Curley’s Wife
1) Introduction
John Steinbeck portrays his version of 1930s America in his novel ‘Of Mice and Men’. ‘Of Mice and
Men’ is a Morality Play. Steinbeck intended to teach the audience about the importance of moral
behaviour, so characters were meant to represent different characteristics and portray the experiences
and temptations of humans rather than being particularly realistic or believable.
The novella takes place in a society devastated by the economic and social effects of the Great
Depression and one in which prejudice, loneliness and isolation have replaced the hopes of The
American Dream. His characters are very much a reflection of this society.
Steinbeck deliberately presents Curley’s Wife as a victim of society. It is through the character of
Curley’s Wife that he depicts the oppression and loneliness by women during the Great Depression.
Her loneliness and isolation due to her gender reflects the tragic lives by many similar women during
the Great Depression.
She is the only woman on the ranch, and her loneliness is emphasized by the fact that she is never
given a name. Instead, she is referred to as ‘Curley's Wife,’ which reflects the way in which women
were defined by their relationships with men.
Through the portrayal of Curley’s Wife, Steinbeck exposes that when circumstances cause suffering
for humans, humans inevitably create more suffering: people are products of the society. The cruel
and harsh migrant life during the Great Depression created, encouraged, and produced cruel and harsh
people.
2) Character description
When Curley’s Wife is first introduced, Steinbeck’s crafting of her physical appearance immediately
creates intrigue: ‘heavily made up’, ‘little rolled clusters, like sausages’. All these suggest that she is
seductive and attention-seeking. The colour ‘red’ connotes danger, further depicting her as a danger
and distraction. Steinbeck illustrates the sexist and stereotypical way in which women were often
objectified in society during the Great Depression. Migrant workers left their family behind and often
worked in all-male professions, meaning that they encountered very few women. Unlike the migrant
workers, Curley’s Wife seems to have no clear job or place on the ranch and is clearly not dressed for
a domestic role. The Great Depression caused mass unemployment, so prositution was the only work
available for some women, so the men guess she must be a prostitute. To the workers, she is therefore
an object of fascination and mistrust, of desire and fear.
The truth is she is desperately lonely and looking for someone to talk to. She asks Crooks ‘Think I
don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?’.. Furthermore, she told Lennie ‘I never get to
talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’. The adverbs ‘never’ and ‘awful’ emphasizes her desperation for
companionship. She is the wife of the Boss’s son. With work so scarce during the Great Depression,
migrant workers would be wary of losing their job by developing relationships with her or offending
her. Therefore, she is often marginalised and avoided by the workers. Steinbeck uses Curley’s Wife to
expose the isolation and prejudice of women, especially those living in ranches, during the Great
Depression.
3) Setting
Curley’s Wife lives in the male-dominated bunkhouse. It is a ‘long rectangular building’ with ‘small,
square windows’. It is a stark and harsh working environment where men are forced to live together
with no privacy. Life for migrant workers are transient and isolated, with no sense of comfort and no
place of their own. She lives with all the men only because she is married to the Boss’s son, Curley.
Despite the bleakness of the bunkhouse, Curley’s Wife stands out as a figure of glamour and beauty,
contrasting sharply with the denim work clothes of men around her.
1) Introduction
John Steinbeck portrays his version of 1930s America in his novel ‘Of Mice and Men’. ‘Of Mice and
Men’ is a Morality Play. Steinbeck intended to teach the audience about the importance of moral
behaviour, so characters were meant to represent different characteristics and portray the experiences
and temptations of humans rather than being particularly realistic or believable.
The novella takes place in a society devastated by the economic and social effects of the Great
Depression and one in which prejudice, loneliness and isolation have replaced the hopes of The
American Dream. His characters are very much a reflection of this society.
Steinbeck deliberately presents Curley’s Wife as a victim of society. It is through the character of
Curley’s Wife that he depicts the oppression and loneliness by women during the Great Depression.
Her loneliness and isolation due to her gender reflects the tragic lives by many similar women during
the Great Depression.
She is the only woman on the ranch, and her loneliness is emphasized by the fact that she is never
given a name. Instead, she is referred to as ‘Curley's Wife,’ which reflects the way in which women
were defined by their relationships with men.
Through the portrayal of Curley’s Wife, Steinbeck exposes that when circumstances cause suffering
for humans, humans inevitably create more suffering: people are products of the society. The cruel
and harsh migrant life during the Great Depression created, encouraged, and produced cruel and harsh
people.
2) Character description
When Curley’s Wife is first introduced, Steinbeck’s crafting of her physical appearance immediately
creates intrigue: ‘heavily made up’, ‘little rolled clusters, like sausages’. All these suggest that she is
seductive and attention-seeking. The colour ‘red’ connotes danger, further depicting her as a danger
and distraction. Steinbeck illustrates the sexist and stereotypical way in which women were often
objectified in society during the Great Depression. Migrant workers left their family behind and often
worked in all-male professions, meaning that they encountered very few women. Unlike the migrant
workers, Curley’s Wife seems to have no clear job or place on the ranch and is clearly not dressed for
a domestic role. The Great Depression caused mass unemployment, so prositution was the only work
available for some women, so the men guess she must be a prostitute. To the workers, she is therefore
an object of fascination and mistrust, of desire and fear.
The truth is she is desperately lonely and looking for someone to talk to. She asks Crooks ‘Think I
don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while?’.. Furthermore, she told Lennie ‘I never get to
talk to nobody. I get awful lonely’. The adverbs ‘never’ and ‘awful’ emphasizes her desperation for
companionship. She is the wife of the Boss’s son. With work so scarce during the Great Depression,
migrant workers would be wary of losing their job by developing relationships with her or offending
her. Therefore, she is often marginalised and avoided by the workers. Steinbeck uses Curley’s Wife to
expose the isolation and prejudice of women, especially those living in ranches, during the Great
Depression.
3) Setting
Curley’s Wife lives in the male-dominated bunkhouse. It is a ‘long rectangular building’ with ‘small,
square windows’. It is a stark and harsh working environment where men are forced to live together
with no privacy. Life for migrant workers are transient and isolated, with no sense of comfort and no
place of their own. She lives with all the men only because she is married to the Boss’s son, Curley.
Despite the bleakness of the bunkhouse, Curley’s Wife stands out as a figure of glamour and beauty,
contrasting sharply with the denim work clothes of men around her.
