to do sympathise with curley or do you condemn her
Do you sympathise with Curley’s wife or do you condemn her?
Throughout the 1930's in California, where and when the novel "of mice and men" was set, women were frequently suppressed and treated as objects. They were put down and often abused. They were forced to do anything their husband says otherwise they were condemned by the family and general public. Several of these issues are reflected in the character of Curley's wife. This character is portrayed in many different ways in the different stages of her life. This character is nameless and is only ever referred to as 'Curley's wife'. I think this may mean that she is not a major part and as a woman is thought of as insignificant and maybe Steinbeck feels that it is not necessary to name her as it was viewed at the time as she does not need or deserve one. This is why I think that she should be sympathised.
The men that work on the ranch have a different opinion as they call her a “tart” and “jail bait” they call her this because she flirts with the other ranch hands despite being married to curly. By using the word “jail” it shows that it is like being in a prison for her and she is stuck there. This is our very first introduction of Curley’s wife which makes a big impact on how we view her for the rest of the story. From this point onwards we always think of her as looking for trouble and living up to her name as being “jail bait”. Different readers would have different impressions of her as they may feel they could connect with her. A woman feels sorry for her because she is stuck at the barn with a load of men and was not able to for fill her dream of becoming an actor. As a man may think that she is just there to cause trouble. Another reason to feel sorry for her is because she is lonely, “Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by four house and listen to how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twice, and then bring in the ol’ right cross.” This shows that Curley’s wife is very lonely, as are so many people
Throughout the 1930's in California, where and when the novel "of mice and men" was set, women were frequently suppressed and treated as objects. They were put down and often abused. They were forced to do anything their husband says otherwise they were condemned by the family and general public. Several of these issues are reflected in the character of Curley's wife. This character is portrayed in many different ways in the different stages of her life. This character is nameless and is only ever referred to as 'Curley's wife'. I think this may mean that she is not a major part and as a woman is thought of as insignificant and maybe Steinbeck feels that it is not necessary to name her as it was viewed at the time as she does not need or deserve one. This is why I think that she should be sympathised.
The men that work on the ranch have a different opinion as they call her a “tart” and “jail bait” they call her this because she flirts with the other ranch hands despite being married to curly. By using the word “jail” it shows that it is like being in a prison for her and she is stuck there. This is our very first introduction of Curley’s wife which makes a big impact on how we view her for the rest of the story. From this point onwards we always think of her as looking for trouble and living up to her name as being “jail bait”. Different readers would have different impressions of her as they may feel they could connect with her. A woman feels sorry for her because she is stuck at the barn with a load of men and was not able to for fill her dream of becoming an actor. As a man may think that she is just there to cause trouble. Another reason to feel sorry for her is because she is lonely, “Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by four house and listen to how Curley’s gonna lead with his left twice, and then bring in the ol’ right cross.” This shows that Curley’s wife is very lonely, as are so many people