English Literature - Curley - Rate my essay

I have produced some writing on Curley and I was wondering whether this meets any of the criteria for the exam tomorrow.

Curley, through his attitude to both other men and his wife, very much condemns himself.

Steinbeck surrounds Curley with negative adjectives throughout the novel, especially in his descriptions of Curley. Curley had a ‘head of tightly curled hair’ which suggests that Curley, like a spring, could go off at any moment violently. Furthermore, Curley had a ‘calculating’ and ‘pugnacious’ glance, suggesting that Curley is both unforgiving and an aggressor, unwilling to be inviting and respectful. Steinbeck paints a negative picture surrounding Curley to highlight the importance of compassion and acceptance in crises such as the Great Depression; by using Curley as a threat to George and Lennie’s dream, Curley is, in the readers’ eyes, a thoroughly dangerous and negative character, caused by his ‘cold’ attitude towards the other characters, which therefore encourages the reader to be of a more welcoming stance instead.

Curley, as his wife states ‘I know where they went’, visits the brothel with the other men. This suggests a multitude of things about Curley’s relationship and his morality. Perhaps Curley has a genuine lack of respect for his wife and she is solely a method for him to upper his status on the ranch rather than the marriage being one of love and compassion. Alternatively, Curley could be demonstrating to the ranch hands that he is in control of the relationship and is not under the thumb; Curley could be attempting to ensure that his reputation is upheld by going to the brothel. In balance, it is likely that Curley cares for his reputation and wants to ensure that he is seen as a powerful member of the ranch, which is supported by Curley’s choice to wear ‘high-heeled boots’, which, like the boss, we can assume is to ‘prove’ that he isn’t a labouring man.

Curley is also shown to use his wife as a method to up his status on the ranch through his ‘glove fulla vaseline’. Curley appears to wear this glove as a trophy, to exhibit his sexual relationship with his wife to the other ranch hands in an attempt to gain respect and authority, essentially showing off. This reveals Curley’s attitude towards women: to him, they are merely a method of achieving a reputation as opposed to actual people. Steinbeck uses Curley’s selfish, vain attitude to portray an example of how not to act - Curley is never seen to pay respect or tribute even in her death, which would be seen as immoral by the majority of readers and would encourage people to think empathetically with one another as opposed to exploiting each other for status.

Curley is also shown to have an utterly uncaring attitude towards his wife, especially upon her death. In life, he was always ‘looking’ for her and she is only found in her death. Rather than taking Slim’s suggestion of ‘you better stay here with your wife’, Curley’s face ‘reddened’ and insists that he will ‘shoot the guts’ out of Lennie. This appears to demonstrate Curley’s priorities regarding his wife; Curley, as opposed to loving, is the precise opposite. Curley is not devastated at his wife’s death at all – but instead, he exploits it as an excuse to ‘shoot’ someone. Alternatively, as Curley’s face ‘reddened’, this could be indicative of guilt at not treating her fairly, demonstrating that Curley might feel emotion. Steinbeck uses this shocking attitude of Curley to represent the tendencies of men: Steinbeck appears to show that men are more aligned with violence than love, promoting change by using Curley’s graphic description of ‘shoot’ and ‘guts’, which are the consequences of this violence.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 1

Nath98

Awesome points, helped me understand a few ideas too :smile:

Hopefully Curley does come up!

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Reply 2

ColeNate

Original post by Nath98

Awesome points, helped me understand a few ideas too :smile:

Hopefully Curley does come up!

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm just worried that I've focused too much of my time on Curley now - we'll just have to wait and see!

Reply 3

jjess1234

Nice essay man!
Hopefully putting all your eggs in one basket will pay off, although it depends on what exam board you're taking.

If your taking Edexcel they ask you to refer to the significance of the novel, so I'm not sure if your great character analysis would pertain to that.

Reply 4

cilla_e

This is really good, the only criticism is to strengthen you conclusion by mentioning why he is important or significant.

Reply 5

WeSay

Your essay is really good, i reckon curley will come up regarding power so you've managed to hit some of the key points if this comes up tomorrow..
I'd agree, you're conclusion could be improved slightly, possibly make more of an issue out of his importance among the rest of the people on the ranch..sounds a bit obvious but sometimes that what the examiners want to check you know your stuff. Very good essay though.
I hope curley comes up too, other people reckon carlson and euthanasia might come up but not sure to be honest..
Anyone got any other predictions?

