How Does Steinbeck Present The Death Of Curley's Wife

John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place in California on a ranch in the Salinas Valley during the Great Depression. During this time, the United States of America was in a period of economic decline and people were living in poverty. From these hardships, weaknesses arise in different characters in the novel. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck utilizes the deaths of Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife, and Lennie to reveal that weaker people are eradicated because they cannot defend themselves against others.

Carlson ordered the killing of Candy’s dog because it had no purpose on the ranch. As the workers gathered in the bunkhouse, Carlson arrived and smelled Candy’s old sheep herding dog. He proposed to kill the dog and told

When Lennie was in the barn, Curley’s wife came in and begun to speak with him. Eventually, the two conversed on how they liked to feel soft surfaces. Curley’s wife allowed Lennie to feel her soft hair. However, “She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. (...) Lennie was in panic. (...) She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose. (...) And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck” (91). Curley’s wife was weakened by her state of isolation as the only female on the ranch. Due to this, she sought companionship with Lennie. Although Lennie was a mentally challenged individual, he was stronger with his status as a man who was also physically strong. Despite her efforts to escape Lennie’s grasp, the difference in power made Curley's wife unable to defend

After Lennie accidentally killed Curley’s wife, he ran away from the ranch. The other men learned of Lennie’s murder and pursued him. George, who was Lennie’s friend, found him first. There, he “raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he lay without quivering” (106). At first, George hesitated to kill Lennie because of their friendship. However, George realized that Lennie was a mentally challenged individual who would not be able to follow his ethics. Even with their affable relationship, George could no longer trust Lennie with others. After considering the problems Lennie created due to his flaws, George found no reason to let him