Essay on Curleys Wife of Mice and Men John Steinbeck
Curley’s wife is the only woman from the novel of mice and men written by John Steinbeck. She is the wife of the boss’s son Curley. She has no friends besides Curley as the live on a ranch with all of the workers who are all men. She tries to speak to men throughout the novel but none of them want anything to do with her. She is lonely and bored because of this.
She is a very pretty and young woman, when she is first mentioned in the novel when talking to George and Lennie in the bunk house ‘she had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up’. Her finger nails were red. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules.’ Although she has a husband she still loves male attention which could be why she wears vibrant colours to be noticed and looked out she may feel as if nobody pays any attention to her as if she is not there. She craves attention. When she dies Steinbeck describes her as ‘very petty and simple’
George warns Lennie to stay away from Curleys wife he says ‘You Leave her be’ he also calls her a ‘rat trap’ this is probably because he knows that she is a flirt and will draw him in and it will end up Lennie getting into trouble like a rat trap will use cheese to draw the rat in and end up in the rat being killed. George also knows that Curley is ‘fisty’ and any trouble with him could lead to them getting in a fight with Curley or being ‘canned’ by the boss which would mean they could not earn the money to fulfil their dream of owning their own land. Candy also says that ‘Curley’s married . . . a tart’ this is probably because of the way she acts and dresses. He knows that she is a flirt and thinks that she will get into any mans pants if presented with a chance. This may also be because he is old and his traditional stereotype of women is that in a marriage they should stay home clean and cook for their partners and not be out talking and flirting with other men most of the time as he could think that she has only one man to satisfy which is her
She is a very pretty and young woman, when she is first mentioned in the novel when talking to George and Lennie in the bunk house ‘she had full, rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up’. Her finger nails were red. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules.’ Although she has a husband she still loves male attention which could be why she wears vibrant colours to be noticed and looked out she may feel as if nobody pays any attention to her as if she is not there. She craves attention. When she dies Steinbeck describes her as ‘very petty and simple’
George warns Lennie to stay away from Curleys wife he says ‘You Leave her be’ he also calls her a ‘rat trap’ this is probably because he knows that she is a flirt and will draw him in and it will end up Lennie getting into trouble like a rat trap will use cheese to draw the rat in and end up in the rat being killed. George also knows that Curley is ‘fisty’ and any trouble with him could lead to them getting in a fight with Curley or being ‘canned’ by the boss which would mean they could not earn the money to fulfil their dream of owning their own land. Candy also says that ‘Curley’s married . . . a tart’ this is probably because of the way she acts and dresses. He knows that she is a flirt and thinks that she will get into any mans pants if presented with a chance. This may also be because he is old and his traditional stereotype of women is that in a marriage they should stay home clean and cook for their partners and not be out talking and flirting with other men most of the time as he could think that she has only one man to satisfy which is her