Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Treatment of women in literature
Gender roles in books
Negative impact of sexism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Treatment of women in literature
Sexism is a widely debated topic in today's society. In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, many characters are affected by some type of discrimination. Sexism created conflict in the plot of Of Mice and Men through the isolation and mistreatment of Curley's wife, which also reflects the mistreatment some people still experience today. Sexism is the prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination on the basis of sex. In Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife was seen to be flirtatious and unfaithful to Curley. Because Curley was so possessive, everyone was afraid to talk to his wife forcing her to parade herself around seeking attention. Everyone just saw her as Curley's property and didn't stop to realize that she is not an object but, in fact, a human who was feeling isolated. The objectification was so prevalent that the men on the ranch didn't even bother to learn her name. If the men had just talked to her, she would not have had to flirt for company. Today many people still face sexism. Women are more likely to be victims of sexual assault and rape because they are thought to be weaker than men. They are also paid less because …show more content…
Curley's wife was just misunderstood by the characters in the book and even most of the readers. Because she represents sexism and many people are judging her without looking at the bigger picture or thinking about why she might have did what she did just goes to show how quick we are to discriminate. Just like in today's society people still think we're in the 1950's when in reality it's 2016 and times are changing. Women don't "belong" in the kitchen and men don't have to fit the picture perfect image of "manliness". If you don't continue to move forward, you will be left behind, people need to learn how to have an open mind or it will stop our society from growing as a
The way Curley’s wife was treated changed the responsibility she had, the views of her, and being alone all the time. In life, women and those who are different aren’t seen as equal. They all have harder lives than the typical man does. Unfortunately, one of the characters who were different was outnumbered and was seen on a lower
“People are always going to stereotype others… it may be without conscious thought, but it still has the same negative effects.”- Author Unknown. In the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, he includes many stereotypes; for example, Lennie was mean and dumb and Curley had small man syndrome. Other characters were stereotyped as hot headed, a tart, and a leader.
Several characters in the novel Of Mice and Men are presented with additional obstacles throughout the book. Whether because of color, sex, or disabilities, John Steinbeck purposefully did this to illustrate oppression. Of Mice and Men explores the effects of systemic oppression on women, African-Americans, and people with disabilities.
Curley's wife, comparable to most other characters in the novel, is a type of character with little discrepancy, moreover being the only woman in novel. Curley’s wife is demonstrated by her position and part. This part is however, being a possession of Curley or a wife. She is heavily insulted and looked upon as inferior: George and Candy call her "jailbait" and "tart", which supports the fact that he has no voice and as a matter of fact, no name – simply being referred to as Curley’s wife. Due to her lack of power, she attempts to gain it by leeching off those with power. This leeching is portrayed as her seducing the other men on the ranch who have large presence like Slim: “Hi Slim” supports a casual and somewhat flirtatious approach to the other men. She seduces other by wearing far too much makeup and dressing like a "whore" with “red fingernails” and red shoes with ostrich feathers.
Curley’s wife’s femininity may be seen as her greatest weakness or flaw to most, but she rapidly discovers that it is also her only weapon on the ranch and learns to use it to her advantage. Therefore, she puts up an alluring and sultry front in an attempt to receive attention, because she is aware that none of the men on the farm respect her because of her position as a woman. The men's blatant lack of respect for her belittles the miniscule amount of power she has acquired
Curley's wife from the beginning of the story is tremendously outcasted from society . Curley's wife is a lonely wife that lives in a far place. She can't go anywhere because the ranch is so far away. She has no other women to talk to because there are only the male ranch workers on the ranch that don't want to talk to her .Since there are no women on the ranch she tries to talk to the ranch workers, but the ranch workers think that she is an “tart” or a “flirt”. She is also separated by sexism which is abundant at this point in time.
