But when she talks she has a dominant charisma, which demands attention. For example, whenever she walks into a room, the men always stop talking to listen to what she has to say. This could be from fear of punishment if they do not agree with her or offend her. It could also be because of the reputation as “Jailbait” which she has, or how she has “the eye”.
Because of these two abilities, she can sneak around, trying to overhear anything incriminating which she could use to blackmail someone. An example of this is when she sneaks into the stable when Lennie, Candy and Crooks are there, and she listens to them.
Throughout the whole novel she does not have name of her own, which she is called by. She is only referred to as Curley’s Wife. This could suggest that she is the property of Curley. Or it could also back up the fact that she is like a ghost, because a ghost has no real identity.
She could act mean, or deviously because she wants to make herself noticed more. She tells Lennie “I get awful lonely”. This suggests that she wants someone to talk to her, or whom she can talk to. She is only described by people, with sentences like “She got the eye” and “a Tart”. After reading the part of the novel when she is in the barn with Lennie, the reader is emoted to sympathise with Curley’s Wife. This could make the reader feel sorry for her, but then there would be a conflict of emotions when you realise that She has wrecked Candy’s dreams as well as passed a death sentence on Lennie. All of this could overshadow the fact that Curley’s Wife has just died.
But when you her confession to Lennie, you find that this is her only recourse in her search for attention. She tries to make herself look attractive to get more attention, but she is called a “Tart”.
The fact that she is like a bad luck omen could enforce her image as “Jail-bait”. She is like a jinx for anyone who she tries to become close to.
She says that she could get crooks hung and she caused Curley and slim to fight. She also indirectly caused Lennie’s death. Not intentionally, but she does. This could be a way of making the reader sympathise with her case, because Candy is angry at her for dying, and he doesn’t stop to think that she is dead.
Curley’s Wife is the only woman who is mentioned on the ranch, so the men could think of her as pretty or appealing because they do not come into contact with any other women. This could encourage or strengthen her attitude. She thought that she could be a movie star and could still think that. This could be another factor that encourages her self-superiority complex. But she knows that.
Because, she has no name she could be owned by Curley, this could explain her actions. It could be her way of expressing her anger. She is angry because, when she signed her marriage certificate, She didn’t lose her individuality, but something worse, her identity.
