Curley Flashcards
he wears ‘high heeled boots’
The high-heeled boots act as a symbol of his power just like his father’s (the boss). However, Steinbeck suggests that his power’s artificial considering how easily Lennie had crushed his hand when Curley tried to punch him. In contrast to Slim, who Steinbeck displays as a natural leader, Curley needs to wear the boots to assert dominance visually.
he ‘won’t ever get canned’
Considering he doesn’t get canned, it sets him apart from all the other workers on the ranch; this shows how his position isn’t as harsh as theirs. For this reason, the reader is anxious over his presence considering he can afford to cause trouble in contrast to George who repeatedly worries about getting, not just himself into trouble but Lennie who will drag down George with him.
His ‘hands closed into fists’ and went ‘into a slight crouch’
‘He has a “glove full of Vaseline” to keep his hands soft for his wife’
This posture indicates Curley’s always ready for a fight and his combative stance suggests he’s extremely defensive which might suggest that he’s excessively insecure
This contrasts to the aggressive behaviour to his wife that the reader constantly gets reassured of in the novella. It perhaps could indicate he’s incapable of pleasing his wife somehow and it could explain why Curley’s Wife so desperately seeks out for other men’s attention.
‘slashed’
‘swung’
smashed’
His assault on Lennie is incredibly aggressive, which is further emphasised by Lennie’s initial non-response considering he was daydreaming and smiling back at the rabbits that were smiling at him. This serves for us to not only feel pity for Lennie and further emphasise his good character but also reinforces our hatred for Curley considering he attacks him for no reason as well as him exploiting the weak as a result of his privileged position
Curley ‘comes to life’ upon seeing his wife’s dead body
“I’ll kill that son-of-a-bitch myself”, “ill shoot him in the guts”
The juxtaposition of how we’d expect a loving husband to be depressed and shocked about his wife’s death reveals to the reader how loveless their marriage truly was. Curley seems to be filled with excitement as he asks around who did it and as he finds out it was Lennie, it finally gave him a reason to be angry and to fight him which seems like he’d be looking for ever since George and Lennie showed up on the ranch. The death of his wife doesn’t spark sadness; it sparks revenge and the desire to reestablish his ‘authority’.
