Curley's Wife Victim Essay

During the 1930’s many women were looked down upon and were victims of domination by the male sex. In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife is portrayed as both a lonely victim being neglected by her husband and a mischievous villain who is seeking attention. Her manipulative ways on the ranch have lead the men to consider her a villain, “jail bait”, and “a rat trap” (Steinbeck 32). Yet, her actions can be justified by the fact that she is just a bored housewife desperate for attention. Despite her sneaky, manipulative, and questionable behavior Curley’s wife is another victim of being the only female in an environment dominated by men. Curley’s wife is an outcast as she is all alone and bored due to being judged on her appearance. Her attire is inappropriate for a ranch where boots and jeans are the standard. In the novel Steinbeck describes her as done up: “She wore her bright cotton dress and the mules with the red ostrich feathers. Her face was made up and the little sausage curls were all in place” (Steinbeck 86). This fancy dress gives the readers the …show more content…
Some of the men view her as a child: “’Whatta ya think I am, a kid’” (Steinbeck 78)? Curley’s wife cannot possibly be that mentally weak if she can manipulate the guys into having conversations with her. In Lennie and George’s first encounter with her, she leans against the wall and pushes her figure forward; suggesting she is a mature adult not a child. Unfortunately, she is the only woman on the ranch in a society where women are considered to be weak. When most of the others go to town with the injured Curley his wife, Crooks, Candy, and Lennie were left behind. She ironically states, “’They left all the weak ones here,’ she said” (Steinbeck 77). No matter what her size or age, the men all believe her to be weak and unimportant. Not even important enough to use her proper