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GCSE English Literature Essay on the relationship between Curley and Curley's Wife
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GCSE English Literature essay on the relationship between Curley and Curley's Wife "Of Mice and Men"
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OF MICE AND MENGCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE
Example essay:
Discuss the relationship between Curley and his wife in this novel. You must consider the context of
the novel in your answer.
Steinbeck uses the relationship between Curley and his wife to depict marriage in the 1930s along with
the social status of women. Their relationship highlights how women were marginalised and used as
sexual objects by their husbands. Women were treated as possessions of their husbands and not people
in their own right as reflected by the use of the possessive form of ‘Curley’s wife’ rather than providing
her with a name. Even Slim’s dog is referred to by its name Lulu. Sexism was inherent in the society
during this era.
Curley is a “short aggressive man” who inherits authority on the ranch from his father. He wears “high-
heeled boots” to mask his short stature and to mark his position of authority on the ranch. The
description of his “glove fulla Vaseline” reflects women’s rights in the 1930s they were only seen as a
source of pleasure. Curley is “alla time picking scraps with big guys” and this preoccupation with his
own self-image reinforces how his wife is not in his thoughts and is merely a trophy wife. This causes her
to seek attention elsewhere and “she got the eye goin’ all the time on everybody”. The ranch workers
however avoid her like the plague; Candy says “You got no call foolin’ aroun’ with other guys causin’
trouble” and it is ironic that all her attempts to attract male attention backfire as the men do not want to
anger Curley and Culley’s wife remains totally isolated.
Steinbeck introduces Curley’s wife to us through the eyes of the other ranch workers, who use
derogatory terms for her such as “jail bait” and “rattrap”. Steinbeck uses negative diction to describe
how Curley’s Wife speaks to o others such as the adverb “contemptuously”, and the phrase “in scorn”
which contributes to the building of a negative picture of her; this is perhaps Steinbeck’s way of showing
how easily prejudices can be created by listening to the views of others. At times however Steinbeck
draws on our empathy for Curley’s wife through her admissions of loneliness “I get awful lonely”, and
“think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever”.
Curley’s wife is associated with the colour red with her “rouged lips” and “red ostrich feathers” on her
shoes; the colour red not only foreshadows her untimely death at the hands of Lennie as her red dress is
reminiscent of the trouble revolving around the girl in Weed who also wore a red dress but it could also
be seen as symbolising her victimisation at the hands of her husband. Curley’s wife is bitter because of
her loneliness and she takes her bitterness out on Crooks as he is in an even weaker position than her in
the social hierarchy; being black he is the subject of racial prejudice that has reduced him to have “no
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