Chapter 5
Annotation focus:
Examples
of characters’ inability to interact and form meaningful connections
The death of Curley’s wife is the climax of the
novella. Because of this event, the
reader sees how the dream of a ranch owned by the men could never come
true. Who is truly at fault for Curley’s
wife’s death? Explain if this person is
also responsible for the death of the dream.
Explain how Lennie’s dream and Curley’s wife’s dream are
similar. How does the tone of the last conversation
between these two characters support the novel’s theme?
The death of Curely’s wife in Of Mice and Men was Curely’s fault. He knew that none of the men on the ranch liked her around. Only because she was a woman and “she can’t keep away from guys” (Steinbeck 51), only because she was “awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). However, Curely continued to keep her there as a trophy wife. She “never get to talk to nobody” (Steinbeck 86) and is basically on her own. Even though Curely tried to keep her attention, she found it constricting. Curely “ain’t a nice fella” (Steinbeck 89) and would get mad if she talked to anyone but him. His possessiveness drove her to the brink, where she did not care what happened to her just as long as she “can talk to people” (Steinbeck 87), which regrettably led to her death.
ReplyDeleteLennie and Curely’s wife’s dreams are the same because they both want to have an easy life. Where it is “nothing but rabbits” (Steinbeck 89) and alfalfa or “big hotels and pitchers” (Steinbeck 89) with “all them nice clothes” (Steinbeck 89). Their dreams are spoken in a blissful tone because it was something that they desired the most. The theme of the novel is the American dream and it focuses on happiness. The dream that everyone on the ranch wishes to achieve. Whether it was getting “that little place” (Steinbeck 94) “an’ live nice” (Steinbeck 94) or being equal among your peers; they all wanted to able to have their little piece of happiness. However, it is all reflective dreaming. The men on the ranch know that they need to work in order to obtain the “easy life”. Yet Lennie and Curely’s wife find that it should just come to them because they “was a natural” (Steinbeck 88) or because “they were following orders about everything” (Stenbeck 86).
Curley himself was responsible for the death of his wife and the dream. A few moments before she reaches the end of her life, Curley’s wife admitted that she “don’ like Curley” (Steinbeck) and that she gets “awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). Her, being a married woman and is still lonely, shows that she is not getting the attention from her husband that she needs. Since she isn’t getting attention from Curley, she wanders around the ranch and tries to get the other men to notice her to either get attention from them or to get Curley to focus on her. If Curley gave her the attention she needed, she wouldn’t have walked around the ranch and into her own death. He killed the dream because his lack of attention caused his wife to walk into her own death and have Lennie run away. If his wife had what she wanted, Lennie would not have killed her, run off and have to leave the dream in shatters.
ReplyDeleteLennie’s dream and Curley’s wife’s dream are similar because both wish they weren’t where they were. Curley’s wife says that she “ain’t used to livin’ like this” (Steinbeck 88) and then proceeds to talk about her dream of a show or in pictures. A person acting or modeling for pictures would not be stuck on a ranch as someone’s wife. While she speak of her dream, Lennie comments with his dream: how he “could tend the rabbits without no trouble” (Steinbeck 89). A migrant worker who only lifts on a ranch can’t tend to rabbits. Both characters dream of being away from the ranch and in their dreams. Their dreams can’t be found on a ranch. The conversation of their dreams had a tone of longing as they both talked about what they wanted. The tone supports the novel’s theme of loneliness because it shows that on the ranch, they will never be happy and their empty and broken dreams bring them loneliness.