Sexism is a type of discrimination due to gender. The character that faces this type of discrimination is Curley’s Wife. She is the only female at the ranch and is discriminated against frequently by the other men. An example of sexism in the story is when we are told that Curley’s wife is constantly ignored and is treated poorly by the other men. When George and Lennie meet Curley’s wife for the first time, George tells Lennie to stay away from her because he thinks that she will cause trouble for the two of them. “‘Don’t you even take a look at that b**ch… You leave her be,’” (Steinbeck 32). This quote shows that men can be prejudice towards women. They can discriminate them before they actually meet or talk to them. This relates back to the theme of discrimination because Curley’s wife was discriminated against before some of the men actually met her. Another example of sexism in the story is when the men talk about her behind her back. “She ain’t concealin’ nothing. I never seen nobody like her.. I don’t know what the hell she wants,” (Steinbeck 51). This shows sexism because they are judging her behind her back and continue to do it throughout most of the story. This relates back to the idea of sexism because men were constantly judged by men. One of the less obvious examples of sexism is the fact that Curley’s wife’s name isn’t actually said in the book. The author of the story may be telling the
Most people had no idea how Curley’s wife felt about being excluded from everyone else. But truth be told, she was awfully lonesome and depressed. Although, she made multiple attempts to interact with the men on the farm, but with Curley in mind, they neglected her. Eventually this made her desperate for attention, so she decided to befriend Lennie, the slow one. Lennie was strictly told to avoid Curley’s wife because of Curley’s threats to George and himself.
She was always labeled as “Curley’s wife”. Even her own husband paid little attention to her name, or lack thereof. This practice of judging women based on their occupation was a horrible feature of society. She was a flat character in the novel, rarely described as anything more than a “plot device” to further enhance the other characters’ lives’. The labeling of women in general demonstrated how little respect men had for them. They thought of women to only have simple jobs and expected them to thrive in lonely and depressing
As a young female, I have faced my fair share of sexism. It manifests itself in double standards, harassment, and assumed inferiority. Sexism affects everyone. It inhibits us all from creating an efficient and equal environment. Women everywhere face the struggle to be seen as equals. Unfortunately,
The issue of sexism was still very present in 1930’s America compared to our present day now. Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife as the only female character in the novel because the ranch was no place for a women. He uses many different methods to portray the attitudes towards Curley’s wife and to belittle the importance of her.
From this readers see that she had the chance to live a better life then what she has now. She could have lived her dream and been a movie star, but instead she had to settle for Curley. She has a complex past that allowed her to build up walls around her past and helps build her character into and interesting complex person: more so then in the beginning of the book. Readers seem to forget one thing about Curley’s wife: She’s a human too. Just like the other characters she has feelings and needs as indicated in an analysis of major
Richard Hart discusses the moral and ethical issue of sexism in the book Of Mice and Men. Curley’s Wife is at the center of this sexism. She doesn’t have a name and apparently isn’t worthy of one. The lack of a name for her may represent disconnect from the rest of the workers and the lack of respect they have for her. Even a crippled African American who may be at a lower social status then her is at least named. The fact that she doesn’t have a name emphasizes the fact that Curley’s Wife is property of Curley. Sexism is shown on the ranch as there is only one woman on the ranch and the rest are men which causes her to be lonely as most of the men avoid her. When George says, “ ‘Ranch with a bunch of guys on it ain’t no place for a girl, specially like her’ ” (Steinbeck 78) When he says this it shows sexism as George suggests that women couldn’t handle being on the ranch. He is also saying the ranch is for men only and women shouldn’t be allowed in it which is a stereotypical thinking of men during this
Curley’s wife is a complex, main character in John Steinbeck’s novella, “Of Mice and Men”. She is introduced as an insignificant secondary character, but evidently posses the importance of causing the end of the novella. Despite the weight of her role, her value is hindered because of the culture towards women in the 1930s. Steinbeck uses imagery, foreshadowing, and metaphors to show loneliness analyzed through a Feminist Lens.
In conclusion, sexism should not be acceptable in society because it causes conflicts between the two genders, increases gender discrimination and increases stress level and suicide risks. Sexism is prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination of the gender but mainly the women. Sexism throughout history has changed mainly for women but it did not fully change. Women previously were legally beaten up by men and had to be obedient to their husbands and can not go to work unless her husband agrees for her to go work which was very rare for husbands to agree. But then slowly women started to gain their right to vote but did not completely have the rights. In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare wrote about how women were treated back then at his time. Shakespeare