...story “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, uses characterization of women throughout the piece to represent the social attitudes towards women in the 1930’s, the story's time period. There is only one main, female character in the text, referred to as Curley's wife, who Steinbeck characterizes well throughout the text as an unfitting, flirtatious and irresponsible woman who does not contribute to her household. First, when Curley's wife is being introduced to the antagonists, George and Lennie, at the bunkhouse she is described as very elegant and voluptuous. When Lennie and George look up to see Curley's wife for the first time she wears a “cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little...
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...of Curley's Wife in 'Of Mice and Men' How is Curley's Wife presented in 'Of Mice and Men'? The novel is a microcosm, a cross section of society reflecting the prejudice. Blacks had no rights in America; they were seen as ‘nobody’s. Women too had very few rights. The itinerant workers ended to be loners. All these people were forced into loneliness and isolation; they each had a dream in hope of a better life often referred to at the time as ‘The American Dream’. Central to Steinbeck’s novel is Curley’s Wife and her importance in the novel is of how she revolves around the novels main themes and events. Curley’s Wife is excluded for being female, she is often found in search for companionship on the ranch as her newly found marriage does not give her the affection she desires, as she states to Lennie “I don’t like Curley he aint a nice fella.” Because of this she often tries to interact with the other men although she is never allowed as they think a “ranch aint no place for a girl.” Carlson also states of how a “women should be at home where she belongs.” The fact that she is excluded from a place of physical work is indicative of how women were portrayed during the 1930’s. They were not expected to do work, but instead stay at home and raise a family. Curley’ wife feels insecure because of the loneliness she feels and it is made clear she is frustrated with this situation, “none of them care how I gotta live.” Throughout the novel as similar to Crooks, Curley’s Wife...
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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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...Compare how the female characters are presented in Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ and Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ One similarity that Lady Macbeth and Curley’s wife share, (other than the fact that they both have no names, and are referred to their husband names), is that they both receive the most tragic punishment at the end in consequence of their own actions. On the one hand Lady Macbeth leads herself to her own death when she starts sleepwalking and going ‘mad’. In Act 5 Scene 1, the doctor himself loses hope; “This disease is beyond my practice.” He says, “Yet I have known those which have walked in their sleep who have died holily in their beds.” The doctor calls it a ‘disease’ and shows that they cannot do anything about it. This also indicates how women were treated; and how they were not cared for as much as men were and they were immediately left for mad, whereas if it was the men, they would do everything to find out what is wrong with them and find a cure, but women were left to die as mad and crazy. Lady Macbeths ‘disease’ is all a cause of what she has done as she is full of guilt, especially after she finds out that Macduff’s wife and children are dead; “The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?” Lady Macbeth realises that it was her influence on Macbeth that has caused him to continue committing crimes, and take innocent live away by brutally...
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...Russia, France and great Britain developed between 1894-1907 6. Triple alliance the secret alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy formed in 1882 lasting till 1914. 7. Ww1 started in which year? 28 July 1914 8. Crimson thread of kinship The Crimson Thread of Kinship is a 12-metre-long sewing representing the unfolding story of Australia. It depicts the changing landscape of the nation, beginning with Aboriginal occupation of the continent and finishing in the southern night sky. 9. Crimson thread of allegiance is not real 10. Crimson thread of agreement is not real 11. Anzac stands for? Australia and new Zealand army corps 12. What is conscription was compulsory military service for young men, this defense act began 1902. 13. What was prime minister Hughes campaign to introduce inscription 14. Who were opposed to conscription 15. Ww1 ended in which year? November 11, 1918 16. Who was assassinated in ww1? Archduke Franz Ferdinand 17. Areas fought in ww1? 'Western Front' in France and Belgium were the biggest war areas 18. Most important reason for Australia declaring war in September 1939? Germany invaded Poland and so Great Britain has declared war on them along with Australia. 19. Who were POW in ww2 in Australia internment camps? The main use of internment camps were to put the people against Australia according to...