Curley's wife is responsible for her own death in the novel. When Curley's wife is in the barn with Lennie she tells him a story. Through this story about her past we see how young and naive she is. Curley's wife should have had a least a sense of worry when she approached Lennie alone to speak with him. Curley’s wife states that even she thinks Lennie is crazy, “I think you’re [Lennie] nuts” (Steinbeck 90). Curley’s wife could easily tell how strong Lennie was due to his size and anyone who spoke to Lennie could understand he had a disability by the abnormal way he spoke. She also knew what Lennie had done to her husband’s hand and that he had just killed a pup. Curley's wife was blinded by her own loneliness and walked into her own death. She thought she would be able to trust Lennie and allowed for him to pet her to her death,” Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her hair” (Steinbeck 90), “And then she was still for Lennie had broken her neck” (Steinbeck 90). Curley's wife should have known not to struggle and yell angrily when she wanted Lennie to stop petting her hair. The yelling freaked Lennie out since he thought she was going to tell George what he did to the pup. This caused him to react and kill her. Curley's wife should have told Lennie to stop petting her in a calm manner. If Curley’s wife had been more cautious and had not struggled she might have not been killed. Her reaction was what caused Lennie to end her life. Besides being responsible for her own death, Curley's wife is also responsible for the death of the dream farm. By getting herself killed, George becomes terrified of Lennie being lynched for killing Curley’s wife. Therefore, George is forced, by the death of Curley's wife, to save Lennie from a more painful and slower death. Curley's wife due to her death essentially created a chain reaction and started the end of the dream. Had she not died, Lennie would not have been killed and the dream would still be alive with him and George.
ReplyDeleteDuring this chapter Of Mice and Men, Curley's wife and Lennie have their last conversation. In this conversation they both reveal similar dreams. We see that they both have incredible dreams that they stake their life hope in. Curley's wife states, "Could been in the movies, an' had nice clothes - all them nice clothes they wear. An' I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitcher took of me" (Steinbeck 89). Lennie's dream is different, but serves the same purpose "We gonna have a little place... We gonna have a house an' a garden and a place for alfalfa, an' that alfalfa is for the rabbits" (Steinbeck 89). Curley's wife and Lennie both dream of owning something and in a way to be not as lonely. Curley's wife dreams of owning the stage in acting and with that would follow a plethora of people that would support her. Lennie's dream is about owning a farm with a bunch of rabbits as long as George is with him so he's not lonely. Obviously, they both have hope and the dream of making a living for themselves, although for each the hope is truly an unrealistic one. Their last conversation provides a reflective tone. A reflective tone illustrates the characters innermost thoughts and emotions. By Lennie and Curley’s wife reflective tone it further provides detail on how lonely the two characters are. With more insight on the characters through the reflective tone we are able to see how loneliness affects people and just how deep the theme of loneliness runs through the book.
Although George did not physically murder Curley's wife, he is at fault for her death. Of course Lennie is the man who physically snapped the poor woman's neck, but the reason he did so ties back to George. It started when Curley's wife allowed Lennie to stroke her hair, but immediately panicked when he would not let go. This led to the woman screaming "let go, you let go!" (Steinbeck 91) which caused Lennie to panic as well. While encasing the woman's face in his massive paw, Lennie cried "George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits" (Steinbeck 91) and suddenly the woman was declared dead. This shows that all of Lennie's actions in this moment were compelled by his fear of George's reaction. If George had not promised Lennie rabbits for his good behavior, then Lennie would not have been worried enough to literally smother a woman. Lennie's actions were driven by the thought of disappointing George and therefore George is at fault for the death of Curley's wife. Aside from the death of Curley's wife, George is also responsible for the death of their dream of inheriting the ranch. Shortly after the woman's death, Candy asked George: "you an' me can get that little place, can't we, George?" (Steinbeck 94) but since the author writes that "Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay" (Steinbeck 94) it is assumed that George does not want to. Also since George is responsible for Lennie's actions leading to Curley's wife's death, this is another factor for why the dream can not take place, and therefore George is completely responsible for the death of their dream as well.
