Curleys Wife In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

How is Curley’s wife presented in the novel as a whole and what does this show you about society in the 1930’s?
In of mice and men, Curley’s wife lives in a society where women have no rights and are discriminated against, men have all power. Curley’s wife has such a little effect on society that Steinbeck feels she’s not even worth being a named character. As a victim of this lack of authority, she finds someone to bully and is presented as a very powerful and intimidating person. Curley’s wife intimidates Crooks in his bunk house and threatens “shut it nigga, I could get you strung up on a tree so easily it ain’t even funny”. Curley’s wife does this so that for once, she can feel superior to someone rather than have to follow orders to her superior husband, Curley. The threat represents the discrimination in the 1930’s, which racism was ok and black people
The definition of the American dream in 1931 was for all American’s to hope for a better future. Curley’s wife had an American Dream that she were “to work in Hollywood and become a famous actress”, but it was unachieved when she were chosen to marry Curley. Curley’s wife is presented as a prisoner of the 1930’s and one of many American’s who gave up on the American dream. Also, she knew as did many other American’s, if she went for her dream and failed then she would have nothing, fear prevented her from trying. Steinbeck emphasizes with Curley’s wife as she is marginalized in a microcosm of the society in California, she represents one of the many women in America who gave up hope in achieving the American dream. Marrying Curley was not her preferred decision but is the choice she had to make to survive 1930’s America, if Curley’s wife wanted to survive the effects of the great depression then she had to secure herself a stable place in society where living was to an acceptable