...referred to as ‘Curley’s Wife’. Her lack of identity could imply she is not woman but rather a possession of her husband. She is shown to represent the lost of identity after being associated with something or someone. That is why she has no name; her identity is being someone's wife. As this character develops we find that she is not in fact the unimportant, nameless character we first perceive her as, but rather she is a relatively complex and interesting character, with much more to her than we first gather. Alternatively, it could suggest she is insignificant and not as important of a character as George, Lennie or any of the other men on the ranch. It could also be referring to how during the great depression women were oppressed and treated less equally. Steinbeck may have portrayed women in this light to allow the reader to recognize the inferior role of women at that time. The lack of name demotes Curley's wife to insignificant status. In chapter four she joins Crooks, Lennie and Candy whilst on one of her ‘looking for Curley’ routines, where she says, 'They left all the weak ones here' alluding to the three men, all 'weak' in their respective ways. However there is a sense of irony because she is not even considered a real person but a possession. Therefore this comment is ironic because she seems to think of herself as higher in status than the men; however she is seen as unworthy of a name thus we can conclude that is she unimportant. Curley’s Wife is first presented...
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...inequality is shown between men and women through Curley’s wife. His wife is a victim to the world filled with power hungry, “machista” men. Curley’s wife is both, misunderstood and lonely. She does not have anyone to be around and talk to besides her controlling husband. Her description in the novel, which took place during the “Dust Bowl,” significantly demonstrates that women’s roles were insignificant and “non-existent” compared to men’s. Curley’s wife reveals the roles women had because she was awfully lonely, she was not able to do anything out of her own consent, and she was horribly judged by others whenever she attempted to make a “move.” Curley’s wife’s loneliness is shown throughout the novel as she attempts to go out of her home, walk around the ranch, and talk to some of the guys. She is the only female in the ranch, which makes her feel weaker and lonelier. Her desire for companionship is shown towards the end of the novel when she tells Lennie, “I never get to talk to nobody. I get awfully lonely” (Steinbeck 86). She shows that she finds it unfair that she is very lonely, while the men can all talk to each other. Curley’s wife is lonely because her husband does not allow her to speak to anyone; She has to do as he says....
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...of the Great Depression, the setting is abundant with hardships which immensely mould the reader’s ambivalent feelings towards the most dominant female character in this book: Curley’s Wife. Steinbeck’s depiction of this flirtacious but “lonely” temptress has the reader leaping from heartbreaking sympathy to nurturing an intense abhorrence for Curley’s Wife. In the very first few moments that the novel introduces Curley’s Wife, she is immediatley condemned to the reader’s dislike because the author depicts her character as a threat to not just George and Lennie, but their aspirations to “live off the fatta the land”. The author intends to establish Curley’s Wife by labelling her to be an ominous threat from the very beginning as “the rectangle of sunshine was cut off” by her mere first appearance. Steinbeck’s particular use of the word “sunshine” is symbolic of hope which is derived from the main theme in this novel – the American Dream, or rather a paradise that has resulted in false hope flourishing in their hearts. This is in correlation to the “sunshine” which is evidently referring to George and Lennie’s vision of owning a farm. Furthermore, the fact that she is “cutting off” this dream, indicates that she possesses the power of a threat and hence, an obstacle in our protagonists’ paths. Curley’s Wife’s power to tarnish their dreams stems from the fact that she is a woman and this is Steinbeck’s strong reflection of the sexist minds that dominated the American society in...
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...Curley’s Wife Impressions of Curleys Wife John Steinbeck sees Curleys wife a 'nice girl' and not a 'floozy' however in the novel 'Of Mice and Men', Steinbeck introduces the character of Curley's wife; she could be interpreted as a mis-fitting character in the novel. In the novel Curley's wife is probably the most loathed on the ranch, the way she looks and acts lead others on the ranch to see her as a 'tart'. Additionally Curley might be the reason of Curley's wife behavior; Curley's wife is clearly lonely in the novel because Curley doesn't pay much attention to her. The lack of attention from Curley forces her to seek it elsewhere. She flirts with the other characters on the ranch but they pay her no attention either. In this essay I am going to examine whether Curley's wife is a tart or not. I will consider how some of the other characters in this novel, Of Mice and Men, perceive her. Using this information I will draw a conclusion about her personality and nature. A tart is defined as someone who dresses up gaudily and exposes her body features to attract the opposite sex. It is usually described for someone who is a prostitute. John Steinbeck portrays Curley's wife, as a tart at the beginning of the novel, however as it progresses the way he presents her is opposite. At the end of the novel we see that she presents herself as a tart because of the intense loneliness she experiences. She seems to always to want to get attention from the other men, however this does...
