How Does Steinbeck Present Curley's Wife

There are many methods that Steinbeck has used to present Curley’s Wife, such as the role of women in the 1930s and foreshadowing. As she enters, she “cut off” the sunshine in the doorway, this immediately tells the readers that she brings darkness with her and can also be seen connected to the end of the American Dream (how everything could turn dark immediately). Steinbeck’s symbolism of darkness replicates her as Eve, the temptress, leading men into darkness and sin. She is essentially a ‘scarlet women’ a danger to men who lures them for intercourse. One can take the description of her hair (‘’like sausages”) as a reinforcement of how she is viewed as a piece of meat to the ranch workers which yet again objectifies her and women.
Steinbeck’s use of colour illustrates her as something mysterious and forbidden. Coupled with his use of the “rouged” lips and “red” fingernails and “red” shoes, he chose a colour to represent her that is associated with energy and passion, but it is also a connotation of danger and blood. Moreover, the colour red was what the girl in Weed was wearing, that Lennie got into trouble because of, so it again foreshadows upcoming events of the end of the American …show more content…
This is evident due to her voice being that of a ‘nasal brittle quality ‘. Her brittleness is highly suggestive of the female vulnerability and the lack of feminine compassion at the time. Despite her proactive and confidence manner, she appears to be broken inside. Her voice could be a result of Curley’s manner towards her of seeing her as his object. It also refers to the inability to communicate effectively with men, she struggles to be her 'own person' and affects a false tone to, perhaps, make her appear more appealing and sexual. One could take adjective ‘brittle’ as a foreshadowing of her brittle bones that Lennie breaks when she is tragically