Curley's Wife Quotes Analysis

Curley 's wife wanders the ranch desperate; searching for a smile or even an acknowledgment that she exists. She is surrounded by a world of men being in charge of the farm and working in the fields. She is in the property of one man; Curley. “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). This quote spoken by Curley’s wife shows that nobody that she is surrounded by everyday is allowed to talk to her or does not want to talk to her because everybody except Curley thinks that she is “jailbait” or a “tart”. The novel is Of Mice and Men is by John Steinbeck. This novel is the life of two boys, Lennie and George, that get into a lot of trouble; Lennie adores rabbits and wants to have his own farm so

The theme being powerless is being showed by saying that Lennie and George are displayed as the underdogs in this novel. Steinbeck shows compassion towards them throughout each chapter. Powerless takes many forms; intellectual, societal, and financial; and Steinbeck touches on them all. The only power that Lennie possesses is physical. Lennie 's mental handicap and his child-like ways affect his action towards others. He is powerless against his urges and the forces that assail him. “Why do you got to get killed? You ain 't so little as mice. I didn 't bounce you hard. ' He bent the pup 's head up and looked in its face, and he said to it, “Now maybe George ain 't gonna let me tend no rabbits, if he fin 's out you got killed” (Steinbeck 85). This quote shows that Lennie’s actions are bigger than his words. He doesn’t mean to kill or hurt any living creature. He’s strong with his hands but kind with his heart. George, is also powerless too. He instructs Lennie on what to do and not to do. Although he perceives danger posed by Curley’s wife, George cannot be with Lennie every hour of the day therefore cannot truly protect Lennie from himself. Describing Lennie and George as being powerless helps the reader understand that being outcasts and being called weak describe what life is like for them on the farm. They are struggling to become stronger. They are trying to prove

Tone is a literary device being used to show how the novel is being written. Steinbeck is being sympathetic towards all of his characters, but he’s not going to invent an happy ending for any of them. Instead, Steinbeck contrasts the real-life world of limited sources, human intolerance, limiting social roles, poverty, and violence in a world of friendship, loyalty, and freedom. Of Mice And Men is written in a naturalist style of writing. Steinbeck refers to Lennie as an animal. Describing him as a “bear” always dragging his “paws”. “[...] drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse” (Steinbeck 3). This quote shows that there is no moralizing about “evil” or “good”. Steinbeck sees his characters as controlled by heredity, chance, instinct, or environment. Lennie has a different kind of mental disability. His disability influences all of his actions which affects the people around him. Even though Lennie commits an awful crime, the way Steinbeck portrays him makes the readers hesitant to pass judgement. Steinbeck presents all of his characters to his readers just as they all are. His approach makes us feel for them all as human beasts. Using tone in a novel helps readers understand how to identify each character so that they can predict what will happen next as they read on in