CURLEY’S WIFE Flashcards
(4 cards)
Themes Curley’s Wife Represents
Loneliness and Isolation – She’s isolated as the only woman on the ranch.
Sexism and Misogyny – She is objectified by the men and denied a name.
Power and Powerlessness – She tries to assert power over others but is ultimately powerless.
Dreams and Disillusionment – She had dreams of being a movie star.
Violence and Death – Her death triggers the tragic ending.
Key Quotes & Analysis
- “I get lonely… You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley.”
— Reveals her emotional isolation. The structure of the sentence shows desperation. - “She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up.”
— Steinbeck uses appearance to show how she seeks attention, as that’s the only power she has in a male-dominated world. - “I coulda been in the movies.”
— Shows her lost dream. Like George and Lennie, she has hopes of a better life but is trapped by reality. - “You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?”
— She threatens Crooks, showing how she manipulates the little power she has over those even lower in the hierarchy, like Black men. - “Her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still.”
— Dehumanising language in her death scene. Her stillness contrasts the liveliness of her earlier appearances.
Contextual Links
1930s America – Women had very few rights or opportunities. Her dreams of fame were unrealistic for most women.
Sexism – The men see her as trouble or property (“Curley’s” wife).
The American Dream – Like George, Lennie, and Candy, her dream ends in disappointment.
Race and Gender Hierarchy – She briefly exerts power over Crooks but is herself powerless against the men.
Structure & Development
Introduced as flirtatious and dangerous.
Develops into a more sympathetic, lonely character.
Her death is both tragic and symbolic—brings Lennie’s dream to an end.
She is more complex than she first appears.
