curleys wife Flashcards
(22 cards)
‘shes got the eye’
shes the only woman on the ranch, who else is she supposed to look at
‘purty’ ‘good-lookin’ tramp
she was grown up in a patriarchal society that objectifies women and encourages the notion that a woman’s worth is derived from their physical appearance
her heavily made up makeup is her attempt to look like the glorious hollywood female stars she dreams of and also her attempt to live up the standards society has set for women
yet still she cannot win women were objectfifed and expected to look ‘purty’ and ‘goodlookin’ for men yet she’s labelled a ‘tramp’
the term jail bait
exposes the inequality of men over women at the time.
excuses men for their behaviour by assuming they have no control over their sexual urges.
the term places the blame on curley’s wife for being so beautiful and simply living up to the standards society has made for her, and therefore is a temptation for men on the ranch
‘slightly parted’‘breathed strongly’
steinbecks description of her gives more attention to her physical appearance than any other character
which further exemplifies the objectification of women in this patriarchal world.
her action of running to crooks room is sexualised as her lips are describes a ‘slightly parched’ as she ‘breathes strongly’.
one must question how a woman who’s every action is eroticized doesn’t use their sexuality for some leverage in a world where they have such little power
the men on the ranch give more respect to the girls on the brothel then they do her, even her husband chooses to spent the night with prostitutes than his own wife
despite her actions we have no evidence of her promiscuity
curleys wife first impression
first impression is promiscuity
candys first opinion of curleys wife
We first learn of her promiscuity through the opinion of Candy, who calls her a “Tart” and says “she’s got the eye”. Candy paints her as being licentious.
‘her body was thrown forward’ ‘rouged lips’
first appearance in the novel confirms candys portrayal of her
her posture is seductive by portraying her curves and the red lips draw attention to a sensual part of her body.
red could be a symbol of danger foreshadowing the ‘trouble she will bring’ or passion and lust
patriarchal society in which a wife was meant to be entirely domesticated and loyal to her husband
curleys wife apparent flirtatious behaviours would depict curley as weak and incapable of controlling his wife
george calling curleys wife jail bait
George sees her beauty as a danger that could get men into trouble.
Initially she appears to be a femme fatale stock character: A woman whose beauty will be used to lure men into disastrous situations.
There are even parallels with Eve: They are both symbols of Temptation Both characters are depicted as catalysts for negative events in their respective stories
The way they are viewed may not be entirely fair, as they are often reduced to one-dimensional characters defined by their actions rather than their complexities as individuals.
what could be the real reason why curleys wife tries to look attractive
it could be a desperate attempt to attract attention for a need of companionship not sexual gratification
im looking for curley
the fact the married couple are never together emphasizes the distance between them and as a result leads to the isolation of curleys wife
at the time, women were supposed to stay at home to protect male work (during the great depression it was frowned upon if a woman took employment, taking away a job from a man who needs to provide). curleys wife has nobody if she dosent have her husband.
her isolation is further emphasized when hed rather spend time with a prostitue at a brothel than her
‘looking in’ ‘she stood still in the doorway’
symbol of her marginalisation, a man and womans world were seen as separate. she is not welcomed by the men
i never get to talk to nobody. i get awful lonely
the fact curleys wife acknowledges her loneliness herself emphasises the real reason for her actions. the men at the ranch have eachother whilst she has nobody. this revalation makes curleys more human rather than a two dimentional femme fatale character she is initially presented
lennie brings out her true motive. theres nothing sexual with him only companionship. other characters such as slim couldve been seen as flirting
women trapped in a mans world
The fact Curley’s Wife is the only female character on the ranch accentuates the woman trapped in a misogynistic world of men.
it also highlights how overpowering men were
curleys wife
the reader never knows her name which indicates the little agency she has.
she is referred to as the prossesive pronoun emphasizing her objectification and lack of identity she has
highlights how women and wives were viewed as their husbands possessions, in 1930s America.
“Why’n’t you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs”-Carlson chapter 3
The anger of the men over Curley’s Wife being near them, wearing make up, speaking to them is representative of a patriarchal world where men are fixated on dominating females in every aspect. so they get angry at her when shes not doing exactly what they want
they left all the weak ones here - curleys wife chapter 4
she knows her position in this world and she knows she belongs with the outcasts
i could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny
she seeks out weakness in other (preying on Lennie’s mental handicap, candys age, and crooks skin colour) in order to feel the smallest bit of power.
Steinbeck emphasises how power grows from weaknesses. to be powerful you must make someone feel weak
parallels to the corrupt capitalist ranch owners
you goddamn tramp.. you done it, di’n’t you
lennie’s petting problem highlighted through the poem should relieve curley’s wife of any blame over her own death, yet still candy shouts at her dead body.
the lack of emotion at the scene of her death (especially from her husband) highlights the lack of worth given to her and the normalisation of violence against women
Lennie pets animals throughout the novel, and his acts of violence become increasingly more severe as the story progresses was heavily foreshadowed, yet it was still her fault
movies
sadly ironic how curleys wife dreams was to make a name for herself in the movies yet she is a nameless character which represents how future the dream was
he says i could go with that show he says he was gonna put me in the movies
in both instances, curleys wife depends on a man to make her deams come true, highlighting the limits women had over the trajectory of their lives. it is likely these men were lying to her in order to be in a favour which mirrors the way the weak in all aspects of society were exploited by the powerful
She believed her mother hid her letters, but in all reality those letters probably didn’t exist and this man was taking advantage of Curley’s Wife.
the meanness..the discontent… the ache for attention
her dream just like geroge and lennies is her mental escape from a cruel world. unfortunately her dream is futile (just like every american dream) and her only escape from this world is death when ‘the meanness..the discontent… the ache for attention’ leaves her face- this is the only time she is at peace
