Is curleys wife a victim - 812 Words

John Steinbeck planned out every word he put into his novel Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck did exactly this with the development of the character Curley’s wife. She had started the novel as a â€Å"tart† or a nuisance of a character, but later she turned into an admriable character, one that you really feel for. In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is shown as a very unpleasant character. For example, while Lennie, Candy and Crookes were in Crooks’ room discussing their ranch, she walks in and says â€Å"Listen, Nigger...† â€Å"...You keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.† (Pg 88 and 89). This shows she is taking advantage of the fact she’s the boss’s son’s wife, and uses her position of power†¦show more content†¦This shows she doesn’t always just want to cause trouble and be a nuisance. She only wants to make friends and not feel lonely all of the time. In addition, she also says â€Å"Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it...† â€Å"... I never got that letter.† (pg 96). She is saying here that she thought she could one day be famous, and she doesn’t like being with Curley at the ranch. She never wanted to be at the ranch, but after the letter never showed up, she went and married Curley. Curley’s wife is compassionate and admirable, but very lonely. Loneliness is unavoidable for most characters on the ranch in Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife is one of the characters in this novel who fell victim to loneliness. It is shown when she explains why Curley does not allow her to talk to the other men because of his insecurities: â€Å"‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?† (pg 95). Curley’s insecurities disable his wife from being able to talk to people. Curley’s wife gets lonely, and it provokes her to act in a way of meanness when she does. Her loneliness is also shown as she walks in to Crooks’ bunk, â€Å"Well I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house all time?† (pg 85). This directly shows that she is unable to have a social lifeShow MoreRelatedOf Mice and Men: Is Curleys Wife a Victim or Villian?2527 Words   |  11 PagesJohn Steinbeck presents Curley’s wife at the start of the story as an irrelevant character because she has no relation with George and Lennie. At the start, Curley is one of the most important characters (besides George and Lennie) because he has the power to crush George and Lennie’s dream of having a farm of your own. But as the story goes on, to end, we see the importance of her character and that everything that has happened on the ranch is caused by her presence; even though she is not in theRead More To What Extent Curleys Wife a Victim in Of Mice and Men Essay890 Words   |  4 PagesMice Men, the character Curley’s Wife is depicted as flirtatious, promiscuous, and insensitive. However, her husband Curley sees her as onl y a possession. Most of the workers at the ranch see her as a tart, whereas Slim, the peaceful and god-like figure out of all the men, see her as lonely. This answer will tell us to which extent, is Curley’s wife a victim, whether towards her flirtatious behaviour, or to everyone’s representation of her. The character of Curley’s Wife is very hard to unravelRead MoreHow Is Curleys Wife Presented in of Mice and Men, Victim or Villain?2181 Words   |  9 PagesHow Is Curley’s Wife Presented - Victim or Villain? Curley’s wife is the only women at the ranch in Of Mice and Men. She is generally portrayed as a young, lonely, bored and childish girl. â€Å"Baloney!† is her ‘word.’ This single word shows that she thinks she is a movie star. No one really talks like this. All the way through the book, it is evident this is how she sees her life; unreal, like a movie and dramatic. Curley’s wife is talked about before she is seen in the book. The first actual mentionRead MoreHow Far Do You Agree That Curley’s Wife Is a Victim and Deserves Our Sympathy?2816 Words   |  12 PagesJohn Steinbeck in 1936. It is set in the society of the 1920s. The author sets up our perception of the character Curleys wife in a way that allows us to develop our understanding of her, and enables us to later decide how far we agree that she is an innocent and vulnerable victim, or a manipulator who deserves her fate. We are first introduced to the character Curleys wife in chapter two by Candy. We immediately see her being blamed for causing her husband’s arrogance â€Å"Curley is cockiernRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1296 Words   |  6 Pagescomplex characters Eva Smith and Curley’s wife had represented one of the many themes in both texts, victimisation. When you hear the word victim what come to mind? Perhaps someone who has come to feel helpless and passive in the face of misfortune or ill-treatment? Well the Oxford dictionary’s definition of victim is ‘a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime, accident, or other event or action’ either way civilisation makes us think that a victim is someone who is innocent and isRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1163 Words   |  5 Pages(Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1 930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain. While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, he alsoRead MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men 849 Words   |  4 Pages(Steinbeck 87) In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is discriminated against because she is a woman living in the 1930s when few females could live economically independent of men. By choosing not to name her, Steinbeck reinforces her insignificance on the ranch and her dependence on Curley. While a misfortunate victim of isolation, Curley’s wife exerts unexpected power attempting to mask her pain. While Crooks, a victim of racial prejudice, expresses his isolation openly, heRead MoreOf Mice and Men: Explore Your Response to Curleys Wife1423 Words   |  6 PagesMy initial response to the character of Curleys wife was that of intense dislike- I found Steinbeck to subtly prejudice us, as readers, against her, before she even made a physical appearance in the text. Upon reflection, I perceive Curleys wife in some ways to be the most important figure in the novel- she is a key symbol of temptation, and most of the storys main underlying themes: dreams, isolation and loneliness, for example, can be related to her in some way. To an extent, she can be blamedRead MoreOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck1081 Words   |  4 PagesCrooks and Curley’s wife are defenseless victims of social prejudice which leads to their sadness and depression. Crooks, being a black man is discriminated and segregated towards by all the other ranchers â€Å"They play cards in there but I canâ€⠄¢t play because I’m black- Crooks† whereas Curley’s wife being a woman is expected to stay at home and take care of the house â€Å"Why dont she get the hell back in the house where she belongs- Carlson†. Furthermore Steinbeck as well as the ranchers view Curley’s wifeRead MoreOf Mice and Men Essay on Lennie672 Words   |  3 Pagesachieves these two feats by creating a character who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenceless, he cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large, ‘Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it.’ Representing his tragic flaw this extract clearly shows that Lennie has no control over his strength which is making the ending more foreseeable. But he is a character whom Steinbeck