Of Mice and Men Questions

Haya Elfaramawy

23/9/16

English Class

Analyze Curley’s personality. Explain why you think he acts like this.

Curley, the manager's child, is a vile character in Steinbeck's reality. Indeed, even Lennie feels threatened when Curley first comes into the bunkhouse. Curley is a "thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and a head of tightly curled hair." According to Candy, an elderly rancher who lost his hand due to a farming accident, Curley is a trainee boxer and is continually starting ruckuses, particularly with folks who are larger than he is.

Curley acts this way in order to prove his manliness. He clearly lacks sexual power, thus he demonstrates his superiority in different ways—like, by singling out the moderate and powerless Lennie. Also, he has a decent arrangement down. As Candy clarifies, "S'pose Curley jumps a big guy an' licks him. Ever'body says what a game guy Curley is. And s'pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever'body says the big guy oughtta pick on somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seem like Curley ain't givin' nobody a chance"

Moreover, he tries to prove himself is by wedding a physically attractive lady. His better half is never given a name, however by calling her "Curley's significant other," Steinbeck shows she is his “property”. Curley doesn’t permit his wife talk to others on the farm, thus leaving her in isolation. He usually shows people how gentle he is with his wife, and it is shown that Curley patronizes the local whorehouse. This character prevents his wife from interacting with others, while he can do whatever he wants by going to the brothel every Saturday night! While he may strut around the farm since he is the boss’s child, he clearly can't fulfill his significant other and is cruel to her.