Curley’s Wife in the Story of Mice and Men

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. These lines are spoken by Winston Churchill. The novel is set in the farmland of the Salinas valley, where the author (John Steinbeck) was born. The story Of Mice And Men tells the story about two displaced migrant workers named George Milton and Lennie Small. The struggle between moving town after town just to find job opportunities in California during the Great Depression. Of Mice And Men shows us the self consciousness of George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, And Curleyr's wife. All characters at one time found themselves in a sense of loneliness and isolation. The importance of the American dream through the eyes of George and Lennie shows everyone to keep going if it doesnt work.

George shows many different ways on how he wants to live his life. In the novel Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie have always dreamed of moving away and buying a house on a farm where George and Lennie can be alone and free. Unfortunately, George and Lennie had no money, making it sorrowful. George would always speak out loud to Lennie about how their dream farm is going to be, ??well said george, ??we??ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens and when it rains in the winter, we'll build up a fire in the stove and set about it an?? listen to all that rain coming down from the roof??(Steinbeck 16-17). George sees the future as an imagination through his brain of what he wants from his dream farm. Through the dreams of George and Lennie, in order to be successful, both need to work hard to achieve it. Next, George explains to his friends how they have nothing, since it is the great depression all they do is work. "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they're poundin' their tail on some other ranch. They ain't got nothing to look ahead to(Steinbeck 8). The hardest obstacle for George and Lennie are to keep on moving through life. Without parents or family to support you, morals in life will give a person a struggle into growing up. The motivation and dream that George and Lennie shows us is that they wont back down till they get what they want.

Distant goals are often set as objectives to the most superior American Dream. Accordingly, it is not that the dream is isolated, but that people set unreachable, not pragmatic, goals. With Curley's wife, she always had this dream to become an appealing and stunning model and actress. She expressed her feelings to Lennie about how she cannot become either of those. ??Coulda been in the movies, an?? had nice clothes .An?? I coulda sat in them big hotels, an?? had pitchers took of me??(Steinbeck 44). Curley's wife only wants to be famous, she doesn't really care about Curly. The goal being an actress and a model shows that she cares about herself and no one else. Curleyr's wife dreams about what she wants but can she pursue the words she said. Life of Curleyr's wife is all imagination, caring only about herself means she only uses Curley for money and shelter. Curleyr's wife will do anything just to be a famous actress, getting a handler to star in movies is a start, Can she trust anyone? Curleyr's wife states, ?? a guy was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside dances with him. He said he was gonna put me in the movies...Soons as be got back to hollywood, he was gonna write to me about it??(Steinbeck 88). The man that Curley's wife was conversing with about acting, he never talked to her again. Now, she talks about that dream and what she could have been. Overall, she wants to leave Curly, run away from the ranch, and have her own freedom. She wants to be famous and have a tremendous acting career.

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