About Curleyr’s Wife in the Novel of Mice and Men

Can a victim of loneliness be portrayed as a villain? Why were women in the early 1900r's portrayed as property? In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Curleyr's wife is introduced as a villain for being a girl, although, she is a victim. She is portrayed as a villain because she is too friendly and wants attention from most of the guys on the ranch ,but, is actually a victim of loneliness because she is trapped somewhere she does not want to be. The victim is the one who has to suffer, the one who is harmed and innocent. Curleyr's wife is a victim because she is forced to be on the ranch with no freedom, she is not allowed to talk to anyone, sher's treated different because sher's a girl. First and foremost, Curleyr's wife is forced to be on the ranch rather than living her dream. She wanted to become an actor. On page 96 of the novel it states, ...soonr's he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it never got that letter. Everything Curley's wife wants to do is taken from her. In the quote she was saying she wanted to go to hollywood and become famous before she got married with Curley. This is a big part in the novel because it explains what she wanted to achieve in her life. The point is she is not happy and her dreams cant be accomplished. In the novel Curleyr's wife goes on to say, "I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself." (34) Curleyr's wife is saying that she doesnt like the way she is living and because of how she is forced to stay on the ranch she cant do nothing with her life. With her being forced to stay there, sher's bored and never has anything to do but is also not allowed to do what she wants. Curleyr's wife believed in herself and was so confident she can become a famous actress, and just having that taken from her must really upset her. Being somewhere you don't want to be isn't obviously going to make you happy, but this can also explain why she acts mean and flirts with guys on the ranch. Many things go through her head, but no one seems to care and instead say criticise her. Having your dreams crushed knowing you CANT even accomplish them or ever get to do anything with your life because youre trapped somewhere you dont want to be especially with very strict rules, kind of like jail. Secondly, Curleyr's wife is not allowed to talk to anyone. She is not able to talk to anyone on the ranch, Curley doesn't let her because he knows sher's a flirt and doesnt trust her. While she was talking to Lennie she later goes on to state, I get lonely she said you can talk to people but i cant talk to nobody but Curly. else he gets mad. (87) Sher's explaining to Lennie how itr's not fair Curley doesnt let her talk to anyone on the ranch, and she is very lonely. Here is when Curleyr's wife is forgetting who she is, she starts off as a sweet young lady to not being able to stand being alone. Sher's a victim of loneliness, she suffers not being able to have any communication with world whatsoever. Curleyr's wife is not happy, and this is why she the victim, being trapped somewhere you don't want to be. Not being able to talk to anyone and being able to do what you want. She may have been a flirt but, sher's still very young with no experience. She doesnt see what sher's doing wrong but itr's not her fault she doesnt get attention from Curley so he shouldnt of been as strict as he was because she needs a lot for the way she has lived. Maybe curleyr's wife was just seeking attention for companionship perhaps at some level. Finally, in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird, Curleyr's wife is easily criticised and suffers from discrimination because she is girl. Curleyr's wifer's introduction in the novel made her seem like sher's a bad person. She gets talked about badly by Candy. He states, Well she got the eye Well I think Curleyr's married sher's a tart.(49) Not only does this start off her character in a bad way by being called a tart, but just Candy being offensive because of the way she dresses. Sher's not even given a name, sher's just seen as property on the ranch in the novel. Many people on the ranch also see her as just a sex object. Curleyr's wife is has been called a whore, flirt, bitch and even a rat. In the novel John Steinbeck never explains why sher's even called half of those names, but back in early 1900r's women were still mistreated and even seen as property. The main reason she is a victim is because she is the only female in the novel, and mistreated by everyone. In conclusion, Curleyr's wife is a victim because she is forced to be on the ranch with no freedom, she is not allowed to talk to anyone, and is very lonely with nothing to do with her. Curleyr's wife is treated different because sher's the only girl in the novel. These are the reasons why I feel Curleyr's wife is the victim and not a villain in the novel To Kill a Mockingbird.

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