Curley's+Wife

Overveiw

Curleys wife's role in the novel '**OF MICE AND MEN'** is more of being an object and a symbol. Curleys wife is not given a name, she is unimportant, she is just Curley's wife. George and Lennie build up a dream together but then Lennie kills Curley's Wife which symbolizes the death of their dream. Her death is **foreshadowed** earlier in the book, when Lennie kills his pup.The puppy was an object to Lennie something he could play with like how Curley's wife was an object to Curley. She is a symbol of the death of the American Dream. In the book she talked to Lennie about her dreams of being a film star, **she is also a symbol of the death of the celluloid as well as the death of the American Dream.**

Earlier in the book she is portrayed as a 'tart'. All the men on the ranch made quick judgments about her from how she looked and from what they were told of her. She first enters the book, already known as a 'tart', In an all red outfit with heavy makeup. She represents woman of the 1930's. Woman back in the 1930's were either woman in show business, with all the high fashion clothes and living the dream or housewives who had to do the basic necessities; cook, clean, and have the food ready on the table for the husband.

Curley's wife is described as **'Purty'** according to Lennie. She wears red which symbolizes danger, hate, anger, love, lust and betrayal. All the men want to keep away from her because she causes trouble. She always flirts with the men on the ranch which then gets Curley mad, which is why the other men think he wears his glove full of Vaseline so he can abuse her and not have the bruises show. She just wants someone to talk to because she is isolated.She tries to make friends on the ranch but is judged by everyone, everyone is treating her unfairly.


 * =**Characteristic**= || =**Comment/Discussion**= || =**Quote/ Evidence**= || =**Technique**= ||
 * ===**Beautiful**===

**for danger**
|| Curley's wife is described as a beautiful woman. She wears red which symbolizes her as danger, hate, anger, love,lust and betrayal. Nobody wants to be around her, all the ranch workers keep away from her because she is known as a girl who gets people in trouble. || **-** 'She wore a cotton house dress and red mules on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers' eyes, heavily made up' rolled clusters like sausages' || **- Dialogue**
 * -** 'She had full rouged lips, and wide spaced
 * -** 'Her fingernails were red.Her hair hung in little


 * - Repetition.** ||
 * ==**Unfaithful**==

**flirtatious**
|| Curley's wife is known as someone who causes trouble. She is always flirting with other ranch workers which then gets her husband Curley mad. She is the only woman on the ranch and is usually left home alone to be a housewife, she becomes isolated in that house so she finds excuses to leave the house and flirt with the men. || **-** "Well she got the eye" leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward' || **- Dialogue.**
 * -** "Jesus what a tramp"
 * -** 'She smiled archly and twitched her body'
 * -** "Nobody can blame a person for looking"
 * -** 'She put her hands behind her back and

but gets judged by everyone. Everyone just treats her unfairly because of her status, nobody understands that she is lonesome. She's an object rather than a person, that is why she isn't given a name, she is unimportant. She is just Curley's wife. || **-** "Jesus what a tramp" he said piece of jail bait worse that her. you let her be" || **- Comparison**
 * - Contrast** ||
 * =**Friendly**= || Curley's wife tries to make friends around the ranch
 * -** "So that's what Curley picks for a wife"
 * -** "i seen em poison before but i never seen no


 * - Dialogue**


 * - Contrast** ||