ReplyDeleteCurley's wife and Lennie had similar dreams of growing old and happy where they are and with whom they choose to spend their lives with. The last conversation the two have in this chapter corresponds with the main theme of the novel of being lonely while surrounded by many. In this chapter, Curley's wife admits: "I get lonely, you can talk to people, but I can't talk to nobody but Curley" (Steinbeck 87). This shows that Curley's wife's dream is to have people to talk to and to not be invariably lonely. This is very similar to Lennie's dream of being surrounded by rabbits he can tend to, and also to make George happy so Lennie is not constantly lonely without him. This is portrayed when Lennie attempts to obey George's instructions while he continuously says: "George says I ain't to have nothing to do with you" (Steinbeck 86) and "if George sees me talkin' to you he'll give me hell" (Steinbeck 87). The desperate tone in their conversation to make someone happy, whether it be herself in Curley's wife's case, or George in Lennie's case, shows that the two have very similar dreams. Both ranchers just want to be less lonely and to make certain people in their lives satisfied.
1) Although Lennie is the one who is actually at fault for Curley's wife's death, Curley's wife is truly at fault for her death. Before allowing Lennie to stroke her hair, "Curley's wife moved away from him a little. "I think you're nuts." she said" (Steinbeck 90). She had just witnessed Lennie admit to the murder of the puppy and natural instinct would advise her to stay away from someone with issues like Lennie. Curley's wife knew how dangerous Lennie could be, yet she still allowed him to play with her hair and be near her. Also, Curley's wife is partially responsible for the death of the dream. After Curley's wife made her decision, Lennie was hunt down by the rest of the workers, who were ready to shoot and kill him. The moment Lennie realized what he had done and the consequences that came with it, he forgot about his dream because he knew it could never happen. Since Curley's wife allowed Lennie to get close to her, knowing the possible consequences for both her and Lennie and they both ended up in horrid conditions, Curley's wife is responsible for the death of herself and the dream.
ReplyDelete2) Curley's wife told Lennie, "well, I wasn't gonna stay no place where I couldn't get nowhere or make something of myself" (Steinbeck 88). Since she wasn't able to fulfill her dream, she moved somewhere so her dream could hopefully come true. Although Lennie's dream is completely different, he is also not able to succeed on the current ranch. Lennie is always given little to no work and is constantly controlled by others. His reasoning for the ranch is so this ceases to occur. Their dreams are extremely similar because they have to work hard to achieve it and it is a place where they can feel as if they belong. The last conversation between Curley's wife and Lennie seems to have a fanciful and lighthearted time to it. This supports the overall theme of loneliness because it shows their passion towards their dreams where they no longer feel lonely.
Curley’s wife is at fault for her death. It was Lennie however, that killed the men’s dream. When Curley’s wife invited Lennie to pet her hair, she set herself up for death. Lennie had just told her he has killed mice and the puppy solely because he wanted to pet them, “i was just playin’ with him... An’ then he was dead”(Steinbeck 87), but she still allowed him to pet her and it got her killed. By choosing not to talk to Lennie and to listen to him, she could have prevented her fate. Lennie killed the men’s dream by simply talking to Curley’s wife. He knew by talking to her that trouble would be caused and that George would be mad, “George says I ain’t to have nothing to do with you- talk to you or nothing”(Steinbeck 86). Had Lennie chosen not to talk to her, he could have had a chance of the dream staying alive. However, the reader can now predict that Lennie will die and the dream will die with him.
ReplyDeleteBoth Lennie and Curley’s wife’s dreams include a life with success and without loneliness. Lennie’s dream was to own a ranch with George and Candy and to have his rabbits, “we gonna have a little place an’ rabbits”(Steinbeck 88). His friends would keep him from loneliness and the ranch would make him successful. Curley’s wife wanted to be an actress and make it onto the big screen, “coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes”(Steinbeck 89). Her fans and other fellow actors would have kept the loneliness at bay and her acting career would have made her successful. The tone of their final conversation is depressing, since they both finally realize their dreams have died and will never be able to be achieved. The setting that follows the conversation allows the reader to interpret this tone, “ now the light was lifting as the sun went down, and the sun streaks climbed up the wall and fell over the feeding racks and over the heads of the horses”(Steinbeck 89). The sun setting shows the end of the day, the end of the conversation, and the end of their dreams.