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...Home Page» English and Literature Karina's Paper In: English and Literature Curley’s Wife Impressions of Curleys Wife John Steinbeck sees Curleys wife a 'nice girl' and not a 'floozy' however in the novel 'Of Mice and Men', Steinbeck introduces the character of Curley's wife; she could be interpreted as a mis-fitting character in the novel. In the novel Curley's wife is probably the most loathed on the ranch, the way she looks and acts lead others on the ranch to see her as a 'tart'. Additionally Curley might be the reason of Curley's wife behavior; Curley's wife is clearly lonely in the novel because Curley doesn't pay much attention to her. The lack of attention from Curley forces her to seek it elsewhere. She flirts with the other characters on the ranch but they pay her no attention either. In this essay I am going to examine whether Curley's wife is a tart or not. I will consider how some of the other characters in this novel, Of Mice and Men, perceive her. Using this information I will draw a conclusion about her personality and nature. A tart is defined as someone who dresses up gaudily and exposes her body features to attract the opposite sex. It is usually described for someone who is a prostitute. John Steinbeck portrays Curley's wife, as a tart at the beginning of the novel, however as it progresses the way he presents her is opposite. At the end of the novel we see that she presents herself as a tart because of the intense loneliness she...
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...Celton Brito-Lobato Analyse and compare how Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife are presented Shakespeare’s ' Macbeth' and Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ In the Shakespearean play of ‘Macbeth’ we are introduced to the character of Lady Macbeth. Similarly in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice of Men we also presented with an equally diverse character of Curley's wife. ‘Macbeth’ was written during the early 17th century, and was a play 'fit for a king'. It outlines a couple's ambition to become rulers of Scotland and sees them fulfil this ambition and in doing so, killing the king in the process. Despite being written during patriarchal Jacobean society, Lady Macbeth is a female protagonist. Throughout the play, through Lady Macbeth's actions we are forced to believe that she is evil. In contrast, in the novel John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex character, named Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous (despite the patriarchal society of the 1930’s) but most of all she is an isolated character. Her hasty marriage to Curley proves to be failed attempt to escape her own spiral of disappointment of not fulfilling her ambition of becoming an actress. This ironically is a main theme in both texts. This essay will analyse and compare the presentation of Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife through structure, themes, what is said about them, their actions and what they themselves...
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...Candidates must make reference to the whole text. Tier ( Higher) Candidates must produce work totalling about 1200 words in a period of up to four hours CA task: Explore the ways sympathy and dislike of ‘Curley’s Wife’ is created in ‘Of Mice and Men.’ CA = Week starting 20 October 2014 (All 4 lessons this week) (Possibility of starting one lesson early at the end of week 6). Level or Grade A*-C Differentiate appropriately for the group that you teach and for individuals within that group th Length 7 weeks (To include CA) Learning objectives AO3 (See mark scheme for band descriptors) Interpretations of texts/understanding significant meanings of the text Engagement with writer’s ideas and attitudes Interpretation of ideas supported with evidence Understanding of features of language and structure Learning outcomes Close analysis of text extracts leading to development of reading skills Consideration of context and writer’s intentions/themes and ideas Speaking and Listening to show understanding of issues and empathy with character Writing a draft essay and set targets for the assessment Produce an analytical essay for CA (New Acronym = SMILE (Structure, Meanings, Ideas, Language, Evidence) Prior knowledge (Enter pre-requisite knowledge and skills.) Analytical essay – Year 9 KS3 reading skills National Framework for Secondary English Strands National Framework for Secondary English – Strands 5 Reading for meaning 5.2 Understanding and responding to ideas, views...
