Curley and His Wife
Curly is arrogant, self-centered and jealous. His wife is a flirt and definitely lacks the attention (the right kind of attention) she should receive from her husband. She's a trophy, and he treats her as such. They had a short engagement (they married the night they met), and Curly's wife, from the little we really know about her married Curly for little more than to get away from her mother.
Curly and his wife have a very unstable marriage, lacking in communication, love and respect. Curly believes that his wife is a possession, and that manipulation, intimidation, and insensitivity provide him with power over a wife who is fact just a lonely, young woman who needs to be loved. Not to let the wife off the hook here; Curly's wife is far from stupid. She likes the money and the nice house; she never tries to leave him., but she also holds some power in their relationship.
Curly's wife possessed his mind, and as I've already stated he's very jealous. Being the only woman on the ranch, Curly is even more worried about her behavior with the men who work there......... if he didn't know where she was for even a minute, he was off looking for her. Example;
"You seen a girl around here?" he demanded angrily." (Page 39)
She made him crazy and enjoyed it. So ultimately, neither one of them are very happy........... it's a pretty unhealthy relationship.
Do you think that Curley and his Wife Make a Good Couple?
Over the course of the novel it becomes clear that the relationship between Curley and his wife is far from the typical picture perfect hearts and flowers romance that a "good" marriage should be. Through their insecurities and loneliness they are bonded, yet in their character and emotional state, they are completely separate.
Steinbeck's novel is set during the American depression, a time in which ranching became the crucial way of life for a large proportion of the population. At the time, the ranch owner - "the Boss", held a huge amount of
Curly and his wife have a very unstable marriage, lacking in communication, love and respect. Curly believes that his wife is a possession, and that manipulation, intimidation, and insensitivity provide him with power over a wife who is fact just a lonely, young woman who needs to be loved. Not to let the wife off the hook here; Curly's wife is far from stupid. She likes the money and the nice house; she never tries to leave him., but she also holds some power in their relationship.
Curly's wife possessed his mind, and as I've already stated he's very jealous. Being the only woman on the ranch, Curly is even more worried about her behavior with the men who work there......... if he didn't know where she was for even a minute, he was off looking for her. Example;
"You seen a girl around here?" he demanded angrily." (Page 39)
She made him crazy and enjoyed it. So ultimately, neither one of them are very happy........... it's a pretty unhealthy relationship.
Do you think that Curley and his Wife Make a Good Couple?
Over the course of the novel it becomes clear that the relationship between Curley and his wife is far from the typical picture perfect hearts and flowers romance that a "good" marriage should be. Through their insecurities and loneliness they are bonded, yet in their character and emotional state, they are completely separate.
Steinbeck's novel is set during the American depression, a time in which ranching became the crucial way of life for a large proportion of the population. At the time, the ranch owner - "the Boss", held a huge amount of