Reply 6

Venomclaw

I like the reference to Curley's potential guilt with the 'reddened'. I'd never seen him as even slightly sympathetic but that's an interesting point. :smile:

Reply 7

WeSay

If anyone wanted a look at an model answer that would give you an A*, here is one. It was written by Mr Bruff (YouTube famous).
He has predicted that Curley will come up on the paper tomorrow, he made a prediction last year and was right, so not sure if he will but its definitely a strong possibility.

Steinbeck presents the character of Curley as a symbol of his theme of fate.
Curley is a character who is disliked by all in the novella - even his wife who confides to a docile Lennie "I don't like Curley". Indeed, Curley's actions throughout the novella are aggressive, confrontational and judgemental: he is the archetypal villain of the piece. However, despite his lack of positive attributes, Curley has a position of authority on the ranch - as the ranch owner's son, he elicits fear even in the usually calm George who asks "Slim. Is Curley's old man gonna can us?" when Lennie hurts Curley.
At first glance, the reader might be confused as to why Curley has a position of authority on the ranch, particularly when near perfect men such as 'prince of the ranch' Slim are employed in menial roles. However, Steinbeck juxtaposes the cruel Curley with the sublime Slim to highlight the theme of fate. Fate is the belief that the events which take place in our lives are pre-conceived and unavoidable. Steinbeck was so enamoured by the notion that he changed the title of the novella from its original 'Something That Happened' to its current title. 'Of Mice and Men' is a line from the Rober Burns poem 'To a Mouse', a poem concerned with fate. Steinbeck's message is clear: Curley was born the son of a ranch owner, and so is fated to live a life of relative luxury in a position of authority he clearly does not deserve. His evil actions only further exemplify just how unfit for the role Curley is.
The reader gets the impression that Curley is so used to getting his own way that he has lost his grasp on reality. It surprises us when he picks a fight with Lennie, confronting him with the question "what the hell you laughin' at?' Dramatic irony occurs at this moment as the reader clearly knows that Curley should not provoke Lennie who is as 'strong as a bull' and could easily kill Curley. It is this arrogance which soon has Curley 'flopping like a fish on a line'. It is possible to interpret Curley at this moment for a metaphor of the arrogance of the leaders of the USA. Steinbeck is here suggesting that the rich leaders of the USA have lost touch with the realities of existence. Living as he did in the tough climate of the 1930s, Steinbeck knew first hand of the suffering caused by the dust bowl and Wall Street Crash. His message is clear - those in positions of power and authority have no true grasp of the realities of existence.
Finally, Curley is a character who is used by Steinbeck to highlight the futility of the concept of the American Dream. America has always promoted itself as the land of equal opportunity, where a man can achieve anything he dreams of if he works hard enough. Curley, whose position of authority and success is indicated by the fact that 'like the boss, he wore high heeled boots' is used to dispel the concept. Unlike every other character, we never read of Curley working hard at all - he simply spends his time causing trouble and looking for his wife. However, he has a position of authority, power and superiority. Steinbeck is here showing that the American Dream is a myth - it doesn't matter how hard you work, success only comes to those who are fated to receive it.

Reply 8

ColeNate

Original post by cilla_e

This is really good, the only criticism is to strengthen you conclusion by mentioning why he is important or significant.

Thank you! I completely forgot about concluding and even what to contain in a conclusion.

In conclusion, Curley is a massively significant character in the novel because he represents the uncontrolled, fuming savageness of the discontent man. He represents an undeniably threatening risk to George and Lennie's dreams of owning their own ranch and his broken hand ultimately foreshadows Lennie's strength of a 'bull' when he breaks Curley's Wife's neck.

Original post by Venomclaw

I like the reference to Curley's potential guilt with the 'reddened'. I'd never seen him as even slightly sympathetic but that's an interesting point. :smile:

Haha - that point was entirely far fetched but I needed to find another interpretation.

Whatever comes up in the end - just remember:

- 2 interpretations, evaluate (on balance)
- Explain the meaning of one word - 'nonsense' - silly, mocking, playful, distancing
- Try to relate to themes of fate, the dream etc
- Symbolic/metaphor for... - Put your far-fetched ideas in this one
- Writer intention
- Contrasts and irony