This document summarises the character of Curley's wife in John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men', looking at the contributions that the character makes to the plot and how language and context shape this effect by highlighting key quotations.
GCSE Of Mice and Men - Curley’s Wife Analysis & Summary
OMAM context booklet
All for this textbook (40)
Written for
Edexcel
iGCSE
English Literature (4ET1)
All documents for this subject (9)
Seller
Follow
zf100
Reviews received
Content preview
Curley’s Wife
- No name – depicts lack of identity of women in microcosm (ranch).
- ‘Curley’s’: apostrophe of possession male oppression in 30s USA.
- Appearance (p34): plump lips, wide eyes, made up, rolled hair, cotton dress (red colour
highlighted – death/sensuality?)
- “red”: colour connotations of danger, sensuality.
- “heavily made-up”: trying 2 hide real self? Trying to hide signs of domestic abuse?
- “Ostrich feathered shoes”: symbolism of failed dream; shoes 4 actresses. Also, ostriches can’t
fly, parallel w/ her being stuck + not achieving her dream.
- Nasal voice, broken nose physical abuse
- Beautiful: appearance p34, “purty” (Lennie, p35)
- Flirtatious – posture: “leaned against door frame… body was thrown forward” “bridled a little”
“twitched body” p35
- Flirtatious: “tramp” (Candy), “tart” (George), “got the eye” p31
- Afraid of Curley: “suddenly apprehensive” p35
- Red DANGER (highlighted in appearance, p34), foreshadowing future events
- Contemptuous; Exerting power over the weak: “left all the weak ones here” p87, “a n*****, a
dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep” p89
- Aware of everything: “I know where they all went” p87, “you’re all scared of each other, that’s
what”, “I like machines” p90, “I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit” p92
- Reveals opinions on husband p88
- Racist, contemptuous and domineering to Crooks p91 – exertion of power: “I could get you
strung up on a tree”, “Tell an’ be damned”
- Backstory – wanted to be actress, “in pictures”: superficiality highlighted, fame > art.
- Only able to achieve dream is sexually available to men in power b/c HISTORICAL CONTEXT.
- Reader feels sympathy despite racism b/c she’s only bitter b/c of own failed dreams like
everyone else.
- Isolated: “think I like to stick in that house alla time?”
- Men don’t want her around: scared her flirting = fired; also scared they’ll give in to her flirting if
left 4 too long.
- Sex object 2 all, even herself: evident w/ slurs used against her; her op determined by her
appearance – sad.
- Steinbeck – “She’s not a person. She’s a symbol”: for loneliness, marginalization of women,
futility of AD for the marginalized (women, black, disabled, old); only works is white, young
male.
- Flat (only there for plot development, no name given) or rounded character? Rounded; name
really only not given symbolically.
- “jail bait”: looking 4 trouble through sexuality b/c only way for her to get attention (awareness
of being sex object”
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller zf100. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $3.90. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
