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Curley Analysis (Of Mice and Men)

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Curley Analysis (Of Mice and Men)
2.How Does Steinbeck Present Curley?
Steinbeck presents the character of Curley as a symbol of his theme of fate.
Curley is a character who is disliked by all in the novella - even his wife who confides to a docile Lennie "I don't like Curley". Indeed, Curley's actions throughout the novella are aggressive, confrontational and judgemental: he is the archetypal villain of the piece. However, despite his lack of positive attributes, Curley has a position of authority on the ranch - as the ranch owner's son, he elicits fear even in the usually calm George who asks "Slim. Is Curley's old man gonna can us?" when Lennie hurts Curley.
At first glance, the reader might be confused as to why Curley has a position of authority on the ranch, particularly when near perfect men such as 'prince of the ranch' Slim are employed in menial roles. However, Steinbeck juxtaposes the cruel Curley with the sublime Slim to highlight the theme of fate. Fate is the belief that the events which take place in our lives are pre-conceived and unavoidable. Steinbeck was so enamoured by the notion that he changed the title of the novella from its original 'Something That Happened' to its current title. 'Of Mice and Men' is a line from the Robert Burns poem 'To a Mouse', a poem concerned with fate. Steinbeck's message is clear: Curley was born the son of a ranch owner, and so is fated to live a life of relative luxury in a position of authority he clearly does not deserve. His evil actions only further exemplify just how unfit for the role Curley is.
The reader gets the impression that Curley is so used to getting his own way that he has lost his grasp on reality. It surprises us when he picks a fight with Lennie, confronting him with the question "what the hell you laughin' at?' Dramatic irony occurs at this moment as the reader clearly knows that Curley should not provoke Lennie who is as 'strong as a bull' and could easily kill Curley. It is this arrogance which soon has Curley 'flopping
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