“… Lennie still stared at the doorway where she had been. “Gosh, she was purty.” He smiled admiringly. George looked quickly down at him and then he took him by an ear and shook him. “Listen to me, you crazy bastard,” he said fiercely. “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be.” Lennie tried to disengage his ear. “I never done nothing, George.” “No, you never. But when she was standin’ in the doorway showin’ her leg, you wasn’t looking the other way, neither….”
The way in which Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife makes her come across as I tart. George thinks that she is a “tramp”, “jail bait” and a “rat trap”. George also gets concerned when Lennie say that she is “purty”. In this chapter Steinbeck makes the ranch sound scary, a sense of fear like he want you to know something bad is going to happen with out telling you.
The next physical aggression towards Lennie is when Curley is looking for his wife and is accusing Slim. They walk in to the bunk house and Slim is fed-up with Curley asking him about his wife and lets him know but Curley dose not want to fight with Slim. He then looks around the room, Carlson also had a dig at Curley but Curley did not want to fight with him either. He knows that he will have a bit of trouble with both of these men. Then Candy says something and Curley just looks straight and him but then notices Lennie and think of fighting with him.
“… His eyes slipped on past and lighted on Lennie; and Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch. Curley stepped over to Lennie lie a terrier. “What the hell you laughin’ at?” Lennie looked blankly at him. “Huh?” Then Curley’s rage exploded. “Come on, ya big bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show ya how’s yella.” Lennie looked hopelessly at George, and then he got up and tried to retreat. Curley was balanced and poised. He slashed at Lennie with left, and then smashed him down his nose with a right. Lennie gave a cry of terror. Blood welled from his nose. “George,” he cried. Make ‘um let me alone, George.” He backed until he was against the wall, and Curley followed, slugging him in the face. Lennie’s hands remained at his sides; he was too frightened to defend himself….”
“…Curley attacked his stomach and cut off his wind. Slim jumped up. “The dirty little rat,” he cried, “I’ll get ‘um myself.” George put out his hand and grabbed Slim. Wait a minute,” he shouted. He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, “Get him Lennie!” Lennie took his hands away from his face and looked about for George, and Curley slashed at his eyes. The big face was covered with blood. George yelled again, “I said get him.” Curley’s fist was swinging when Lennie reached for it. The next minute Curley was flopping like a fish on a line, and his closed fist was lost in Lennie’s big hand. George ran down the room. “Leggo of him, Lennie. Let go.” But Lennie watched in terror the flopping little man whom he held. Blood ran down Lennie’s face, one of his eyes was cut and closed. George slapped him in the face again and again, still Lennie held on to the closed fist. Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak. He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw. George shouted over and over, “Leggo his hand, Lennie. Leggo. Slim, come help me while the guy got any hand left.” Suddenly Lennie let go his hold. He crouched cowering against the wall. “You tol’ me to, George,” he said miserably. Curley sat down on the floor, looking in wonder at his crushed hand. Slim and Carlson bent over him. Then Slim straightened up and regarded Lennie with horror. “We got to get him to a doctor,” he said. “Looks to me like ever’ bone in his han’ is bust….”
The fight started after Carlson said to Curley,
“…You’re as yella as a frog…”
Then after Candy joins in saying to Curley in disgust,
“…Glove fulla Vaseline…”
This makes Curley feel angry that everyone is saying this to him. He notices that Lennie is smiling, he think that he is smiling at Curley so he orders him to his feet and begins fighting with Lennie. Lennie is too scared to fight back and just stands there. Steinbeck makes a comment of Lennie being animal like,
“…He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw….”
Steinbeck descries Lennie as being like a bear being very powerful; once Lennie had hold of something or someone he won’t let go. Just like the girl in Weed, the little mouse, Curley’s hand, the little brown and whit puppy and Curley’s wife in the end.
The next time Curley’s wife is sexually provocative towards Lennie is when she goes in to Crooks room trying to find out where her husband has gone.
“…She stood still in the doorway, smiling a little at them, rubbing the nails of one of her hand with the thumb and forefinger of the other. And her eyes travelled from one face to another. “They left all the week ones here,” she said finally. “Think I don’t know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went.” Lennie watched he, fascinated; but Candy and Crooks were scowling down away from her eyes. Candy said, “Then if you know, why you want to ast us where Curley is at?…”
You can tell that Curley’s wife is sexually provocative towards Lennie and she calls him a “dum-dum” then stands in the doorway flirting with the “weak ones”. Candy and Crooks were scowling down away from her eyes where as Lennie was fascinated by her, that shows his feeling towards her, being different from the other two men.
The next time Curley’s wife is sexually provocative towards Lennie is when she goes in to the barn where Lennie is playing with his new puppy, while everyone is in a horseshoes competition. The two are alone in the barn together for the first time.