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...and Men Essay ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck in 1937, the same time as the great depression. In ‘Of Mice and Men’, Steinbeck presents Curley’s Wife in a variety of different ways. In the novella Curley’s Wife is seen as a villainess. Curley’s Wife is also seen as someone who craves attention which leads to the novellas tragic ending. Steinbeck could also be showing society’s view of how women should behave. In the 1930s women were one of two roles- a ‘tart’ or a ‘mother’ in the both cases they are presented as serving a purpose for men- either to give the man sexual pleasure or to provide a family. Steinbeck presents Curley’s Wife in many ways in the novella. Firstly he presents her through the male gaze as a tart and we see this through Candy’s description of her. Steinbeck’s use of description states that she is ‘heavily’ made up and she exhibits extremely flirtatious behaviour. Although this could be because how restricted women were at the time. Curley’s Wife did not have children so she may have been automatically put into the category of a ‘tart’. Curley’s Wife also never had a positive female role model because of her bad relationship with her mother. Throughout the novella the reader’s view of Curley’s Wife changes from her being a ‘tart’ to a lonely figure that just wants attention. Steinbeck also presents her as a victim of prejudice and sexism as the reader’s perceptions change as her character develops but the male view of Curley’s Wife never alters-even...
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...Discrimination is different from judging someone because of their skin color. Different characters throughout the novel are discriminated because of other factors like age and gender. “Judging a person does not define who they are, it defines who you are.” In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, many characters are faced with loneliness and are discriminated in different ways. Discrimination causes loneliness as shown through Steinbeck’s use of the characters Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy. Crooks deals with loneliness throughout the novel since he is discriminated for his skin tone. Crooks demonstrates how discrimination affects his personality. The quote “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you all of you stink to me.” (67). This quote shows that Crooks gets discriminated because he is black. He is treated on the farm like he does not matter. Also, he always hangs out in his room because nobody will ever talk to him which proves that he is lonely. Another quote that...
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...for example, in the novel it mentions that the workers are playing solitaire, “George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay…” Solitaire is a one-player card game, so this also emphasizes loneliness. In this essay I will explore how Steinbeck creates loneliness and isolation in his novel ‘of mice and men’. Steinbeck uses a lot of past tense, for example, at the end of the novel, Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie and she said that she ‘had’ a dream, and she could have become famous. Curley’s wife is perhaps the loneliest person of all on the ranch. Since she is the only female on the ranch, she is set apart from the others. She doesn’t have a name because she is a female and women have lower statuses than men. As she is the only female on the ranch, Curley’s wife is lonely and sad- something her marriage to Curley only makes worse she reveals throughout the course of the story that she is unhappy in her marriage because her husband seems to care little for her. Curley, her own husband, ignores her. He does not regard his wife as a person needing love and companionship, but rather as an object which can be put aside, pushed around. Instead of being attentive to his wife, Curley is frequently going out with “the boys” instead of his wife. Curley’s wife has no...
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...Celton Brito-Lobato Analyse and compare how Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife are presented Shakespeare’s ' Macbeth' and Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ In the Shakespearean play of ‘Macbeth’ we are introduced to the character of Lady Macbeth. Similarly in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice of Men we also presented with an equally diverse character of Curley's wife. ‘Macbeth’ was written during the early 17th century, and was a play 'fit for a king'. It outlines a couple's ambition to become rulers of Scotland and sees them fulfil this ambition and in doing so, killing the king in the process. Despite being written during patriarchal Jacobean society, Lady Macbeth is a female protagonist. Throughout the play, through Lady Macbeth's actions we are forced to believe that she is evil. In contrast, in the novel John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex character, named Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous (despite the patriarchal society of the 1930’s) but most of all she is an isolated character. Her hasty marriage to Curley proves to be failed attempt to escape her own spiral of disappointment of not fulfilling her ambition of becoming an actress. This ironically is a main theme in both texts. This essay will analyse and compare the presentation of Lady Macbeth and Curley's wife through structure, themes, what is said about them, their actions and what they themselves...