Even though Lennie killed Curley’s wife, it’s the other men on the ranch who are ultimately responsible for her death. It is revealed that his wife was “discontent and [had an] ache for attention” (Steinbeck 92) and that the other men considered her a “tart” (Steinbeck 95). While it is entirely possible that some of Curley’s wife’s advances may have been sexual, it seems that she only intended to reach out and have someone to talk to. Nobody considers how she is handling life on the ranch: “Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live” (Steinbeck 88). All of the men just assume that a woman with the audacity to dress how she chooses and speak to anyone besides her husband must have loose morals. It is a theme also present in 30’s society, one where women are rarely seen and never heard. Additionally, society’s treatment of intellectually disabled individuals , which consisted largely of ignoring their condition, played a large part in killing the dream of the ranch. If Lennie had received any form of care for his condition, it’s possible that he could have lived a more functional, enjoyable life and been able to settle down somewhere.
ReplyDeleteLennie’s dream of having “a little place-an’ rabbits,” (Steinbeck 88)and Curley’s wife’s desire to “make something of [her]self” (Steinbeck 88) both share a common theme: happiness. It is a stark opposite of the novel’s main theme of loneliness. All throughout the novel, it is made clear to the reader that while characters may be listening to what others say, they don’t always understand it. This is most evident in the solitary tone of Lennie and Curley’s wife’s final conversation, in which she details her entire life story, with barely any acknowledgement form Lennie “She looked closely at Lennie to see whether she was impressing him… She demanded, ‘You listenin’?’ ‘Me? Sure.’” (Steinbeck 88). Everyone on the ranch is lonely because they care primarily about themselves, and they care primarily about themselves because they are lonely. All of the character feel isolated, and fail to form any meaningful connections with other characters. This loneliness is what drives most of the characters in the story.
The character who should be held accountable for the death of the ranch dream, as well as the murder that occurred in chapter five, is the victim herself- Curley’s wife. This can be observed in the poor choices she makes throughout the chapter. Although Lennie repeatedly insists on not associating with the woman, she forces herself upon him, stating “why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely” (Steinbeck 86). This quotation proves that Curley’s wife was relentless in pressuring Lennie to speak to her. Despite Lennie’s objection, the woman used her loneliness in attempts to guilt trip him into spending time with her, taking advantage of his kind heart. Thus, it can be concluded that it is her own fault she ended up in the situation that, ultimately, led to her death. In addition to this, one can observe that the wife foresaw Lennie’s behavior, for she had previously “moved away from him…[stating to Lennie] ‘I think you’re nuts’ ” (Steinbeck 90). This confirms with the reader that Curley’s wife was well aware of Lennie’s mental state. After learning about how Lennie had broken her husband’s hand and had accidently killed his pup, the woman had very many reasons to draw the conclusion that he was dangerous. Ignoring these reasons, the wife continued her interaction with Lennie, even going so far as to letting him touch her hair. This action allows the reader to establish that Curley’s wife made the decisions that led to her demise. Consequently, it may also be concluded that, because her death led to the demise of Lennie, she is also responsible for the failure of the ranch dream. If Curley’s wife had not forced conversation with Lennie or allowed him to stroke her hair, neither herself or Lennie would have died, and George might have had decided to remain strong in his hopes for the ranch dream. However, with Lennie absence came the loss of George’s hope, all due to the decisions and death of Curley’s wife.
ReplyDeleteThe dreams of Curley’s wife and Lennie share one very strikingly similar property. This common ground is a will to be useful; it is a desire to feel valued and important. In speaking of her own dream to become someone famous, Curley’s wife declares that “[she] coulda made somethin’ of [herself]” (Steinbeck 88). This reflection reveals to the reader that Curley’s wife had a strong will to be something more than just a wife of a migrant worker. This desire is further emphasized by the Steinbeck’s choice to leave the woman nameless throughout the story. Although the dream of Curley’s wife was to have a name that everyone knew, she instead became someone with no identity, unimportant and devalued by her weak marriage with Curley. Similarly, Lennie’s dream is to “tend the rabbits” (Steinbeck 87) at a self-owned ranch with George and Candy, rewarding him with a feeling of importance and significance for maintaining a task he enjoys. Although not as high-end as the dream of Curley’s wife, Lennie’s dream also grants him with the joy of success and value. However, Lennie, too, is unable to obtain his dream; instead, he ends up dead. In their final discussion, Curley’s wife and Lennie discuss their dreams with one another. The saddening, yet hopeful tone of their last conversation supports the theme of constant, inescapable loneliness for those in Soledad. However hard each of them may try, their dreams are unattainable, and they both end up in crippling sadness and defeat. In the end, both characters are without the fulfillment of their dreams, leaving them with a sense of overwhelming loneliness and worthlessness, supported by the theme of the story.
