Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Analysis

“You come into the world alone and you go out of the world alone, yet it seems to me you are more alone while living than even going and coming.” - Emily Carr. John Steinbeck was a notorious American author widely known for his novel The Grapes of Wrath published in 1939, many of his other novels follow the recurring theme surrounding the problems faced by the lower class following the Great Depression. In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck narrates the story of two young men by the names of George Milton and Lennie Smalls. Both gentlemen come from Weed, California, and move from place to place in hopes to find employment during the peak of the Great Depression in the United States. In this novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck continuously

Curley’s Wife is the wife of Curley, who is the son of Slim, the boss of the farm. Curley’s wife does not have a name and she is the only woman on the farm which is our first indication that she is lonely. Right off the bat, Curley’s wife is depicted as a whore and a slut due to her habit of being flirtatious and promiscuous with the men on the ranch. Also due to the way she expresses herself. Her main relationship is with her husband Curley, however, even though she is married, she feels as if she doesn't have anyone but herself. Curley’s wife stumbles upon Lennie in the barn who has just killed a newborn puppy and is grieving over his mistake. As Curley’s wife tries to pursue Lennie, he is very apprehensive about talking to her, telling her that she is trouble and that George has told him to stay away from her. Curley’s wife quotes, “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck __). At first, this quote may strike confusion. Curley’s wife is married to Curley, how could she feel lonely as a married woman? Well, this quote tells us that Curley’s wife is stuck, and just like every woman in the United States of America in this period, she doesn’t have any real freedom. Curley’s wife has no real job on the farm due to her being a woman and because of this Curley expects her to stay in the house all day. Curley has also forbidden his wife to not speak to anyone on the farm. Curley’s wife follows up with, “I get lonely. You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley, else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody” (Steinbeck 87). This quote shows us that Curley’s wife settled for Curley and how she is unhappy in her marital relationship. Because she settled for Curley, they don't have a real loving connection and bond that you should have in a marriage. This causes for her to seek conversation