David 1

Shannon David
Mrs. Lesinski
English 1
3 November 2013

The Flirt
A negative influence can affect other people by making them do bad things that can cause a lot of trouble. Negative influences can also influence other people to do things that are not the correct or appropriate thing to do. Curley’s wife is married and flirts with all of the other men on the ranch. That is influencing the other men to think that it is okay to flirt back with her and therefore get them in trouble with her short­tempered husband. By her doing this, she will get not only herself in trouble, but the other guys in trouble with Curley as well. In John Steinbeck’s
Of
Mice and Men
, Curley’s wife is a negative influence on other characters because she is flirty and is demanding.
Curley’s wife is a negative influence on other people because she is a huge flirt. Curley’s wife puts herself out there by flirting with the other men and trying to make it seem like she is single. She really is not; she has a husband. She tried to talk to all the other men on the ranch when Curley is not around. Sometimes she does not physically flirt. Sometimes she just gives a little gesture like when “‘...[She] give[s] Slim the eye. Curley never seen it. An’ [Candy] seen her give Carlson the eye,’” (Steinbeck 28). By Curley’s wife giving people the eye, it is an

David 2

indication that she wants to flirt with them. Lennie does not know any better and he will think that it is okay to be flirting with her when they are alone, even if George told Lennie not to. This is why Curley’s wife is a negative influence because she should not be flirting with the other men when she has a perfectly good husband.
In addition to Curley’s wife being a flirt, she is a negative influence on other people because she is a very demanding person. She causes a lot of trouble being on the ranch because she uses her being the only girl on the ranch to her advantage, even though she is taken. Being demanding means to require a lot of time, effort, or someone who craves attention. Curley’s wife craves attention because, “[Curley’s wife] get[s] lonely and [she]... can’t talk to nobody but
Curley. Else he gets mad,” (87). If Curley’s wife spent more time with Curley instead of flirting with the other men and trying to get their attention, then maybe she would have a better life. This way, Curley’s wife would not be causing harm to others if she just stayed