Several people could take blame for the death of Curley's wife. First and foremost, Lennie should at least stomach some of the blame, even if her death was completely unintentional, which is shown when Lennie claims "I don't want ta hurt you"(Steinbeck 91). He honestly didn't mean to kill her, and that's why there are other characters that should take the blame for her death. George, in my opinion, is also at fault for the death of Curley's wife due to the fact that he left Lennie by himself, well aware of the fact he is accident prone and ridiculously strong. It was doomed from the start, but George found safety in thinking he was going to get his dream, and must have let his guard down, not protecting Lennie. George breaks the dream, saying that "I think I knowed from the very first"(Steinbeck 94), breaking the news to Candy that there was never a real chance of getting their dream farm. Curley's wife was also responsible fro her own death. She knew the absurd power Lennie had due to the fact that he had crushed her husbands hand, as well as the fact that he just killed the puppy he was petting. She still allowed him to feel her hair, and put herself in danger.
ReplyDeleteThe two characters both have aspirations to move on from life in the farm. Curley's wife wanted to be a actor, and had promises from a man who never called her back. This could be seen as the same situation Lennie was in, where he believed he was close to his dream, but it never materialized. Their conversation held a tone of friendliness, almost like they had found someone they could confide in before Lennie had broke her neck. Curleys wife tells Lennie that if she had became an actor, she "wouldn't be livin like this, you bet"(Steinbeck 88). They had become friendly enough to share their hopes and dreams, but loneliness soon ensues after Lennie accidentally kills Curley's wife. This shows that loneliness is almost inescapable.
The death of Curley's wife is the result of many actions of various characters. While Lennie is the one who kills her, he does not bear all of the blame. Curley’s wife exposes herself to the danger of letting Lennie touch her hair even after seeing what happened to the puppy just minutes before the incident. However, she would not have any reason to talk to Lennie had she not experienced constant loneliness. She admits that “[she] don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella” (Steinbeck 89), and that “[She] can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad” (Steinbeck 87). Curley does not give any attention to his wife, leaving her feeling lonely and desperate. This loneliness and desperation is what drew her to Lennie in the first place. Also, the blame can be traced to Curley’s wife’s mother. When she met an actor who told her she should go with that show, her “ol’ lady wouldn’ let [her]” (Steinbeck 88), preventing her from living the life she dreamed of and leading her to her life of restrictions. These characters inflicted loneliness and feeling of failure on Curley’s wife, which is what led her to put herself in harm's way. Although Lennie was the one who physically did the deed and she was the one who exposed herself to that possibility, it was her mother and Curley who truly bear most of the blame. These characters are not to blame for the death of the ranch dream. After Candy asks about the dream, George replies, “ I think I knowed from the very first…we’d never do her” (Steinbeck 94), indicating that the dream never had any potential at all. The death of Curley’s wife simply marks the realization to the characters and the reader that this dream could never happen.
