Of Mice And Men

The Unattainable American Dream 

Within Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck portrays the unattainable American dream through the construct of Curley’s wife. She is presented as a marginalised gender minority in society amidst her complex exhibition of seduction, silence and solitude.

Her character questions whether her traits come naturally or from oppressive forces. Is she fully accountable for the damage she causes, including her own demise as well as Lennie’s? Or are her surroundings the reason for her action? This essay will examine her appearances within the novella while conveying the power dynamics and a critique on gender roles in the 1930s. 

In the first extract where her character is introduced, it becomes progressively clear that sexuality lays a crucial role in Curley’s wife being the pivotal character in the novella. Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife as a product of her environment who embodies the flirtatious part granted to her by the men on the ranch who see her only in an objective lens. Immediately, a “rectangle of sunshine” is “cut off” at her entrance. This example of natural imagery being disrupted parallels the disruption of normality on the ranch. 

Curley’s wife is described as a “girl” and not a woman, which is infantilising her and displaying a sense of innocence. Later, this juxtaposes with her rouged lips and “heavily made up” face which contradicts with her prior description and demonstrates a forced maturity. Similarly, a clear sense of artificial enhancement takes place which demonstrates how she is only recognised at face value. The men on the ranch describe her vaguely with the relative pronoun “that” which only reinforces her objectification.  

The letter to the actress playing the role of Curley’s wife includes an almost poetic symbol of Curley’s wife includes an almost poetic symbol of Curley’s wife, where Steinbeck explains her construct as having “only one thing to do” and “she knew it.” Throughout the passage, it demonstrates provocative language, and the seduction throughout the passage almost mimics Hollywood tropes, the occupation she always aspired to have. She feels that she “coulda been in the pitchers” if only she hadn’t been dragged away from fame, which she explains to establish marital dissatisfaction. This serves as an opening for male sympathy, and she is trying to replicate idealised femininity and appeal to men. This links to the idea of the male gaze which is the act of depicting in the world and the visual arts within literature from a masculine perspective that represents women as sexual objects. This fully resonates with Curley’s wife and as the reader, we realise that in presenting her like this, Steinbeck is proposing a social commentary. 

The theory of the male gaze also brings readers to the concept of the Madonna-Whore complex, which decides that Curley’s wife can’t be purely Madonna (as she is married but childless) so the prospect of ‘Whore’ is forced into her. Overall, this reveals the destructive nature of social hierarchies in America, especially in a time where if you aren’t fully embracing the ‘normal’ of the period, then you would be forced to convince yourself to embody the opposite. 

Steinbeck also presents Curley’s wife as powerless, and she demonstrates the illusion of authority which collapses under the collective misogyny surrounding gender inequality. This showed the dependence on men both economically and socially, despite the moment of supremacy over Crooks and her ability to get him “strung up in a tree” at any given moment. The only arguable factor for her apparent ability to rule over him was the racial privilege over black people. Curley’s wife uses only borrowed power and is ultimately weak and inferior. She states that they “left all the weak ones here” yet I believe that this was just a physical representation of how she is part of the “weak ones.” She would still be inferior to them, so her blind assumption of power is only a cue for the reader to sympathise for her idea of superiority. 

Curley’s wife also goes hand in hand with the tale of Adam and eve as she is constantly debated. She relates to her symbolism as a motif of red as she is demanded to be “a tart” and so, red could amplify danger. With her being someone, you would want to run away from. Red could also, perhaps, signify blood like what is spilled by both her and Lennie’s death. What is found between the lines could be reason to believe that Curley’s wife is surrounded by a sense of foreboding which existed from her first moment within the novella. Eve was blamed for the entirety of evil, like Curley’s wife but also her vulnerability which makes men so quick to shame her, like with Eve. Maybe the snake that approached Curley’s wife in this instance was Lennie, and the apple she so desperately craved was the American dream. 

The rhetorical shift in the novella shows her tone repetitively changing to suit whoever she is engaging with and to retain some form of authority. It describes her perspective and desperation to be seen. These include a contemptuous tone and sense of arrogance. Steinbeck’s authorial intent was to demonstrate how powerless women were misunderstood and condemned yet also to raise awareness to the prejudiced societal guilt placed on women unjustly. Elaine Steinbeck said that “she was a girl with a dream. Caught in a world that didn’t let girls dream.” 

Finally, Steinbeck presented Curley’s wife as isolated which is supported more by the setting of the story being told in Soledad, meaning ‘Solitude’ in Spanish. She is nameless and it depicts what little agency she has which depicts what little agency she has. This is used to symbolise the futility of human dreams and the end of the American dream. 

 As women in literature were usually treated as symbols, Curley’s wife feels that she “never get to talk to nobody,” and the simple language shows that she is abandoning her defence out of sheer loneliness and is no longer putting on a show. There are many forms of irony within the novel, particularly as she is surrounded by people, yet doesn’t retain or even start any actual connections. As a depiction of the time, women were expected to stay at home, yet Curley’s wife is always separated from her husband. 

There was also a drought before the novella was written which may mean a lack of women. The ancient Greek goddess Demeter of agriculture, farming and fertility could be a reason as to why Curley’s wife is the only woman in Of Mice and Men. At her death, Curley’s wife reaches a final level of loneliness as the “meanness” and “plannings” all leave her face as her death permanently separates her.

Even with this description of her, she is still labelled for being a woman. As the reader, we understand that dreams are impossible to achieve. Leighton Meester (who acted her in a play), felt that she was “struck with loneliness” that she could “only imagine a woman like Curley’s wife must feel.” 

To conclude, the novel comments on double standards of men juxtaposing women and displays Curley’s wife through a tinted frame. She will never be seen purely for herself and will always be slightly filtered. At her death, we are reminded that even modest dreams are unattainable. It poses the question of if Curley’s wife died representing one shaped by nature or nurture.