“… Curley’s wife moved away from him a little. “I think you’re nuts,” she said. “No I ain’t,” Lennie explained earnestly. “George says I ain’t. I like to pet nice things with my fingers, sof’ things.” She was a little bit reassured. “Well, how don’t?” She said. “Ever’ body likes that. I like to feel silk an’ velvet. Do you like to feel velvet?” Lennie chuckled with pleasure. “You bet, by God,” he cried happily. “An’ I had some, too. A lady gave me some, an’ that lady was – my own Aunt Clara. She gave it right to me-’ about this big a piece. I wished I had that velvet right now.” A frown came over his face. “I lost it,” he said. “Ain’t seen it for a long time.” Curley’s wife laughed at him. “You’re nuts,” she said. “But you’re kinda nice fella. Jus’ like a big baby. But a person can see kinda what you mean. When I’m doin’ my hair sometimes I jus’ set an’ stroke it’ cause it’s soft”. To show how she did it, she ran her fingers over the top of her head. “Some people got kinda coarse hair,” she said complacently. “Take Curley. His hair is jus’ like wire. But mine is soft and fine. ’Course I brush it a lot. That makes it fine. Here- feel right here.” She took Lennie’s hand and put it on her head. “Feel right aroun’ there an’ see how soft it is.” Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her hair. “Don’t you muss it up,” she said. Lennie said “Oh! That’s nice,” and he stroked harder. “Oh, that’s nice.” “Look out, now, you’ll muss it.” And then she cried angrily, “You stop it now, you’ll mess it all up.” She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. “Let go,” she cried. “You let go!” Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted. She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose. “Please don’t,” he begged. “Oh! Please don’t do that. George’ll be mad.” She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free; and from under Lennie’s hand came a muffled screaming. Lennie began to cry with fright. “Oh! Pleas don’t do non of that,” he begged. “George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits.” He moved his hand a little and her hoarse cry came out. Then Lennie grew angry. “Now don’t,” he said. “I don’t want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will. Now don’t you do that.” And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. “Don’t you go yellin’,” he said and shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. He looked down at her, and carefully he removed his hands from over her mouth, and she lay still. “I don’t want ta hurt you,” he said. “But George’ll be mad if you yell.” When she didn’t answer nor move he bent closely over her. He lifted her arm and let it drop. For a moment he seemed bewildered. And then he whispered in fright, “I done a bad thing. I done a bad thing.” He pawed up the hay until it partly covered her…”
All the trouble starts when she tries to be nice to Lennie by comforting him about the dead pup. When the two get talking they both go on about different thing, not really communicating just talking about their own problems. They both find that they have something in common which are soft things and even thou she know the strength of Lennie and that she thinks he’s nuts she still encourage him to play with her hair.
When Curley wife starts to scream Lennie does what he’s done in the past, squeezed the life out of it just like the mice, woman in Weed, Little pup and Curley’s hand.
Steinbeck describes the attack by Lennie on Curley and Curley’s wife in the same way, “Like I fish” which when you think of a limp fish it does nothing and is useless.
Finally the next time Curley’s wife is contributes towards Lennie’s death is when she is dead as Lennie know that George will not be happy with him.
“… I done a real bad thing,” he said. “I shouldn’t of did that. George’ll be mad. An’…he said…an’ hide in the brush till he come. He’s gonna be mad. In the brush till he come. Tha’s what he said.” Lennie went back and looked at the dead girl. The puppy lay close to her. Lennie picked it up. “I’ll throw him away,” he said. “It’s bad enough like it is.” He put the pup under his coat, and he crept to the barn wall and peered out between the cracks, toward the horseshoe game. And then he crept around the end of the last manger and disappeared….”
After killing Curley’s wife Lennie knows that George will not be happy with what he has done, killing the pup and well as Curley’s wife. He remembers to go and hide and decided that he must hide the dog.
Finally the next time Curley shows his physical aggression towards Lennie is when he finds out his wife had been killed.
“…Curley came suddenly to life. “I know who done it,” he cried. “That big son-of-a-bitch done it. I know he done it. Why- ever’ body else was out there playin’ horseshoes.” He worked himself into a fury. “I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big-son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot ’im in the guts. Come on, you guys.” He ran furiously out of the barn…”
“…Slim stood looking down at Curley’s wife. He said, “Curley- maybe you better stay here with your wife.” Curley’s face reddened. “I’m goin’,” he said. “I’m gonna shoot the guts outta that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand. I’m gonna get ’im….”
When Curley finds out his wife has been killed by Lennie he feel humiliated by this and the fact that it’s happened twice make him want revenge more. The fact that he dose not care about his wife, the fact that Slim touches his wife to find out what is up with her and to make sure she is dead. If he did care about her as well then he would have not cared about going out to kill Lennie he would have wanted to stay with his wife. Steinbeck makes Curley sound like a cold man who just wants Lennie dead. Although Lennie is shot by George in the end as Steinbeck make you fell that George ought to do it him self. As earlier in the book when Candy lets someone kill his dog he regrets it from the first moment and say that he should have killed it himself.
From what I have found within of mice and men Curley is physically aggressive towards Lennie, while his wife is sexually provocative. These two characters create trouble for Lennie from the start and combine to cause his death in the end.
Curley’s physically aggression towards Lennie that helps to causes his death in the end was:
- The first meeting with George and Lennie
- Looking for a fight with someone
- After wife is killed he still want to get Lennie
Curley’s wife sexually provocative towards Lennie which helps to causes his death in the end were:
- The first meeting with George and Lennie
- When Lennie is with Candy and Crooks in the bunk house
- At the end when both of them are in the barn alone together
- Even when she is dead as Lennie knows that George will be mad at him
I feel that they both help to contribute towards Lennie’s death in the end both in different way.
