Curley’s Wife Quotes

Question 1

Dreams:
Her extravagant clothing suggests that she’s still desperately clinging to/living out her dream.

Answer 1

“She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers.”

Question 2

Dreams:
Silly description depicts her clinging to her dream as poignant/pathetic.

Answer 2

“Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages.”

“…she made a small grand gesture with her arm and hand to show that she could act.”

Question 3

Dreams:
She remains optimistic/defiant about the possibility of her dream coming true.

Answer 3

‘“I coulda made somethin’ of myself.” She said darkly, “Maybe I will yet.”’

Question 4

Dreams:
Blames the failure of her dream on her mother.

Answer 4

‘“I never got that letter,” she said. “I always thought my ol’ lady stole it.”’

Question 5

Dreams:
Another victim of a failed dream, imagining what her life could have been.

Answer 5

“Coulda been in the movies… I coulda sat in them big hotels… When they had them previews I coulda went to them”

Question 6

Prejudice:
Candy immediately begins to spread gossip about her to the new workers.

Answer 6

“Well—she got the eye…I seen her give Slim the eye…I seen her give Carlson the eye.”

Question 7

Prejudice:
George makes the crude assumption that she would sexually sell herself.

Answer 7

“Bet she’d clear out for twenty bucks.”

Question 8

Prejudice:
She is subject to a series of misogynistic insults and degrading comments.

Answer 8

“”Jesus, what a tramp””
“”Don’t you even take a look at that bitch.””
“”I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her.””
“”…she’s a rattrap if I ever seen one.””

Question 9

Prejudice:
Candy cruelly reminds Curley’s Wife about her loneliness.

Answer 9

“…we got fren’s, that’s what we got.”

Question 10

Prejudice:
Candy is blinded by his misogynistic prejudice of Curley’s Wife that he can’t recognise that she is lonely, just like him.

Answer 10

“We ain’t got nothing to say to you at all… So maybe you better jus’ scatter along now”

“Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live.”

Question 11

Loneliness:
She tries to entice the men with her physical appearance, attempting to draw them into a conversation.

Answer 11

“She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up.”

“…leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.”

Question 12

Loneliness:
She is also flirtatious as she tries to appeal to the men.

Answer 12

‘“…I better look some place else,” she said playfully.” “She smiled archly and twitched her body.”’

Question 13

Loneliness:
Uses the excuse of finding her husband to socialise with the other men.

Answer 13

“I’m lookin’ for Curley… Sometimes Curley’s in here…”

Question 14

Loneliness:
She is consistently rejected by most of the ranch men who refuse to be drawn in to prolonged conversations with her.

Answer 14

“You’re the new fellas that just come, ain’t ya?” “Yeah.””
“George looked away from her and then back.”
“She looked from one face to another, and they were all closed against her.”

Question 15

Loneliness:
Slim is the only character who is sociable and conversational with her.

Answer 15

“Hi, Good-lookin’.”

Question 16

Loneliness:
She is the only woman on the ranch, a place where she has no experience and in which she is completely out of place.

Answer 16

“Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, specially like her.”

Question 17

Loneliness:
She passionately challenges the loneliness she feels and how others ostracise her.

Answer 17

“Well, I ain’t giving you no trouble. Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?”

Question 18

Loneliness:
She tries to encourage empathy on the part of Lennie and persuade him to speak with her.

Answer 18

‘“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?”’

Question 19

Loneliness:
She adapts this strategy, moving on to another conversational path to prolong the interaction.

Answer 19

‘“She changed the subject. “What you got covered up there?”’

Question 20

Loneliness:
She is desperate for conversation and company, attempting to capitalise on the fact that she (momentarily) has Lennie’s attention.

Answer 20

“…her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away.”

Question 21

Loneliness:
Lennie lacks the capacity to emotionally engage with Curley’s Wife when she details her suffering.

Answer 21

“Lennie sighed deeply.”

Question 22

Treatment of others:
She cruelly comments on the insignificance of Lennie, Candy and Crooks.

Answer 22

“”They left all the weak ones here””

“”…a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an’ a dum- dum and a lousy ol’ sheep””

Question 23

Treatment of others:
She subject Crooks to a vicious verbal attack, threatening to have him killed and suggests that it would be easy because if his race.

Answer 23

‘“Listen, Nigger,” she said. “You know what I
can do to you if you open your trap?”’

‘“Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung upon a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.”’

Question 24

Treatment of others:
She reminds Candy and Lennie that the other men disregard them.

Answer 24

“Nobody’d listen to you, an’ you know it. Nobody’d listen to you.”

Question 25

Treatment of others:
She recognises Lennie’s grief over his dead pup and tries to comfort him.

Answer 25

‘She consoled him. “Don’t you worry none…”

‘She moved closer to him and she spoke soothingly’

Question 26

Relationship with Curley:
Curley sexually objectifies his wife, boastfully alluding to his sexual relationship with her.

Answer 26

“Well, that glove’s fulla vaseline…Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife.

Question 27

Relationship with Curley:
Her reaction to Curley being at home suggests that she is afraid of him.

Answer 27

“She was suddenly apprehensive…she hurried away”

Question 28

Relationship with Curley:
Curley’s Wife sarcastically reveals her contempt for her husband.

Answer 28

“Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he?”

Question 29

Relationship with Curley:
There is no care or love in their marriage - she seems to revel in Curley’s pain and suffering.

Answer 29

“I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit. He got it comin’ to him. Sometimes I’d like to bust him myself.”

Question 30

Relationship with Curley:
She suffers from an unhappy and unfulfilling marriage.

Answer 30

”I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.”

Question 31

Her death:
She suffers a painful and terrifying death at the hands of Lennie.

Answer 31

“She struggled violently under his hands…she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror”.

“…her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.”

Question 32

Her death:
She finds some peace from her suffering in death.

Answer 32

“…the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face.”

“She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young.”

Question 33

Her death:
Her death isn’t prioritised by those who find her - Candy fears for the dream and George is focused on Lennie.

Answer 33

“Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. “You an’ me can get that little place, can’t we, George?”

“I ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie.”

Question 34

Her death:
Candy blames her for the death of their dream and subjects her to vicious misogynistic abuse.

Answer 34

”Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.”

Question 35

Her death:
Slim is the only character who seems to be concerned about Curley’s Wife.

Answer 35

“Slim went quietly over to her, and he felt her wrist. One lean finger touched her cheek, and then his hand went under her slightly twisted neck and his fingers explored her neck.”

‘Slim stood looking down at Curley’s wife. He said, “Curley—maybe you better stay here with your wife.”’

Question 36

Her death:
Curley is more concerned with revenge against Lennie than mourning his wife’s death.

Answer 36

“I’m goin’,” he said. “I’m gonna shoot the guts outa that big bastard myself…”