Curley's Wife Symbolism

Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, displays many examples of symbolism using many interesting characters. The development of the characters during this novel shows the broader trends during the historical time period of The Great Depression in America. Examples of these trends are racism, sexism, and ableism. Three integral characters for the development of these themes are Crooks, Curley’s Wife, and Candy. Mice and Men uses these characters to explore the effect of effects of systematic oppression on women, African Americans, and people with disabilities.
Crooks, the stable-buck, is oppressed in the novel due to his status as an African American citizen. During this time period, racism is prevalent towards African Americans. There

Even though women are gaining rights and respect during this time period in America, they still have not achieved gender equality in society. Curley’s wife is the epitome of the misogynist society in America during the early 1900s. Steinbeck clearly exhibits the lack of respect that Curley’s wife receives by not giving her a name in the novel. The author also describes many situations where the men on the ranch disrespect Curley’s wife. The majority of the characters in the novel attempt to avoid her at all costs: “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck 85). Curley’s wife purposefully makes this statement to show the disadvantages she deals with being a woman during this time period. She is trying to get the men’s attention because she is neglected daily and treated as a distraction to all of the men on the ranch that are

In contrast to Curley’s Wife and Crooks, Candy is oppressed due to a physical handicap. Prior to the novel’s time frame, Candy cuts off his hand, which drastically affects his efficacy on the ranch: “I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. That’s why they give me a job swampin’” (Steinbeck 59). This displays the lack of importance that the boss of the ranch puts on Candy as a worker because of his disability. He is not as important as the other men at the ranch because he cannot do work as efficiently. This lack of importance causes Candy to fear for the future, as he might be laid off. Candy knows his future is not promising as it will be difficult for him to find his place in society without two fully functioning working