The Oppression Of Women In Of Mice And Men, By John Steinbeck

According to a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, about four-in-ten working women report they have experienced sexism at their job, twice as high as the amount of working men who have reported experiencing discrimination due to their gender. Heavy debate surrounds the conversation of sexism and the extent in which women experience it. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife is objectified and treated poorly by men. Sexism leads to dehumanization and a struggle for freedom. Sexism causes the objectification and oppression of women. This is apparent in the way the men working on the ranch view Curley’s wife. When speaking about her to George and Lennie, Candy says, “Know what I think? Well, I think Curley’s

By calling Curley’s wife this, Candy is reducing Curley’s wife to a sexual object and is dehumanizing her. She is no longer a woman but instead a promiscuous woman who is attempting to get with other men even when she has a husband. The dehumanization of Curley’s wife can be further supported by how she is never referred to by name and is instead known by her relationship to her husband, demonstrating how the men believe she is merely an extension of Curley. In the 1930s, women were treated worse than men, merely because of their gender and Steinbeck means to emphasize this in his novella. He never gives Curley’s wife a name in order to show how she isn’t seen

In addition, Steinbeck wanted readers to reflect upon the word choices and the actions of the men and understand how the language they use portrays their opinion of women. Likewise, Curley’s wife lacks freedom and control over her own life. She is forced to stay inside on Saturdays, a day where the other men don’t have work and get to go out. Angrily, she lashes out, yelling, “--Sat’day night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin’. Ever’body! An’ what am I doin’? Standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs…” (Steinbeck 78). Even on Saturdays where everyone goes out to the town, Curley’s wife is stuck at the ranch. She does not have the ability to leave and clearly houses contempt at her husband for locking her in. Since Curley’s wife does not have a lot of control over her own life, she attempts to make up for this by asserting dominance over others. She projects her anger at Lennie, Crooks, and Candy, those who are below her in status, as a way to release her bubbling rage. Throughout the novella, Curley’s wife is constantly making rude comments and this can be attributed to her holding onto a false sense of power, wanting to believe that she has