Of MIce and Men: Curley’s Wife Essay

Names have been an important facet of society for as long as Homo sapiens have existed. A ready is defined as a word or symbol utilise in logic to designate an entity. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck teaches a lesson just about the nature of human existence and shows how grim and isolated people pay back without hope. Steinbeck neglects to address Curleys married womans guinea pig by bid in order to emphasize her position as a literary element and provide commentary on society in the age period during which he lived. Curleys married woman is n incessantly named because Steinbeck wished to emphasize the present dislike of her throughout the bring about.Whilst reading the novella, it is implied that no one on the farm likes Curleys wife. However, there isnt necessarily a flaw in her personality from which this aversion to her stems. The spirits avoid interaction with her because they fear retribution from her possessive, ill-natured husband. The men on the farm begin to foster hatred toward her because her ageless need for cin one casern puts their livelihoods in danger. The men cant ever get too familiar with her because they are distanced by the fact that she is Curleys wife.Steinbeck constantly reminds the readers and the characters in the leger of this fact by denying her a worthy name. Second in the litany of reasons why Curleys wife remains unnamed throughout the entire novella is that Steinbeck wishes to superimpose over the entire taradiddle the idea that she was a possession of Curleys and not an independent entity. During the channel of the novella, we run across multiple instances in which Curley is angered by correct the idea of his wife consorting with other men, even in a Platonic manner.As previously stated, Curley would even resort to firing men if he was unpleased with the way the interacted with his wife. The reader is able to draw a parallel among the way Curley treats and acts toward his wife and the way someone would ac t when dealing with an goal of theirs. It is very clear that she is expected (by Curley and the other men, save Lennie) to obey Curley at all measures. At the period in fourth dimension in which the novella is clip, women are expected to submit to their husband wordlessly and this is thoroughly explored in Of Mice and Men through Curley and his wifes relationship.The zeitgeist of 1937(the year in which the book was published) and its subsequent influence on literature written around that time period is another reason Curleys wife remains nameless. In that time, women were considered inferior to men and werent nearly as important in the public eye. One must remember when reading Of Mice and Men that the nineteenth amendment which gave women the right to vote only became an addendum in 1920. The novella was set during The Great Depression a time during which women did not have the measuring stick of authority in society as they do today.Curleys wife was used to depict women as tr oublemakers that disrupt the flow of life for men. Steinbeck failed to determine Curleys wife a name because it was acceptable at the time for women to be undermined and overlooked. By constantly referring to her as Curleys wife Steinbeck undermines her character as an independent person because she is forced to al slipway be associated to Curley. With this nestling oversight Steinbeck was able to use her character in idiomatic ways to bring up his typography.As indicated previously, Steinbeck writes Curleys wife as a literary element to enhance the story as opposed to a character in the story. Almost humorously, one of the outcomes of refusing her a proper name (which I suspect was intentional) is that it caused the reader to direct more attention to her than anyone else in the story. Steinbeck is ordinarily known as an author who utilizes descriptions as a way to present his characters. Curley is often mentioned as the bosss son. Slim is introduced as the jerkline skinner. C rooks is only when referred to as the stable buck or simply nigger until chapter 4. contempt the fact that all these characters have names, they are relatively miniscule move of the story when push comes to shove, the nameless wife is the one who causes things to happen and mandates attention from every angle, be it real or fictitious (by which I designate from both readers and characters within the story). The most convincing reason yet as to why Curleys wife remains unnamed lays in something Steinbeck once said in an interview. Steinbeck described her character as a symbol.He was recorded to have said She has no function, except to be a foil and a danger to Lennie. She was the antagonist who provided the main characters something to be dying(predicate) about she was the force that put up massive hurdles for the protagonists to overcome. A villain is defined as The person or thing obligated for specified trouble, harm, or damage. Inadvertently, such was the purpose of Curl eys wife. It wasnt her curriculum to end Lennies life. She simply pursued what she felt she deserved anthropoid attention. Her need to fill this desire for attention became so intense that it in the end caused tragedy.In conclusion, Curleys wife not being assigned a name was not just a mere oversight at the hands of John Steinbeck. She was an instrument used to undermine the position of women in society. Steinbeck purposefully left out her name in order to enhance his writing, and address issues during the time period in which he lived. Curleys wife was used to depict women as the ones who threatened the happiness and well-being of men. Denying Curleys wife a name was an integral part in the writing of Of Mice and Men. (c) Raquel Bracey, December 2012