Of Mice and Men - Curley's Wife

Question 1

Curley’s Wife – Theme: Prejudice by Sexism – Quotes

Answer 1

1. “Curley’s wife” – (Note: Steinbeck never gives her a name.)
2. “With rouge lips…Her fingernails were red.” and “hair hung in little rolled clusters”
3. “She’s a jail bait all set on the trigger.”

Question 2

Curley’s Wife – Theme: Prejudice by Sexism – Context

Answer 2

The lack of a personal name and the focus on her physical attributes reduce her to an object—property, even—to be possessed. This dehumanization speaks volumes about the pervasive sexism of the era.

Question 3

Curley’s Wife – Theme: Loneliness – Quotes

Answer 3

1. “Any you guys seen my husband.”
2. “Any you guys seen my wife.”
3. “Leaned against the door frame so her body was thrown forward.”

Question 4

Curley’s Wife – Theme: Loneliness – Context

Answer 4

Her constant calls for her husband (or for someone to notice her) and her vulnerable posture betray a deep-seated loneliness. Trapped in a world that confines her to a marginal role, she struggles for an authentic human connection.

Question 5

Curley’s Wife – Theme: American Dream – Quotes

Answer 5

1. “I could’a made somethin’ of myself.”
2. “I seen too many you guys. If you had two bits in the worl’, why you’d be in gettin’ two shots of corn with it and suckin’ the bottom of the glass.”
3. “An’ a guy tol’ me he could put me in pitchers. . . :’ She was breathless with indignation”

Question 6

Curley’s Wife – Theme: American Dream – Context

Answer 6

Her bitter reflections reveal a dream deferred—not only for herself as an individual but for women in a society that offers few avenues for self-realization. Her lost potential is a sharp commentary on the limitations imposed by gender and class.