Curley Wife Flashcards
(14 cards)
‘rouged’ lips and ‘red’ fingernails
The sybolism of the colour red portrays her as possibly two types of women. It brings mind of a ‘scarlet’ women which is a dangerous women which uses her sexuality to manipulate men. However red may be the colour of love and passion but it is also a warning. Shes presented by Steinbeck as a dangerous women whos disobediant to her husband as she is always going into the ranch house to get attention. She is always getting attention and wants people to ‘look at [her]’ but ironically George ‘looks away’ in her presence. However this may foreshadow the future as red also represents blood that will be spilt:hers and Lennie’s.
puts her ‘hands behind her back… so that her body was thrown forwards’
The verb highlights her attempts to sexualise herself and to deliberaltely maximise her female assets. She is personfied in this context as Eve as she leads men into sin because of her desperate attempt for attention from the men and she doesnt recieve any from Curley.
jail bait rat trap good lookin
She gets three reactions here, which exemplifys how the mens feel about her throughout the novel. Geogre avoids her and when she leaves he calls her ‘jail bait’ and ‘rat trap’. He uses derogatory language to insult her as she realises she may cause trouble as Lennie was ‘fasinated’ in her and kept looking at her. Slim is the only person that respectully aknowledges her and calls her ‘goodlookin’. He speaks to her with neither George’s abrasive hostility or Lennie’s dumb fascination. Ironically, this causes troubles for him later as Curley gets into an arguement with him and he thinks he had some other motives.
topic sentence for her red lips, insults and sexual behaviour
Her flirtacious and attention seeking behaviour causes the men to have prejuiced, misogynistic attitudes towards her.
she cried’Aint i got a right to talk to nobody?’
The rhetorical question inconjunction with the emotional verb displays the psychological state that she is in due to Curley and the men’s fear to get in trouble with him. This is due to Curleys aggressive and possesive behaviour over her and doesnt want her or the other men to interact as he believes she is his belonging/ possesion which he gets to control. This would have been extremely typical in the patriachal society before 1916 where women finally recieved the right to vote which gained them indepednace.
I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny
When Crooks threathens to isolate her further by telling the boss about her secret trips to seek attention from the men without Curleys permission. Curleys wife lashes out with racial intimdation which is demonstrated by the modal verb which shows her superioty over her how it acts like a choice and shows how ‘easy’ it is. Eventhough she is controlled by her violent husband and ostracized by the other ranchmen, she still has power over Crooks due to his race. Any accusation against Crooks would give the violent ranchmen over Curleys order to lynch him. She may appear to seem violent in this scene however the sexism towards her may have devloped and caused her racist attitude as it maye act as a coping mechanism to release her emotions onto someone which is below her which shows how prejudicism may be caused as retalition to it which acts like a chain of reactions.
I dont like curley. He aint a nice fella.
The pronoun is ironic as he acts like this because of his attempt to gain status and admiration on the ranch because the other men dont seem to respect him which make Curley more desperate to impress them by either showing his wife as a trophy or showing off his power through picking on people. Just as many other ranchmen she also despises Curley and must stay vigilant incase Curley becomes violent. They have a relationship of doninance and control which was very typical as women were in control by a male superioty for their whole lives as a child their father and when they become married by their husband. He forbids her to go outside and isolates her in the house and wears a glove of vaseline to keep one hand soft for her.
whats a quote for i could get you strung, aint i got a right to talk to nobody and i dont like curley.
Curley’s manipulative relationship of dominance and control over his wife has caused her to developed a range of negative emotions.
curleys wife
This is illustrated throughout the whole novella she is called ‘curleys wife’. This shows how simularly she is treated as an object which belongs to Curley. She is treated as a ‘trophy’ for Curley to brag about for the other men so he always he always keep his left hand soft for her wife which implies she is always been sexually manipulated and she doesnt have a choice like the amjority of women in the 1900s as if they disobeyed they would likely bear the physical punishment from men as 20-30% of women were reported to be domestically abused however a lot of incidences werent reported due to fear,stigma and socieral oressure for them to be obdient.
“Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live.”
The use of colloquial language and dialect such as “ain’t” and “none” reflects her working-class background and lack of education, which contributes to how others on the ranch dismiss her. The repetition of negative words emphasises her emotional isolation and the fact that no one shows her compassion or interest. Steinbeck also uses emotive language in “how I gotta live” to suggest that her life is difficult, controlled by others, and lacking in choice. This highlights her lack of agency—she is stuck in a loveless marriage with Curley, treated like property, and denied her dreams. Through this quote, Steinbeck encourages the reader to feel sympathy for her and reveals how gender and class contribute to her suffering in a patriarchal society.
what topic sentence links curley wife,seems like aint none of them care how i live.
Steinbeck uses Curleys wife to explore the powerlessness and lack of status of females back in the 1930s which were normalized.
All the quotes for Curleys wife
1.’rouged’ lips and ‘red’ fingernails’
2.’hands behind her back… so that her body was thrown forwards’
3.jail bait rat trap good lookin
4.’Aint i got a right to talk to nobody?’
5.I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny
6.I dont like curley. He aint a nice fella.
7.Curleys wife
8.“Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live.”
What are the topic sentences for Curleys wife
1.Her flirtacious and attention seeking behaviour causes the men to have prejuiced, misogynistic attitudes towards her.
2.Curley’s manipulative relationship of dominance and control over his wife has caused her to developed a range of negative emotions.
3.Steinbeck uses Curleys wife to explore the powerlessness and lack of status of females back in the 1930s which were normalized.
“We don’t want no trouble from them kind of girls.”
The double negative and colloquial phrasing reflect George’s working-class voice and his cautious, almost fearful attitude toward women. Referring to “them kind of girls” generalizes and dehumanizes, suggesting women are dangerous temptations. This reflects 1930s misogyny, where women—especially sex workers—were blamed for male downfall and reduced to objects for male use. Steinbeck uses this to highlight how women were commodified in a society shaped by inequality and economic hardship. Steinbeck uses the brothel setting to reveal how women were often dehumanized and commodified, seen only through the lens of male need or frustration.
