John Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men - 1656 Words

In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, Curley’s Wife is one of the many characters who represent a minority in the American society in the 1930s. In the award winning book, John Steinbeck provides many different aspects to the world he was living in at the time he wrote the novel: dreams, hopes and loneliness to name a few, all channelled through one mentality - prejudice. Curley’s Wife was one of the many characters that Steinbeck used to get his point across about prejudice with. She is not a complex character, however ‘a significant figure’ may be a better fitting word. In my essay, I will be investigating if whether Curley’s Wife is presented by Steinbeck with dislike and/or sympathy, and if so, with how much. My very first point begins†¦show more content†¦Curley’s Wife is introduced in Chapter two of the novel, however in the passage, she is already being judged before she has even been physically introduced to the reader. This is when Candy is conversing with the new arrivals to the Ranch, George and Lennie. Here, Candy says â€Å"I think Curley’s married a †¦ tart†. In comparison to popular belief of the definition of ‘tart’, one definition in slang terminology states that a tart is ‘A nubile young temptress, who dresses teasingly and provocatively.’ By looking at this definition, it indicates to us that Curley’s Wife’s appearance won’t be much of a welcomed one. The fact that Steinbeck prejudices so early in the novel regarding her may show how fast people in his time were poisoned with the same prejudiced mentality. This statement of intent from Steinbeck also shows very quickly that Curley’s Wife won’t be any blessing as the novel progresses. Her physical introduction to the reader isn’t any better, this is evident when â€Å"the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off.† This excerpt is ominous; the ‘cutting off’ of the light symbolises the amount of trouble she brings. This is confirmed when George tells a staring Lennie to Don t you even take a look at that bitch. I don t care what she says and what she does. I seen em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be. Lennie’s mental shortcomings prevent him from seeing the