ReplyDeleteLennie’s dream and Curley's wife’s dream share some characteristics. Lennie’s dream is owning a ranch with George and being able to tend to the rabbits, while Curley’s wife’s dream was to be an actress and have control and excitement in her life. In the end, neither of these dreams come true. In addition, the motivation behind these dreams are the same. Lennie and Curley’s wife both seek a purpose in life, for they do not have one in their current lives. Curley’s wife asks Lennie, “How’d you like not to talk to anybody” (Steinbeck 87), showing her distaste for the was she is treated in her life. Lennie replies, “Well I ain’t supposed to. George’s scared I’ll get in trouble” (Steinbeck 87). This conversation shows the restriction both characters face in their lives. Curley’s wife is controlled by Curley, and Lennie is controlled by George. Although Lennie doesn’t show any distaste of being controlled like Curley’s wife does, the key aspect of the dream he focuses on is tending to the rabbits. When he kills the puppy and when he kills Curley’s wife, his main concern is “[George] ain’t gonna let [him] tend no rabbits” (Steinbeck 91). For Lennie, being able to tend to the rabbits is proof that he can be self-sufficient and not destroy everything he likes. Similarly, Curley’s wife seeks to be free to talk to whomever she wants to, a freedom Curley prevents her from having. The tone of the final conversation between Lennie and Curley’s wife is panicked. Curley’s wife is panicked because she fears for her life, and Lennie is panicked because he fears the destruction of his dream. By the end of the conversation, it is concluded that neither of them can achieve their dream. This supports the novel's theme of dreams being impossible to achieve on a 1930s ranch, regardless of whether or not one deserves it.
ReplyDeleteAs the news of Curley’s wife’s death travels, the rancher's’ dream of a far away barn quickly fizzles out. The men were sorrowful to realize that any hopes of achieving their dreams were now unattainable, “Then—it’s all off?" Candy asked sulkily. George didn’t answer his question. George said, "I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some poolroom til ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more" (Steinbeck 79). It’s come to George’s attention that he will now be like the others, fulfilling a sad life on the ranch due to the woman’s death. This raises the question, who was at fault for the death of Curley’s wife? Curley’s wife is responsible for her own death. She was a lonely and bitter failure, and paralleling what she said about the mutt, there are many of her in the world. However, it can’t be said that she was responsible for the death of the rancher’s dream. Her own hopes had died long ago, but the men never really had faith in their own beliefs. George was first to admit that he didn’t think they would ever have the barn, but he only fed into this idea for Lennie’s sake. Curley’s wife could not have killed a dream that was never fully formed.
Similarly, Lennie and Curley’s wife both lived and thrived for their dreams of happiness. The thought of living on his own barn and tending to beautiful, soft rabbits gave Lennie a feeling of purpose. Curley’s wife had a different dream, one involving fame, "I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself." She said darkly, "Maybe I will yet." And then her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away. "I lived right in Salinas," she said. "Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol' lady wouldn' let me. She says because I was on'y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I'd went, I wouldn't be livin' like this, you bet." (Steinbeck 74). Unlike Lennie, the dream of Curley’s wife had died long ago leaving her bitter towards the world. Lennie still had hope. However their last conversation existed in a feeling of darkness and regrets. Curley’s wife had no hope and felt that anyone else’s dream would fail as hers did. Because of her pessimism it was possible for the dream of the barn to die too.
There are many people to blame for the death of Curley's wife, but the main person at fault for this climaxing tragedy is George. Inevitably, Lennie's fear of disappointing George catches up to his actions and how he deals with their consequences. As Lennie is attempting to control Curley's wife's panic and struggle, he says, "'George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits'" (Steinbeck 91). Lennie does not realize this control over Curley's wife is a catastrophic decision on behalf of George's future and his own future on the ranch; he only knows his actions will affect his dream of tending to the rabbits. Then, because George was always pestering Lennie in a negative way about behaving and avoiding trouble, Lennie came to believe he should deal with the trouble he approaches in a negative way as well when Steinbeck describes, "Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted. (Curley's wife) screamed then, and Lennie's other hand closed over her mouth and nose" (Steinbeck 91). By approaching his problems and obstacles with physical resolution, Lennie creates tension everywhere he goes, from Weed to the farm, especially with Curley. George's harshness on Lennie eventually led to these shocking events unfolding, along with George's realization that Lennie's recent actions killed their dream of the ranch. Not only is the dream of the ranch ended because of the manhunt for Lennie due to the death of Curley's wife, but it is also because George realizes he cannot live their dream without Lennie. Their dream was created only as a tool to control Lennie, but as the dream was becoming a reality, George knew it was not complete without Lennie there to tend the rabbits and to George's dream, which was surrounded by Lennie himself. Lennie's actions may have caused the death of Curley's wife and the collapse of their dream, but George's decisions as his role model leaves George himself at fault for these events.
