curley’s Wife a name. This is done to show that she does not have any identity or position on the ranch. As Curley’s Wife is a representation of all women in the 1930s I feel Steinbeck uses her to show that she does not have any identity or position on the ranch. As Curley’s Wife is a representation of all women…
In the novel of Mice and Men, Steinbeck makes the reader feel sympathetic for Curley’s wife in a variety of ways. Curley’s wife is the only female character in the novel, and everybody calls her “Curley’s Wife”. She is also an un-named character and she stays unknown throughout the novel. This links in with one of the main themes of Mice and Men “Loneliness” because the novel is set in a place called Soleidad which is spanish for loneliness.which is easily shown by not having a name. When Lennie…
Explore the ways one or two minor characters are presented in the text “Of Mice and Men” “I never get to talk to nobody” – Curley’s Wife Of mice and men is a novella set in the 1930s. It is based on the theme of dreams and how they are crushed, amongst others. This book also gives an insight into the lives of men and women on ranch in America during the depression. Women pot the right to vote in the late 1920s, but during the depression, people lost interest in the women’s rights. There was a…
Explore the significance of Curley’s wife in the novel Time taken: 50 mins Curley’s wife is a very significant character in the novel of mice and men as Steinbeck uses the Character as an opportunity to explore the way in which woman were treated in 1930s America, in a time dominated by men. The fact we never learn Curley’s wife’s name connotes she is merely Curley’s property with no individual identity which backs up the idea males at the time were viewed as more superior in comparison to females…