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...Introduction: In An Inspector Calls, Eva Smith dies a horrible death, she drinks a strong disinfectant which gives her a painful death. The fact that she is not actually presented in the play by Priestly gives an impression that people don’t really care about and don’t treat her well. On the other hand Steinbeck gives Curley’s wife a peaceful death in Of Mice and Men. But the fact that she isn’t given her own name shows that she was a possession of Curley, and it also makes us feel that No-one sees her as a person and Steinbeck didn’t want the reader to either. Also she died because she was enjoying having someone to talk to and someone to pay attention to her, which means that no one wanted to listen to her or talk to her, which can make her feel rejected/depressed and nobody cares about her. Section 1: Of Mice and Men was published in 1937 just before the Second World War and a couple years after the Great Depression which swept the world in to poverty and decline. The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic downfall proceeding up to the Second World War. It varied across many nations and started in the 1930s and ended during the late 1930s up or the middle of 1940s. The Depression originated in the U.S. when the fall of the stock market prices fell dramatically and trade plunged by 50% along with personal tax, tax revenue and other tax related money expenditures dropped, as well as that the unemployment in the U.S. rose by 25%. Everybody was hit hard and...
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...John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men This scene in Of Mice and Men is made extra tense by the author, John Steinbeck, by a mixture of linguistic devices, description and speech. Curley’s wife is introduced in this scene and it starts by describing her. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck tells a story of dreams, hopes and loneliness. We are introduced to a majorly significant and complex character, Curley’s wife. Steinbeck shows us that Curley’s wife is flirtatious, mischievous but most of all an isolated character. She plays a main part in the novel; in doing this she displays and presents many of the main themes. Before we are presented to Curley’s wife, Candy talks about her, to George and Lennie. She is spoken about in a gossipy manor. “I think Curley’s married a … tart.” Steinbeck is prejudicing and preparing us before we meet Curley’s wife. He does this, so that we have an influenced preliminary impression of Curley’s wife and the way she acts. Steinbeck creates tension in this scene as, at the start, he builds up a stark image in our mind about how Curley’s wife looks. He also makes it very clear to us what both George and Lenny are thinking. Lenny is dazzled by Curley’s wife’s beauty whereas George is more wary of her and knows better than to chat with her too long. We develop an initial perception of Curley’s wife as being flirtatious and promiscuous. This is shown at the entrance of Curley’s wife’s. Steinbeck first introduces us to her appearance, “full...
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...Of Mice 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...
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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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...Steinbeck depicts Curley’s wife not as a villain, but rather as a victim. Like the ranch-hands, she is desperately lonely and has broken dreams of a better life. She's the only female character in the novel, and she's never given a name and is only referred to in reference to her husband. The men on the farm refer to her as a “tramp,” a “tart,” and a “looloo.” Dressed in fancy, feathered red shoes, she represents the temptation of female sexuality in a male-dominated world. How is Curley's wife presented and developed throughout the novel? Curley's wife is an example of how our perception of a character can change without the character actually changing. She is portrayed as both a villain and victim throughout the course of the novel. Despite Steinbeck's rendering she emerges as a relatively complex and intricate character who through the course of the novel, our feelings become sympathetic towards. Throughout the novel she is shown in different lights, as from section 2 to section 5 in the novel, her character evolves and her sweeter and more vulnerable side is shown in contrast to her first appearance which portrays her as imposing and a trouble maker. Throughout the course of the novel, it appears women are treated with contempt and Steinbeck generally depicts women as trouble-makers who bring ruin on men and drive them mad. Aside from wearisome wives "Of Mice and Men" offers limited rather misogynistic descriptions of women who are either dead, maternal figures or prostitutes...
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...In the movie Of Mice and Men and in the novel there are many differences. Some similarities are very different while others can be plain obvious. The novel and the movie may play the same story, but the events leading up to the resolution can be different or the same. The movie and the novel Of Mice and Men are similar and different in many ways. The first thing you will notice about the novel and the movie Of Mice and Men are the many similarities. The first similarity you might notice is the overall setting of both the novel and the movie. The setting for both appears to be in a desert area. Another similarity of both the novel and the movie is that green pond that George and Lennie stumble upon near the beginning of both the novel and the movie. Other similarities in Of Mice and Men is how the characters are described in the novel and presented in the movie. For example, in the novel Curley (the boss’s son) is...
