OM&M: Curley's Wife

She is not given a name showing she is just a possession. It shows her insignificance as she is the only woman in a mans world and so is not treated equally.
Candy describes her as a tart based on the assumption that he has seen her giving the other guys "the eye." which in his mind suggest she is sexually attracted to them.
Steinbeck presents her in a provocative manner "leaned against the doorframe so that her body was thrown forward." She also speaks in a flirtatious manner. She responds to George by saying "nobody can blame a person for looking" after noticing that Lennie can't take his eyes of her.
1. She dresses in red. This colour represents sex suggesting she is in fact a flirt.
2. She also dresses in red which symbolises danger and she is referred to as "jailbait" We're also told she'll "make a mess".
CW's behaviour is driven by her need for attention. Curley expects her to stay at home but she is LONELY so she seeks attention from the men in the only way she knows how. Unfortunately she doesn't get the attention she wants as most of the men fear getting in trouble with Curley and the Boss.
The only person who'll have anything to do with her is Slim who has no fear of Curley as he is unlikely to be canned. He playfully flirts with her "hi good-looking" He's the only person who's remotely nice to her.
We feel a great deal of SYMPATHY with CW b/c of her loneliness and the fact that he treats her with little respect. He expects her to stay home whilst he goes to a brothel. They are never seen together in the novel.
1. There is also a suggestion that he beats her, the apprehensive look she gets when they say Curley's looking for her.
  1. We also feel sympathy for her b/c she has broken dreams. She said she "coulda' been in the movies" by a producer who seems to only be impressing her to have sex with her. But she is NAIVE enough to believe him. She's so upset that she makes excuses saying that her mother hid the letters rather than facing the truth.
2. Our sympathy for CW decreases when we see her treatment of Crooks. He tells her to leave and she threatens to scream rape and have him lynched. This humiliates Crooks and shows that she's a racist.
  1. There are similarities in the way CW treats Crooks and they way Crooks treats Lennie. Both CW and Crooks are weak characters who try to gain power over the only characters in a weaker position than they are.
    1. Perhaps, their unpleasant behaviour is caused by the situation they find themselves rather than a true reflection of their personality.
Her desire to be in the movies shows ambition, making the reader warm to her. We don't blame her for being unwilling to stay with Curley who gives her no attention; we admire her spirit in defying him.
CW's death is ironic b/c she just wanted some attention so she wasn't lonely and the only person who paid true attention to her is the one that kills her.
1. After opening up about not liking her husband "he ain't a nice fella" she undermines Lennie thinking he's "jus' like a big baby" then allows him to stroke her hair. The reader knows from Lennie's past this will lead to her death.
  1. Steinbeck doesn't portray her death to be sad. His description of her body suggests that, in death, she has been released from being trapped in a circle of unhappiness. He describes her as "pretty and simple" implying she is better off now than when she was alive.
    1. Her death has a negative effect on a number of characters but not the character she would've wanted to hurt most - Curley.
  2. "meanness and the planning and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face"

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OM&M: Curley's Wife

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	Created by Alysia Bradley almost 9 years ago