ReplyDeleteEven with their differences, Lennie and Curley's wife have similarities in their dream. Explaining her life story to Lennie, Curley's wife says, "'if I'd went, I wouldn't be livin' like this, you bet'" (Steinbeck 88). Hearing the tone of regret and disappointment in her words, Curley's wife sees her dream and life in that dream would have been much different than the life she feels she is trapped in. Hypothetically speaking, Lennie's dream has a similar overall meaning compared to Curley's wife's dream. Lennie never wanted to live in reality, like Curley's wife, where he kills the mice he pets and frightens others when he feels the urge to pet something. However, in his fantasy, Lennie can fulfill all the dreams reality cannot. Both Lennie and Curley's wife despise their lives, making their dreams a haven for all their hopes to stay safe. Relating to the novel's theme of hoping for the impossible, these hopes and dreams shared between Lennie and Curley's wife gives off a fanciful and am optimistic, along with an incredulous tone that suggests their dreams will never become a reality. In their last conversation, the two characters reveal their dreams to each other with hopes that they will one day become real, but then Curley's wife begins to speak "darkly" and even quickly, "as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away" (Steinbeck 88). Her tone of speech suggests she wants to grab the attention of someone that will listen to her dream and has already been denied the chance to express herself to anyone else. By forcing her dreams onto others in these ways, she realizes no one cares about her dreams, and telling them to Lennie was her last chance of caring for them herself. When her hope for her dream dies, so will the dream itself, proving the theme of the impossible hopes and dreams stay unreal.
Curley's wife is consequently at fault for her own death. With prior knowledge of Lennie's obsession with soft things, she pressured him to “feel right aroun’ there an’ see how soft it is”(Steinbeck 90) when talking about her hair. She most likely would have done this because she wanted someone who could fulfill the needs her cruel husband could not. Throughout the novel, Curley's wife is seen wandering around the ranch flirting with various workers. She does this because “[she doesn't] like Curley”(Steinbeck 89). She doesn't like Curley because he is protective, mean, and unsupportive. Because she doesn't like her own husband, Curley's wife felt as if she needed to pursue someone who could give her what she couldn't receive from him: time. Curley never gave his wife time to talk about herself and this, along with his negligent characteristics, caused her need for another person. This person would eventually be Lennie, giving her his time and allowing her to talk about her feelings. Since he did this, she would reward him by allowing him to touch her soft hair, essentially leading to her death. However, Curley's wife is not responsible for the death of the dream; George is the sole person who killed the dream. After discovering that Lennie had killed Curley's wife, he had two choices: leave the ranch and run for a new life like they did before or have the boys kill Lennie. He chose to have Candy turn in Lennie, telling him to “come runnin’ out an’ tell like you jus’ found her”(Steinbeck 95). He knew that they could not continue running from their problems every time something went wrong. Instead, George decided that this was the end; he must have Lennie pay for his actions. Even though he loves Lennie with all his heart, George knew what he had to do, and therefore killed the dream of having their own.
ReplyDeleteIt is clear that the dreams of Lennie and Curley's wife are filled with similarities. Lennie's dream is to tend rabbits on his own farm with George, and Curley's wife's dream is to go to Hollywood in order to become an actress. The key similarity between these two dreams are that they are both unattainable. Lennie's dream is unattainable because he had “broken [Curley’s wife’s] neck”(Steinbeck 91) and is being hunted down for blood by Curley and his boys. Curley's wife's dream is unattainable because she “married Curley”(Steinbeck 88) and is forced to stay along with him on the ranch. The tone of the last conversation between these two characters is longing. Both characters have a yearning desire for something to enhance their quality of life (rabbits and fame). The tone of the last conversation between these two characters supports the novel’s theme of loneliness because they both know that the cannot reach their dreams, and thus, true happiness. Since Lennie's dream of tending the rabbits is over along with Curley's wife's future entirely, both have not reached true happiness, therefore enhancing the loneliness of the two characters on the ranch.
