Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Essay

During the Great Depression, many men created stereotypes on women which deprived them of getting a job or having social interaction. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, two men found work as laborers while trying to save up enough money to buy a ranch. While they were there, they met many new people such as Slim, Curley, and Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife was a victim of the many stereotypes created about women, which lead the readers to think she was the antagonist of the novel. However, John Steinbeck uses word choice, dialogue, and characterization to let the audience know that Curley’s wife was not an antagonist.
John Steinbeck uses word choice in Of Mice and Men to support the idea that Curley’s Wife was not an antagonist. Many of the ways the other men in the bunkhouse addressed Curley’s wife were stereotypes that wrongfully portrayed her as someone she was not. For example, when Lennie took an interest in Curley’s wife, George told him he’s seen people like Curley’s wife “poison before,” and told Lennie to “leave her be” (Steinbeck 32). This an example of one of stereotypes the men associated with Curley’s wife. Based on her gender, George automatically assumed she was going to do something bad and told Lennie to

He uses characterization to show that Curley was the real antagonist, and not his wife. Curley’s wife told Lennie all about what it’s like living with Curley, and how “he ain’t a nice fella” (89). When the other guys thought she was trying to flirt with everyone except her husband, she was really just trying to run away from him. This idea was further proven when she asked the men, “Think I didn’t know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went,” after pretending to look for her husband (77). She wandered around pretending to look for her husband, when in reality, she wasn’t trying to do anything except escape from