How do you respond to the presentation of Curley’s wife in ‘Of Mice and Men’? Essay

Curleys married woman is presented as quite an ambiguous character. She is seen in two courses in one way she is seen as jail bait, a biting and tramp. In an other way she is seen as a victim of a male society, the still female on the farm. Even as a main character in the novel, she remains unsung and only as Curleys wife. This dupes her sound analogous Curleys property like Curleys horse or clothes. This is also symbolic of the role of women at the time in which Of Mice and Men was set. Curleys wife is seen as a very promiscuous woman, but that is only because of the picture you build in your mind from the description of her flirtatious attitudes. Before we even meet Curleys wife she is degraded by Candy, the old swamper. He accuses her of having the eye even though she has been married two weeks You know what I speculate? I think Curleys married a tart. Candy says this because, Curleys wife gives a few of the other workers the eye. or so he thinks. Curleys wife enters the bunkhouse she uses the excuse that she is looking for Curley. She does not seem to unavoidableness to leave.George tells her that he was here earlier. She still does not leave though, she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the limen frame so that her body was thrown forward. This demonstrates her flirtatious nature. Curleys wife backs her story up by saying, sometimes hes in here looking at her hands as she does so. She in conclusion leaves when George again tells her that Curley isnt there. Nobody cant blame a person for looking. Curleys wife says this almost to protect herself, as if to say, nobody can fault her if she is only looking for her husband. When thinking virtually or looking at what Curleys wife is wearing, you would not associate it with every day vitality on a farm she is award up of place. Does this carry on through with(predicate)out the story? Is she always out of place? She had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fing ernails were violent. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore cotton house dress and red mules.On the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. The constant proctor of red gives us two ideas one, red being used as the colour of passion. Yet some other sign of Curleys wifes flirtatious manner two, red showing danger. All the signs of red could be a link to the red dress of the girl in Weed, where George and Lennie previously worked. Could there be a link? Curleys wife recognises that her body and sexuality are her only weapons and shes victimisation them. In Steinbecks words she had only one thing to sell and she knew it. Curleys wife is visualised as this tart and jail bait not purely by accident. This portrayal is purely through the authors actions. The mere fact that she is known only as Curleys wife is a clear sign of her anonymity. She is given no name or in fact no identity. Is this horror to women on Steinbacks part, or is he addressing the stereotypical attitudes towards women? Curleys wife like everybody else has dreams.Curleys wifes dream is to be a star. Curleys wife was asked to go on a show when she was younger, but her fret wouldnt let her. Curleys wife remembers a man in the pitchers. express hed write to her about becoming an actress and being in the movies. Curleys wife says that her mother stole the letter when it came, to stop her from reaching her dream, when it really didnt come at all. Well I wasnt gonna stay no place where I couldnt get nowhere or make something of myself so I married Curley this gives a strong impression that she married Curley purely out of spite, toward her mother. She goes on to say that I don like Curley this confirms the fact that she married him out of spite. Like the rest of the dreams in of Mice and Men hers so far has failed. I coulda made somethin of myself maybe I will yet.But Curleys wife is still holding on to a faint glimmer of hope. This may explain Cur leys wifes behaviour on the ranch she may see it as a power point and the workers as her audience. In chapter four our attitudes towards Curleys wife change dramatically throughout. In the origin a feeling of sympathy and loneliness is aroused, because of her failed dreams and the way her husband treats her or rather doesnt treat her sound off I dont know where they all went? Curley and the other ranch workers are spending their eve in a brothel. Toward the end a feeling of hatred or dislike is built up, beginning with her flirtatious manner to Lennie, ending with her racial abuse and threats towards Crooks I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny.This is another sign of the society at that time. Curleys wife mocks the dream of George, Lennie and Candy, saying that they almost had better things to spend their money on Baloney I seen too many you guys. If you had two cents in the worl why youd be getting two shots of feed And sucking the bottom of the glass . This is a clear sign, to the reader, of her naivet. Here she is mocking others dreams, when not so long past her dream shattered around her. Curleys wifes death can be looked upon in many different ways. From the way the other characters are seen to respond, it is as if they are the victims of the death and not her. The way in which the author describes the body is the opposite She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young.This would suggest an exculpatory frame of mind, as if her death had transformed her. To someone or something better. Even though Curleys wife is dead, she is still subject to blame. Candy is one of those who feel this way, talking to the lifeless body You done it, dint you? I spose youre glad. Everybody knowed youd mess things up. You wasnt no good. You aint no good now, you lousy tart. When the guys find out about her death, I dont think that Curley seems to attend that his wife is dead.He doesnt stop to mourn at all, or hold her one die hard time, as any self-respecting man would do. He is only interested in one thing, revenge. In conclusion Curleys wife is seen as an ambiguous character. Her moods and mannerisms change throughout the novel. She is presented, as somebody that no one likes not even her own husband. I think this is character is very misunderstood and if anyone was to exhaust the time to get to know her a little better Im sure Curleys wife could be a very nice person.