Characterization: Curley’s Wife in Of Mice And Men Essay

With colorful statements like She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers (John Steinbeck, 31), Curleys wife is unmatched of the more vividly portrayed characters in Of Mice and Men. Although Steinbeck leaves near zilch to the imagination about this woman, he chooses to consistently refer to her as Curleys Wife rather than giving her a name or a nickname like he has d wholeness with most of the other characters. Through indirect and direct characterization the reader discovers that this woman was not simply a ticket to trouble like the workers on her father-in-laws ranch believed, but a girl stuck in a life where she didnt belong.Curleys wife, who was improbably lonely, was always heavily made up even when she lived on the ranch where George and Lennie worked. Although gen erally she was thought of as a floozy, her talk with Lennie revealed that she was used to the high life. When her parents forbade her to go into the acting business, as she so wished, she married Curley, the first man who offered her something other than stardom, in order to get away from her overbearing family (Steinbeck, 88). Although because of this decision she was forced to miss her life on a ranch full of underclass workers, she still liked to make herself up to constantly remind herself that she had had the potential to be something better.To her, impregnation up and flaunting her stuff was a symbol of status, something to set her apart from the rest of the lower class, which, even today, is not much different. Fashion magazines, television, and the general media still result the public to believe that style directly connects to the amount of wealthiness or power someone has. When fashion trends change by the minute, it is generally thought that everything from wealth to sophistication is shown when someone is able to adjudge up with them (Appendix A). Curleys wife considered always looking presentable as a constant reminder that she had formerly been considered good enough to go into the movie business and could have been something much better than the bosss sons wife.Another reason Curleys wife was constantly made up and wondering around the ranch was that she was lonely. With Curley always gone and having nothing in common with her, she had no one to keep her company and was forced to look for attention among the workers, who had long since learned to keep away from the bosss daughter-in-law. Funny thing, she said. If I catch any one man, and hes alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guys get together an you wont talk. Jus nothing but mad (Steinbeck, 77). Although Curley was very over-protective of his wife, he didnt tend to her needs so she moseyed around looking for something to do or someone to talk to during the day.And even though all she wanted was the attention Curley didnt give her, the men in the ranch knew that talking to her would only lead to trouble. Well, I aint giving you no trouble. compute I dont like to talk to somebody ever once in a while? Think I like to constipate around the house alla time? Curleys wife had all the spare time in the world, and spends it making herself look as good as she post (Appendix B) and flaunts her body to anyone who will look. She desperately seeks attention and acknowledgment that shes still got the looks that attracted all sorts of men to her before.Steinbeck chose not to give Curleys wife a sure name because she was never able to make a name for herself she was forced into a life where she was confined and unable to pursue her real dreams. She obviously wasnt happy with her life living inside Curleys ranch she wasnt meant to be the typical woman of that time who stays at home doing the planning and cleaning for her husband. Well, a show came throug h, an I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol lady wouldn let me. She says because I was ony fifteen(Steinbeck, 88).Curleys wife desperately tries to show Lennie that she was better than this ranch that she wasnt common like the rest of the people there and that it was by fault that she was living where she was now. She ask to leave that ranch and pursue her dreams now that she was old enough to make her own decisions. She needed a ticket out of that city so she could go to Hollywood and make a name for herself (Appendix C).Although Curlys wifes character was portrayed completely by John Steinbeck, she was never accustomed a full name because her character isnt full. She was missing something she wasnt in her rightful place. Curleys wife wasnt meant to live her life on the ranch, and her character wasnt completed because of it. Steinbeck showed this the only tangible way he could, with the lack of a name for her. She wasnt like the rest of the people on the ranch, with a name or nickname she was referred to as Curleys Wife. She stood out by the fact that she was the only woman on the ranch, she was the only one who dressed to impress, and she was the only person without a full name. She didnt belong and even if she had lived she never would.