Discrimination Flashcards
Curley’s Wife
Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife illuminates the intersection of gender and power in the novel. As the only female character, she is marginalized and objectified, her worth measured solely by her relationship to Curley rather than her individuality. Her dream of stardom represents a desperate yearning of autonomy in a society where women’s fates are largely dictated by men. James Truslow Adams’ 1931 novel “The Epic of America” details the American Dream as an idealized notion of society where “life is better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”. However, Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men exposes the hollowness of this promise, particularly for women, who are systematically denied the chance to obtain personal sovereignty. Curley’s wife’s tragic existence unfolds from a youthful dream of stardom—when she ‘coulda been in the pictures’—to the haunting image of her lifeless body lying alone in the ranch, a poignant symbol of unfulfilled dreams and profound isolation, and a metaphor for the fates of women in 1930s America. Furthermore, her role on the ranch is one of isolation, mirroring the broader exclusion of women from importance and society. The men reduce her to a mere “Curley’s wife” rather than granting her an identity of her own. She is a target of discrimination with even Lennie, who is unable to understand such roles in society, referring to her as misogynistic terms such as “jailbait”, underlining how she is perceived not as a person with dreams and emotions, but simply as an ostentatious female looking to tempt men and cause harm. This is further heightened when the ranch workers tarnish Curley’s Wife’s reputation, with Candy warning George and Lennie that she “got the eye” before they had even met her. This reflects how in this era, women were often misjudged and unfairly labeled as “tarts” solely based on them trying to look nice.
