How important in the character of Curley's wife in the novel Of Mice And Men in John Steinbeck.

Curley's wife is one of the loneliest characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men. She is the only woman aside from talk of Clara, (Lennie's dead aunt) There for separates her from the rest of the people working on the ranch. She is one of the outsiders, she feels like she can't talk to anyone or Curley will get mad. He pays no attention to her what so ever and uses her more as an object to show off. From her first appearance she is dressed in red which foreshadows danger later in the story, she is blocking out the light which also foreshadows darkening the dream. She has a big dream like everybody else, she wants to be in the movies she says to Lennie the only reason she married Curley was because she didn't receive a letter she had been promised to get into hollywood. She says to Lennie “What kinda harm am I doin' to you? Seems like they ain't none of them cares how I gotta live I tell you I ain't used to living like this I coulda made something out of myself.” Being on the ranch shows that Curley's wife's dream failed.

Curley's wife is extremely coquettish towards the other men on the ranch she doesn't do it because she wants to offend Curley she simply does it because she is so lonely and wants friendship. Curley's wife dresses over the top with heavily made up eyes and mules, she thinks she will get more attention if she has a strong appearance. She has no connection to any of the men on the ranch and feels the only way to make people like her is to flirt with them. “Nobody can blame a person for looking. See y'around.” she says exciting the bunkhouse. Curley's wife has a incredibly nasty side to her, probably because she doesn't get the love she deserves from Curley. When everybody has gone out for the night Lennie, Curley's wife and Crooks are left. she says to Crooks, “Listen nigger,” “You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” “We'll you keep your place then, Nigger I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny.” (pg 80)

The men don't like talking to Curley's wife much because they are afraid they will get in trouble, Curley is the bosses son after all and he could easily get them kicked off the ranch. “Lennie responds to Curley's wife in a dazed way, Lennie's eyes moved down over her body,” but George discourages Lennie. Lennie's reactions to her could rapidly get them kicked out like their previous job back in weed.

Lennie thinks Curley's wife is pretty this could course trouble because he is so simple minded and doesn't understand what could happen if he meddles with her. George says “Lennie! Listen to me, god damn it! Don't you even look at her! I don't care what she says or what she does, she's a rat trap if I ever seen one.” He is saying it more for Lennie's safety. Candy uses expressions such as “She got the eye.” and goes on to describe her as a “tart.”

“I get lonely, “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 85)

“Don't you worry none. He was jus' a mutt. You can get another one easy. The whole country is fulla mutts.” (pg 86)

I don't like that Curley, he ain't a nice fella.”

“Sat'iday night. Ever'body out doin' som'pin'. Ever'body! An' what am I doin'? Standin' here talkin' to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an' a dum dum and lousy ol' sheep, an' likin' it because they ain't nobody else.” (pg 78)

“I coulda been in the films.”