Curley Essay Plan (Of Mice and Men

How is Curley powerful? (QUOTES)

He is the ‘boss’s son’ - This means he will one day inherit his father’s land, placing him in a privileged and powerful position above the other ranch hands, who have almost no power in society.

He wears ‘high-heeled' boots’  and ‘spurs’ - He wears special clothing as a symbol of power, like his father. This could suggest his insecurities, that he doesn’t feel that he has the power naturally so he is forced to show it through his clothing. It could also suggest that his power is artificial or not real, especially in contrast to characters like Slim who gains the respect of everyone naturally.

He ‘won’t ever get canned’ - This again demonstrates the privileged position he has on the ranch compared to the other workers. Every migrant worker has to watch what they say and do out of fear of getting fired. Curley does not, he can do what he wants how we wants and never has to worry about his job security.

Why is Curley’s power portrayed in this way?

Both Curley and Slim are very powerful figures in the novella, however, the description of Curley’s power is drastically different to that of Slim’s.

Curley represents the landowners of the 1930s who Steinbeck viewed as exploitative of migrant workers. They felt no need to treat their workers with dignity and kindness as they could be so easily replaced. This was worsened by the onset of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl which caused huge amounts of unemployment. This allowed employers to easily justify harsh and unfair treatment of their workers. In the 1930s, employers were cutting wages and causing workers to live in camps that resembled city dumps. Any form of worker demonstrations were crushed with brutality.

This explains the contrast in description of Curley and Slim. Slim represents the archetypal cowboy who is moral and likeable whereas Curley is the spoilt son of a landowner who is cruel and pathetic. This exposes how capitalism places the power in the wrong hands.

How is Curley violent? (QUOTES)

His ‘hands closed into fists’ and he went ‘into a slight crouch’ - This is how Curley conducts himself even before meeting George and Lennie. He is always looking for a fight making the reader feel a sense of unease when he is present.

During his fight with Lennie verbs like ‘slashed’, ‘smashed’, ‘slugging’ and ‘swinging’ are used to describe him - This emphasises the aggression of the assault of Lennie. This is especially shocking to the reader when you consider that Lennie did not do anything wrong to start the fight.

How is Curley neglectful of his wife? (QUOTES)

‘I’m lookin’ for Curley’ - This demonstrates how lonely she was. She was not actually looking for Curley but instead was looking for companionship. This shows how she feels lonely as Curley’s Wife. At the time of the 1930s, many women would only socialise with their husbands once they came home from work. The men would go out, earn the money, meet and socialise with new people while the women were stay in the house. The reader feels sympathetic to Curley’s Wife as she doesn’t even get companionship from her husband.

Curley ‘comes to life’ upon seeing his wife’s dead body - This is a stark contrast to how one would assume a husband would react to their wife’s death. Her death doesn’t spark sadness but a desire for revenge and an opportunity to reestablish his authority among the other ranch hands. This reflects the objectification of women at the time. Rather than see her death as a loss for Curley, her death is viewed as an attack on his personal property that he must avenge.

How is Curley presented as insecure?

‘He’s all time picking scraps with big guys’ - This shows his insecurity about his size. Because of his small stature, he feels the need to attack people that are bigger and stronger than him just to show how he is not less than them.

He is compared to a ‘terrier’ - A terrier is a small dog breed known for their viciousness despite their size.

Curley feels insecure due to the rigid image of what masculinity looks like in the 1930s. Men were supposed to be the strong brave ones. This lead people to see violence as a masculine trait. Curley is insecure about his masculinity and thus resorts to violence.

‘Have any you guys seen my wife?’ - This shows his insecurity around his marriage. Despite neglecting her half the time, he is constantly fearful that she is off with another man.