Curley's Wife Selfish Analysis

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On the farm, cruelty and devastation breed. The main source of this infestation is Curley and his wife. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Curley and Curley's wife share the traits of selfishness and frustration. These two characters, specifically make life hard for their coworkers. Their violent outbursts and troubled personalities make them the perfect couple. However, for the others, this makes life on the farm substantially harder. Curley, a cruel character who causes trouble for everyone on the farm, makes life miserable for his fellow workers by frustrating himself and others, and by being overwhelmingly selfish. This crude man is specifically frustrated because he is not shown the respect he thinks he deserves. In reality, he does not deserve any respect, and this is the reason he is not seen as an esteemed …show more content…

Curley's wife desires to be the center of attention. She does this because she bases her self worth on what others think, but others do not think highly of her. Despite having a husband, she flirts with every man on the farm. She hates Curly and this is her way of breaking the restraints Curly has implemented in her. Along with being egotistical, she is also an irritable woman who is bitter because her dreams of being a movie star were shattered by her repressive mother. Being on a secluded farm with an overprotective and violent husband is her worst nightmare. She craves the spotlight and attention, but nobody will dare speak to her in fear of her husband. Without people telling her how perfect she is, she becomes violent and threatens people, specifically Crooks. She threatens him with lynching because he is the only Negro on the farm. Curley's wife is slowly going insane from the isolation that the farm brings. She acts out because of the way others have treated her. Nonetheless, she is still a selfish and frustrated