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...sincerity. From Lennie’s perspective, George is the most important person in his life, his guardian and only friend. Every time he does anything that he knows is wrong, his first thought is of George’s disapproval. He doesn’t defend himself from Curley because of George’s stern instruction for him to stay out of trouble, and when he mistakenly kills his puppy and then Curley’s wife, his only thought is how to quell George’s anger. He has a childlike faith that George will always be there for him, a faith that seems justified, given their long history together. George, on the other hand, thinks of Lennie as a constant source of frustration. He has assumed responsibility for Lennie’s welfare and has, several times, been forced to run because of trouble Lennie has inadvertently caused. Life with Lennie is not easy. However, despite George’s frequent bouts of anger and frustration, and his long speeches about how much easier life would be without Lennie, George is clearly devoted to his friend. He flees from town to town not to escape the trouble Lennie has caused, but to protect Lennie from its consequences. The men are uncommonly united by their shared dream of a better life on a farm where they can “live off the fatta the lan’,” as Lennie puts it. George articulates this vision by repeatedly telling the “story” of the future farm to his companion. Lennie believes unquestioningly in their dream, and his faith enables the hardened, cynical George to imagine the possibility of this...
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...Analysis of Major Characters Lennie Although Lennie is among the principal characters in Of Mice and Men, he is perhaps the least dynamic. He undergoes no significant changes, development, or growth throughout the novel and remains exactly as the reader encounters him in the opening pages. Simply put, he loves to pet soft things, is blindly devoted to George and their vision of the farm, and possesses incredible physical strength. Nearly every scene in which Lennie appears confirms these and only these characteristics. Although Steinbeck’s insistent repetition of these characteristics makes Lennie a rather flat character, Lennie’s simplicity is central to Steinbeck’s conception of the novel. Of Mice and Men is a very short work that manages to build up an extremely powerful impact. Since the tragedy depends upon the outcome seeming to be inevitable, the reader must know from the start that Lennie is doomed, and must be sympathetic to him. Steinbeck achieves these two feats by creating a protagonist who earns the reader’s sympathy because of his utter helplessness in the face of the events that unfold. Lennie is totally defenseless. He cannot avoid the dangers presented by Curley, Curley’s wife, or the world at large. His innocence raises him to a standard of pure goodness that is more poetic and literary than realistic. His enthusiasm for the vision of their future farm proves contagious as he convinces George, Candy, Crooks, and the reader that such a paradise might be possible...
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...Letter to the conflicted author of ‘Of Mice and Men’ Contemptible sympathy! Mr Steinbeck, Having read your novella “Of Mice and Men” I am both hugely disgusted and confused as to why you gave Curley’s Wife sympathy after her death. I find it very challenging to sympathise with a malcontent being that you ensured sought satisfaction in belittling and ridiculing others. Do you honestly think so little of your audience? That we would disregard her obstreperousness due to the fact that she is no longer living and in reality where she would feel at home; in hell with her father, “the old devil”. Understandably, you gave her a certain amount of respect and sympathy as it is traditionally, common courtesy to offer this to the dead; however, the whole manner in which it was given is quite satirical. She was slated and slandered throughout the novella and presented as a “tart”, yet as soon as she passed “her face was sweet” and her “ache” for attention disappeared. It is completely puzzling how one can be perceived as the devil’s offspring one minute, and the next have angelic qualities. It is only right I question your credibility as the first sign of your inner confliction surfaces. Surely removing this conflict of interest will ultimately benefit everybody, including your sincerity and reputation. You plead sympathy for a “pretty and simple” vixen who was simultaneously “heavily made up” with “red finger-nails”. Not only is pleading for sympathy utterly pathetic...
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...Curley’s wife is a minor character in the novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’ (OMAM), the author, John Steinbeck uses a variety of techniques to present her as such. Steinbeck does this to make the reader form different opinions of the character, which gradually change as the story continues. One of the techniques Steinbeck uses is structure, even prior to meeting Curley’s wife the reader is forced to form a negative opinion of her character. This is important structurally as it gives a sense of foreshadowing and foreboding. Candy, the old ranch hand, tell us “… purty… but-“ the ‘but’ tells us a lot more than ‘purty’ does as all ‘purty’ tells us is that Curley’s wife is pretty whereas ‘but’ is purposely left open so that the reader, and George in the novel, may form a negative opinion of her character because that is the only reason why Candy is hesitant to finish his sentence as he would still be wary of George after only meeting him a short while ago. Forcing the reader to think negatively of and judge Curley’s wife is important as it gives the reader subtle hints as to her role in the outcome of the story. Light is used frequently as a symbol of hope in the novel and Curley’s wife is often shown as an obstacle between the men of the ranch and the idea of the American Dream, which is to have their own ranch and live off ‘the fatta the lan’’. “… the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off” – a ‘rectangle of sunshine’ represents the hope and it being described as a ‘rectangle’...
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