“It is hard for the reader to feel any sympathy for Curley’s Wife as she is responsible for her own death.”
- The language used to describe her;
- Her relationship with her husband;
- Her interaction with the other men on the ranch;
- The events leading up to her death;
- Anything else you may consider important.
Through reading of the text of “Of Mice and Men”, the reader finds it difficult to feel any sympathy for Curley’s Wife, for she could be accused of being responsible for her own death. However, with close analysis of the language used to describe her, what the other characters say about her, her relationship with her husband, her interaction with the other men on the ranch, and the events leading up to her death, the reader may discover that other characters could be held partially accountable for her death. The reader can then form a balanced opinion of Curley’s Wife’s death and decide for him or herself just how much to blame she is for her death.
Curley’s Wife is the only female figure on the ranch. The itinerant workers on the ranch all avoid her and do not speak to her as they fear the will get into trouble with Curley. She is also referred to solely as “Curley’s Wife” throughout the text. This may have been the cause for her to seek refuge talking to Lennie, as she would have been extremely lonely which makes the reader feel sympathy towards her. She herself referred to Lennie as a “…dum-dum…” and a “baby” and “your nuts” which shows just how desperate she is for companionship, that she even resorts to talking with somebody whom cannot even carry-on an adult conversation. While talking with Lennie, she tells him the story of how she could have had a career in acting. Her excuse for failing to follow this dream was that her mother stole away the letters of acceptation and she even waves her hand in an attempt to show off her acting ability, which is pathetic, showing her tart behaviour. Her tart behaviour is probably the reason why she was promised the acting job at the time she met the director. This is an unlikely story that Curley’s Wife clings “Maybe I will yet” to in an attempt to believe her live is worth something. It is also apparent that Curley’s Wife perhaps married Curley simply out of spite for her mother, using her marriage, which was very soon after she met Curley, as an excuse for not pursuing her acting lifestyle. She tells Lennie, “My old Lady hid the letter”. This is a very childish attitude and gives no reason to show sympathy for her loneliness as she chose it instead of admitting she was not going to act. She does now however, show her regret at marrying Curley as she is always trying to avoid him. This indicates that perhaps she has matured since marrying him and that some sympathy can be shown for her as she went to Lennie to talk with someone other than her husband whom she clearly does not like.
