1. How does Steinbeck present Curley’s wife after her death
How does Steinbeck present Curley’s wife after her death? How does he present her earlier in the novel? What is your personal response to Steinbeck’s presentation of Curley’s wife in the novel as a whole?
By Becky and Theresa

2. How does Steinbeck represent Curley’s wife after and before her death
How does Steinbeck represent Curley’s wife after and before her death? Quotes
Before- (introduction of Curley’s Wife)
After Death
“a tart” “tramp” (provocative)
“she got the eye”
‘ She had full, rouge lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. (masked)
Her fingernails were red. (red- provocative, warning love)
Her hair hung up in little rolled clusters, like sausages.
...cotton house dress and red mules,
..little bouquets of red ostrich feathers”
“She leaned against the door frame so her body was thrown forward.”
Curley’s wife- objectified, belongs to Curley, only woman
“her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still,” (relates to Curley’s hand)
“the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention were all gone from her face.” (she was at peace)
“..pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young.” (she was pretty without her flirtatious attitude)
“..rouged cheeks and reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping lightly.” (she seemed content and happy, still looking perfect and made up, like a doll)
“the curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted.” (her hair was still perfect)

3. Relevant Characters
Crooks could be perceived as a relevant character due to the fact that, like Curley’s Wife, he is judged by others for his appearance. However, in contrast, his appearance is a disability, and overall affects him as a person. Curley’s wife is only affected by the way in which she portrays herself through her flirtatious nature. It can also be argued, that she explains her actions due to her loneliness, creating a contrast to Crooks, as he suffers from loneliness due to his complexion, which his disability worsens, as his attitude becomes more negative, thus making him more isolated from the other workers on the ranch.
Another relevant character could be Curley, as he, too, is named after his personality and appearance. The name Curley gives the impression of a tightly knit and aggressive person. Steinbeck’s suggests that Curley is a negative and pugnacious character, in order to imply that he is the main antagonist of the novel. It is also made apparent, that he doesn’t give his wife enough attention which results in the loneliness that Curley’s Wife feels, resulting in her flirtatious manner towards the men on the ranch.

4. What is your personal response to Steinbeck’s presentation of Curley’s wife in the novel as a whole?
It is easy to make assumptions based on how she is presented in the novel, e.g. that she is an antagonist; a character full of trickery and a character that would essentially get you into trouble by retaliating to her flirtatious nature. From the beginning of the novel, Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife to be subjectified through prejudice and preconceived by the men on the ranch; ultimately causing the reader to acquire a bad image of her, due to her flirtatious nature. The objectification is emphasized from her name alone, as she’s the only character that doesn’t have a name/nickname, adding to the effect of being Curley’s belonging. Thus, the reader gets to create an own opinion on her character later on in the novel, personally for me creating a turning point, when she is confronted by Lennie and tells him about her failed American Dream. I felt this, as it was the first time that Steinbeck represented her character to have emotions and dreams just like the other characters on the ranch, slowly vanishing the distance and juxtaposition between them, as the reader realizes that they all have similarities. It can be argued, that Steinbeck develops her character the most throughout the novel, as the change in her nature is still portrayed after her tragic death. She’s perceived to be at peace and considered to be beautiful, “sweet and young”, causing a juxtaposition when considering the quotes regarding her being a “tart” and flirtatious nature, before her death.

5. Writing your introduction
In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck, one of the recurring themes is character development, which Steinbeck specifically emphasizes and portrays in Curley’s wife’s character. Her character is illustrated to start out as cold and dispassionate, only sharing a relationship with her husband and relying on her looks and flirtatious nature to cause attention. However she develops to become a more in-depth character with shattered dreams and desperation for love and admiration. Hence, resulting in her need for attention around the men, with the aim to find affection that she lacks. Steinbeck represents her character to be the only woman in the novel, and is thus confronted with many issues of the time. These include sexism and subjectivism by the men on the ranch, causing distance and a contrast between the characters.