In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife’s death is ultimately caused by Lennie. When Curley’s wife allows Lennie to pet her hair, “she jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on… Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted. She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose” (Steinbeck 91). Though it was the girl who made a sudden movement, Lennie could not control his reaction and panicked. His panic caused harm to Curley’s wife and was the reason for his killing her. Unable to control his actions and emotions, Lennie is also the reason he and George cannot reach their ranch dream. Once he realized what he had done, Lennie stated softly, “I done a real bad thing…I shouldn’t of did that. George’ll be mad…he said…hide in the bush till he come. He’s gonna be mad” (Steinbeck 92). Lennie focuses on George’s imminent anger with Lennie’s killing of Curley’s wife; he ignores the wrongness of his crime and cannot fathom the sin he has committed. It is Lennie’s inability to do the right thing that makes the pair unable to reach their dream. Whenever George is gone, Lennie makes a mistake and each mistake grows worse in proportion as they occur, which leads to a dead women. Lennie’s mistakes at handling fragility cause the pair to get into trouble which keeps them from their ranch.
ReplyDeleteBoth Lennie and Curley’s wife dream of being important in their own place. Steinbeck explains Curley’s wife’s dream of fame by her saying, “I coulda made somethin’ of myself…maybe I could yet…Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they wear…When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher…Because the guy said I was a natural” (Steinbeck 88). Curley’s wife focuses on words spoken to her long ago to keep her dreaming, just like Lennie does with George. Since someone told her she could be someone, she lets that dream live on; sadly, she is stuck in a simple life she does not want. She dreams of glamour, but mostly, she dreams of belonging somewhere, like Lennie dream of the ranch. Lennie and Curley’s wife’s last conversation support the theme of the novelette that dreams may be held onto, but life will not always let you attain that dream. In the story, Curley’s wife “went on with her story quickly, before she should be interrupted…I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers…Soon’s he got back in Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it…I never got that letter” (Steinbeck 88). By her hurried speech and depressing conclusion, the reader understands the tone of the conversation to be longing. This longing tone relates to the theme. Everyone, including Lennie and Curley’s wife, long to achieve their dreams, but they have only come short due to life’s unfairness.
Curley’s wife’s death can be blamed on a few different people. But the person who is most at fault for the death was Curley himself. Curley paid no attention to his wife and often used her. According to Candy, “Well, I tell ya what—Curley says he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife”(Steinbeck 1). With this, we can conclude that Curley only wants one thing from his; he wants sex. Curley is ignorant of his wife’s desire to see the world outside the ranch and become something other than just a wife. Unless they’re in bed, Curley is not interested in her. To him, she’s just a trophy that he shows off to give himself confidence. All of this ignorance, however, lead to Curley’s wife becoming bored and prompted her to go exploring around the bunkhouse, only to be shot down by all of the men except for Lennie. Consequently, Curley’s wife seduced Lennie with her soft hair, only to have him break her neck out of fear. Although Curley’s wife’s death meant the end to the dream, Curley wasn’t directly at fault. Since Curley hadn’t even known of the plan, he couldn’t have possibly been at fault.
ReplyDeleteCurley’s wife and Lennie both share a similar dream. Both character’s feel the need to be significant in the world. For Curley’s wife, she wants to feel significant in the sense that she wants to better herself. According to Curley’s wife, ”I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.”(Steinbeck 1). Here, we see how she feels trapped in the ranch. She wishes she would have made something out of herself other than just being a wife. For Lennie, his desire to be significant comes from tending to the rabbits. According to Lennie, “George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits now.”(Steinbeck 1). Lennie feels the need to break free from his burden on George and take care of the rabbits. He wants to not be such a subordinate and instead, help others.