Curley

Question 1

How is Curley described and represented?

Answer 1

• “thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair.”
• An amateur boxer who is always picking fights than men larger than him
• An evil man: even Lennie senses the evil about him

Question 2

How is Curley shown to be obsessive and attempting to be superior?

Answer 2

• Tries to prove masculinity by picking fights
• Tries to assert dominance by marrying a physically attractive woman
• His wife is never named which indicates she is his possession
• Refuses to let his wife talk to anyone
• Keeps his glove “full of vaseline” to caress his wife
• Visits the brothel on Saturdays
• He has an air of superiority around him because he is the boss’s son but can not satisfy his wife so is mean to her

Question 3

How does Curley’s hunger for revenge cause George to want to kill Lennie?

Answer 3

• Lennie breaks Curley’s hand when he tries to fight him
• After killing his wife, Curley seeks revenge
• He says he wants to shoot Lennie “in the gut” and watch him suffer
• George wants to give Lennie a quick and painless end to his worries