Curley's Wife

Question 1

“She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up.”

Answer 1

Attitudes towards Women Analysis: This is her first appearance. Steinbeck uses sexualised imagery and objectifying language, showing how she’s perceived more as an object than a person. The red imagery suggests danger, sexuality, and foreshadows tragedy.

Question 2

“Well, I think Curley’s married… a tart.”

Answer 2

Theme Attitudes towards women: Candy immediately judges her. The term “tart” reflects the men’s casual misogyny and how quickly she’s stereotyped. She is dismissed based on her appearance, not her character

Question 3

“Jesus, what a tramp,”

Answer 3

Theme Atittudes towards women: George’s harsh judgment reflects how women who express any sexuality are demeaned and blamed for men’s reactions to them.

Question 4

“Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live.”

Answer 4

Theme Loneliness: This quote shows her deep loneliness and lack of companionship, echoing one of the novel’s central themes.

Question 5

“I get awful lonely”

Answer 5

Theme Loneliness: Curley’s wife exposes the isolation of women in the novel. She’s trapped in a loveless marriage and has no one to confide in. This makes her more sympathetic.

Question 6

“I can’t talk to nobody but Curley”

Answer 6

Theme Loneliness: This quote highlights her isolation as the only woman on the ranch and how her identity is confined to being Curley’s possession.

Question 7

“I coulda made somethin’ of myself”

Answer 7

Theme Dreams: It shows how women’s ambitions were dismissed in 1930s America and adds to the novel’s theme of broken dreams.

Question 8

“I coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes”

Answer 8

Theme Dreams: This quote underscores her broken dreams, paralleling the theme of unattainable American Dreams throughout the novel.