Of mice and men curley’s wife Essay

Of Mice and Men is a microism of thirty-something American society. Following the 1929 Wall Street Crash,, America went into the Great Depression, which lead many Americans to realise that the American Dream was never really possible. We keep in line Curleys Wife as a representation of women in America at that time. John Steinbecks novella of Mice and Men set in rural California during the Great Depression centres the friendship of two itinerant ranch melt downers George Milton and Lennie Small. On arrival at their naked as a jaybird employment, George and Lennie meet Curleys Wife the flirtatious pretty lonely young wife of the Boss son, Curley.Many people would argue that yes Curleys Wife was a victim, for reasons being she was forever lonely and unable to shed to other members of the ranch. Why cant I talk to you? I never condense to talk to no consistency. I get awful lonely. This proves Curleys Wife is an outsider similar Crooks who is lonely-she just wants somebody to talk to. This picks up the theme of loneliness in the 1930s American society Curleys Wife is not happy living in her father-in-laws ranch. She thinks she has missed opportunities by marrying Curley and living with his band of lonely men. She tries to get a bit of companionship by flirting with them and talking to them.Moreover, as she is the only woman on the ranch Steinbeck has portrayed as all women would guard been seen in the 1930s American society a sexual object. Well, that gloves fulla Vaseline. This shows the readers that Curley is only interested in his wife for the sex. Well she got the eye. This is showing the readers that she has real her role as an object of desirable sex. She has been brought into the classify that men commence women. She could possibly be missing friendship as she is the only women on the ranch. Ultimately, we atomic number 18 invited by Steinbeck to believe that Curleys Wife is a victim of society at that time.This is because, eventually she is killed. her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. This shows she was as helpless as a fish the use of the simile emphasizes the helplessness she possessed. Furthermore, it also shows how powerless she was as with her name, she and Candys dog echo all(prenominal) other, in the sense they both have no names they are merely, a possession to be owned, an object. Before and after Curleys Wife dies we write down to see another side of her, a side just longing for freedom, to be loved, to live the mammoth American Dream.She was very pretty and simple, and her face was seraphic and young. Now her rouged checks and her cherry-reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly. The curls, tiny sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her kips were parted. This shows the readers that all on Curleys Wife was a natural beauty behind all the heavy make-up and redness. She has transformed into a beauty by death she seems to have become an angel. Finally she has found what she has ultimately been looking for peace and freedom away from her abusive husband and rash mother.However, aside from all this, many people would still see her as not a victim. This is because, she is always described as dressed in red. Both men glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the portal was cut off. A girl was standing there looking in. she had full rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. Curleys Wife is blocking the sunlight. This foreshadows her being involved in a crucial part of the novel.It also forebodes bad happenings involving darkness. Furthermore, the repetition of red shows she is devilished, lustful and seductive, it also has connotations of danger, foreshadowing danger in the near future involving her. In addition, red i. e. scarlet women indicated loose morals. Moreover, Curleys Wife appears as though craving for attention. The make up and high heels seen very inappropriate for a ranch sprightliness even for a woman. Furthermore, Curleys Wife uses sexuality to draw attention to herself. She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. This shows the readers she is a seductive woman who will do anything to get the attention of men. Steinbeck has again used Curleys Wife to portray the way in which all women were portrayed as in 1930s America an object of sexual desire. Moreover, it is also showing, that Curleys Wife has fully taken on the stereotype of a women only being a sex object be doing so. It also suggests she is very promiscuous -she flirts and uses her sexuality and desirability to get want she wants or rather what she is not getting right now from Curley.What is more, all the readers are fully aware of Lennies stre ngth and childlike behaviour besides Curleys Wife tries to fall upon him as he is the only one on the ranch that will talk to her. She looked up at Lennie, and she made a tenuous grand gesture with her arm to show that she could act. The fingers trailed after her leading wrist, and her little finger stuck out grandly from the rest. She tries to draw attention to herself by trying to impress Lennie as her is the only person on the ranch who will talk to her as everybody else is fully aware of what Curley is capable of doing.She wants Lennie to notice her because she knows he is too tacit to say anything to Curley about her talking to other men. Furthermore, many readers would argue she was playing with fire by going after Lennie as he is so beefed-up and powerful and this is backed up when she ironically gets killed by Lennie. To conclude, Curleys Wife is seen by men as a strong, powerful woman who cannot be abused, however many would argue she was being sexually abused by Curl ey. At the same time, all the characters in Of Mice and Men are victims they all have the big American Dream that never really takes place.In my opinion, Curleys Wife is both a victim and a culprit this is because, towards the beginning of the novella, she is portrayed as a prostitute, danger to be around, however towards the end, we begin to see that all she has ever wanted is the big American Dream. As she is killed at the end, we again see how she is an innocent women longing for freedom and companionship from someone. 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.