Curley's Wifu

Question 1

Curley’s wife is described before being introduced in the novella to George and Lennie as being ….

Answer 1

” Jail bait…. rat trap”. This illustrates Curley’s Wife is the femme fatale of the novella.

Question 2

What does the use of the metaphor ‘Jail Bait’ illustrate to george and lennie

Answer 2

the metaphor ‘Jail Bait’ is used by steinbeck to emphasise that she will get you in trouble

Question 3

when Curley’s Wife is first described to G&L she is named a “rat trap” what does Steinbeck mean by this ?

Answer 3

Steinbeck is describing her as an animal and dehumanising her. This is to show how women in the 1930s were seen in a very animalistic terms - As objects to please and sexually nourish men

Question 4

When Curley’s Wife comes across Lennie in the barn ( after Lennie kills the puppy) she says “I get awful, LONELY”. What does this illustrate?

Answer 4

Illustrates her loneliness besides being married to Curley - Curley sees her as another ‘possession’ - No love/Connection

Question 5

When Candy is warning G&L about Curley’s Wife before they meet her he says “She got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody” what does candy mean when he uses the word “eye”

Answer 5

She’s always looking at the other men like a hawk .

Question 6

What does it illustrate about Curley’s Wife when Candy says she’s got the eye going “all the time on everybody”

Answer 6

This illustrates she is unable to control her sexuality and she cant resist wanting to sleep around with everyone

Question 7

what is significant about Curley’s Wife in the book ?

Answer 7

She is the only women, Only victim of misogyny.

Question 8

Why is Curley’s Wife such an important character to demonstrate misogyny in America 1930s

Answer 8

she is so dissolved in the book that Steinbeck doesn’t even bother giving her a name except she is defined by her marriage to Curley (Curley’s wife)

Question 9

Curley’s wife is describing to Lennie how she never succeeded in her dreams of being in the movies “He as in pitchers… I was a natural…I never got that letter.” what does this quote illustrate?

Answer 9

This quote illustrates how Curley’s wife believed she was destined for greatness although she never succeeded . similar to George and Lennies dream.

Question 10

What does “He was in pitchers” illustrate to the reader about Curley’s wife

Answer 10

This shows how uneducated she is as well as how innocent she truly is.

Question 11

“so i married curley” what does this illustrate ?

Answer 11

Curley’s wife is confessing that she simply just settled after being unable to secure her dream of being in the movies.

Question 12

what does the quote “So i married Curley” illustrate about Ladies roles in America 1930s?

Answer 12

This quote shows how fewer options existed for women in America 1930s.

Question 13

Quote 6: “I could get you strung up on a tree”. We now see Curley’s Wife’s dark side of her nature. What does this suggest about White women in America 1930s

Answer 13

This shows how women during the segregation period would act and how they would often try to control black males , as black males were seen as a threat to their virginity.

Question 14

What is Curley’s wife trying to do to crooks by saying “i could get you strung up on a tree”?

Answer 14

She is reducing crooks to nothing and threatening him as she knows she has a power over him and that if she accuses him of rape, he would be instantly lynched.

Question 15

How is Curley’s wife described?

Answer 15

She has “rouged lips”, she is “heavily made up” and has red fingernails, mules and ostrich feathers. She often wears red which symbolises her outgoing character and sexuality.

She is first described as a “girl” rather than a woman

Question 16

What do Curley’s wifes red ostrich feathers metaphorically suggest about her character

Answer 16

Her boots are made up of ostrich feathers- ostriches are flightless birds - metaphorically suggesting perhaps Curley’s wife is unable to set herself free from the negative microcosm the ranch is - she cant fly away/escape Curley’s choke hold

Question 17

What are the 5 insults that are used to describe Curley’s wife?

Answer 17

1) “rat trap”
2) “jail bait”
3) “bitch”
4) “tart”
5) “tramp”

Question 18

What does Curley’s wife say about herself, Lennie, crooks and candy?

Answer 18

That “they are all the weak ones” on the ranch:

1) Candy- old and disabled
2) Herself- a woman
3) Crooks- a black man (isolated)
4) Lennie- not very clever

Question 19

How do we know that Curley’s wife is a flirtatious character from how she carries her body?

Answer 19

1) “she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”
2) “she dropped her fingers and put her hands on her hips”

She always trying to show off her figure because she is lonely.

Question 20

Why is her hair described as “rolled clusters, like sausages”?

Answer 20

It is described fully but not poetically as sausages are something that a man on the ranch would have seen before and could relate to.

Cross reference: when she is dead her curls are described as “tiny little sausages”

Question 21

What is simile is used when Curley’s wife dies that is also used earlier on in the novel for Curley ?

Answer 21

“flopped like a fish”

Question 22

What does Curley’s wife represent ?

Answer 22

The role of women and their fates in a sexist society at the time - 1937

She also represents the theme of loneliness along with crooks - she is the only female on the ranch & is isolated - so she has nothing better to do than to use her beauty to flirt and attract other ranch workers

Question 23

What is Curley’s wife’s dramatic function ?

Answer 23

Her death signifies the end of “the dream” and George and Lennie’s companionship

Curley’s wife is connected to Eve in the Garden of Eden as she brings evil into mens lives by tempting them - e.g when she tempts Lennie to stroke her hair which leads to her death and the end of “the dream”