Portrayal Of Women In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men'

MaryJane Sanchez
Kasey Lutrell
English 11
5 February 2018
OMAM
Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, one of his classic novellas, is based on two characters, a dreamer and a mentally disabled, during the 1930s who start working on a farm where they meet a woman, Curley’s wife, who helps demonstrate the developed themes of women being characterized as objects and the unattainable American Dream, which Lennie and George never acquire, along with Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife causes multiple disruptions throughout the farm, wanting attention and continuously engaging activity with the men, everyone other than her husband.
The women in Steinbeck’s classic novella, are seen as objects, hardly having a purpose besides pleasing the men in the

When George is speaking to Whit about Curley’s wife, it illustrates their view of Curley’s wife, “‘Well stick around an’ keep your eyes open. You’ll see plenty. She ain’t concealin’ nothing. I never seen nobody like her. She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody,’” (Steinbeck 51). This quote shows Curley’s wife desires attention no matter who

The women are unauthorized to do anything, setting a boundary of how much they can accomplish, being denied the chance of achieving the American Dream. In the novella, when all of the men, excluding the characters with limited abilities that completely divide them from the white males, the ones who have a chance of attaining prosperity of the American Dream; when Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie, Candy and Crooks, demonstrates how Curley’s wife is limited. “‘Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?’” (Steinbeck 77), Curley’s wife is limited to what she can do while on the farm and in all the society, even when she is not pursuing the American Dream. With the excessive restraints society has developed for the women, it makes achieving the pursuit of happiness, in the form of the American Dream,