Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay

John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men , addresses the hopes, dreams, and lifestyle experienced by lower class people during the time of the Great Depression. The short novella tells the tale of a friendship between two men; George Milton, a small, thin and dark faced character with sharp strong features, and his companion Lennie Small, a big, child like, broad-shouldered guy with the strength of a bear, but the actions of a dog; traveling around the country by foot to find work and fulfill their idea of the American Dream. Upon their arrival at the ranch, both men find themselves meeting Curley, the boss’ son and his wife, a seductive women with full-rough lips, wide-spaced eyes, and red vivid nails. Like the other men on the ranch, George and Lennie fall under the spell of her captivating looks and flirtatious attitude. Many characters seem to misinterpret her loneliness and unjust life for her mischievous actions which usually encourage the reader to believe that her villainous character was the cause of her death. While this argument holds eminence, one must look at the surrounding circumstances …show more content…
She is often left out of the discussions the guys have causing her to be very lonesome. This is portrayed by her constant need to ask where Curley is, but it is apparent to many readers that she has no interest in Curley. According to novella, Curley has made it clear that the men on the ranch may not talk to her without the fear of a beating however that doesn’t stop her. “‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘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?’” Her cries for somebody to talk to is shown when she said, ‘‘Wha's the matter with me?" she cried. "Ain't I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You're a nice guy. I don't know why I can't talk to you. I ain't doin' no harm to you’” (Steinbeck 43)