Of Mice and Men is a novella describing a story filled with men except for one, Curley’s wife who lives on a ranch dominated by men. Curley’s wife is a portrayal of all women during the 1930s and the struggles they had to face. She suffers from oppression because she is blamed for distracting the men from doing their work merely because of the way she looks and she is compared to an object. “Curley’s wife” is barely a name for a woman and Steinbeck uses this title for her to dehumanize her and show that she is Curley’s object. She is a female archetype of a temptress representing a sexist view of women. The main reason Curley’s wife faces such segregation and discrimination is because she is a woman. She is constantly blamed for distracting …show more content…
Steinbeck has designated this title to her to show that she is merely a wife, she belongs to Curley. Even during a time so important, her death, she is still referred to as “Curley’s wife” (87), she is an attachment to her husband. In the story, the men on the ranch call her sexist slurs solely based on her physical appearance. When Curley’s wife is first being introduced, Candy describes her as a “tart” (26), a woman with a poor reputation, a flirt. She had only been married to Curley for two weeks which means the men on the ranch have not truly met her, let alone have a conversation with her but she still gets called demeaning nicknames. When Whit and George played cards together, Whit asked George if he had seen Curley’s wife. He only asked if George had seen her, not spoken to her, when George said yes Whit then replied that he thought she was a “looloo” (48), a flirt, solely based on her looks. She is often viewed as evil in the novella, she is vilified for her flirtatious personality. Although she is given this sort of personality, she still lacks individuality and identity because of her name. In the novel, Curley’s wife sometimes becomes superficial however she does not deserve the treatment she receives from the men she lives with. During the time of her death, she is still referred to as “Curley’s wife”. She is an attachment to her