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...Michael Emminger Ms. Wanczuk English 9 Honors Period 3 11/21/13 Character Analysis Essay A time of sickness, bankruptcy, and underground liquor runs; the 1930’s were a devastating time in which our protagonists lived. Of Mice and Men is a classic book by John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, this tale shows the adventures of two poor men, George and Lennie, who are suffering in the Great Depression. The book goes through a portion of their life through different places and roads. Lennie, I believe, is the most interesting character. Lennie shows his strengths and flaws from Of Mice and Men by having a big heart but bigger hands, helping keep George sane, and accidentally killing animals and people. Lennie has extraordinary physical strength, but his mind does not have that type of power. His head and heart did not know what to do when Curley started punching him and: “he was too frightened to defend himself… Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand” (69). Lennie’s brain could not comprehend the events developing around him and his body initially shut off in the process. If it was not for George yelling at him to fight back Lennie could have been really hurt. Some might say fighting is wrong all together, but if it is not possible to walk away from it then it is important to defend yourself. Even though it took him a while to be convinced to hit Curly...
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...Matthew Bullington 8/31/2012 AP English Period 5 Of Mice and Men Thematic Essay Violence in the novel Of Mice and Men is an everyday reality. With all the hard work that comes from working on a ranch, there always seems to be a significant need for masculine boastfulness which allows for fights, threats, and overall meanness. Violence in this novella is physical, mental, and emotional. Characters are so use to suspicion and failure in life that they will treat each other cruelly, willing to abuse the dreams and the bodies of others as though it were more normal to destroy than to build. In most ways, violence is a normal way for others to relieve the feeling of despair and limited possibilities that all go along with working on the ranch. For example, Lennie tends to be very violent when it comes to people making him angry. This tendency; however is watched over by George, who is supposed to make sure that he is safe and doesn’t get himself into trouble, but at the same time George is physically violent towards lennie because of his mental handicap. Curley, who is the husband of the only woman that lives on the ranch, tends to be very violent toward anyone that he sees as a threat to himself or his power, most of his rage however, is directed to Lennie because of his size. Curley's Wife is also the target of violence because she is seen as the tramp of the ranch for her flirtatious acts with the majority of the ranch men. With all these events in mind, we can paint a pretty...
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...during the great depression in California. The two protagonist characters, George and Lennie are farm workers who have a dream of one-day owning their own ranch. They find work in a ranch near Soledad, after escaping from Weed because of George’s incident. They are met by different characters on the farm that all have a dream. To be lonely means to lack friends or companionship and to feel isolated. Most of the characters are lonely and the only thing that keeps them alive is their dreams. Some of the loneliest characters they meet are Candy, an old man with only one hand, Crooks, a black cripple and Curley’s Wife, a woman who has no identity, she is lonely even though she is married. Although they are all on the ranch together, they are lonely because of who they are and their history. ‘Of Mice and Men’ is an emotional story with many different themes and characters. This essay will describe the way loneliness is portrayed in ‘Of Mice and Men.’ George Milton and Lennie Small are friends who travel together. They both share the same dream, which is to one day own their own ranch. George is quick-witted and intelligent. He takes the parental role of looking after Lennie, a simple-minded man who in the book is described as a giant. Lennie is kind hearted with huge physical strength. He does not know how powerful he is and likes to pet animals. The other men on the ranch find their relationship unusual, they do not know of their past. George describes himself and Lennie as the loneliest...
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...Of Mice and Men - Curley Essay __________________________________________________________________ In the Novel of mice and men, Steinbeck presents Curley as the evil character due to the fact he tries to live up to his father’s legacy, of being the boss, by making everyone fear him. Does Curley try to prove his masculinity through his actions? Does this make him seem aggressive or vulnerable? Curley picks fights with bigger, tougher men to show that size doesn’t matter and to make people obey him. Curley fights with Lennie unaware of his capabilities. He stepped over to Lennie ‘like a terrier’. The simile links Curley’s size to a small terrier dog but could also suggest vulnerability and an inferior status. Curley threatens Lennie by saying, ‘Come on, ya big bastard’. The ‘ya’ colloquialism shows the slang language was picked up in an uneducated society. Moreover, ‘Come on’ shows how he challenges Lennie which portrays him as aggressive and strong. Furthermore, the consonance ‘big bastard’ is cleverly used and spoken with a plosive sound. This means to say this, the airflow needs to stop which joins in with the fight of Curley and Lennie getting punched which cuff of their wind. In addition the adjective ‘big’ shows how Curley could be jealous of how tall Lennie is as opposed to his short height. Did Steinbeck purposely say this to make Curley seem weak? Therefore, Curley Standing up to Lennie shows his desire to have a higher status than him even though he is much smaller...
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