Curley is the belligerent and nervous boss's son in Steinbeck's novel. His aggressive nature is on display from the very first time we meet him. He wants to intimidate the other men and always seems to be looking for a fight. When he first meets George and Lennie, Steinbeck writes in chapter two:
He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists....
Curley is the belligerent and nervous boss's son in Steinbeck's novel. His aggressive nature is on display from the very first time we meet him. He wants to intimidate the other men and always seems to be looking for a fight. When he first meets George and Lennie, Steinbeck writes in chapter two:
He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious.
Later in that chapter the old swamper, Candy, describes how Curley likes to pick on bigger men so that he can display his authority:
“Never did seem right to me. 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 somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seems like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance.”
Eventually Curley loses power after the fight with Lennie, who crushes the man's hand. In chapter five, however, Curley regains his authority over the men when his wife is found dead. Instead of expressing grief, he is instantly back in charge organizing the men and saying,
“I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot ‘im in the guts. Come on, you guys.”
He is once again the leader and out to avenge his beating at the hands of Lennie. We get the feeling he is more worried about getting revenge than he is the fact his wife is dead.
Gender stereotypes are implicit in Of Mice and Men. We never really get a good look at the domestic life of Curley and his wife. We know they are always looking for one another without success (in fact the only time they are together in the same place is when she is discovered dead in the barn), and we learn in chapter five that Curley's wife doesn't even like her husband. She tells Lennie about Curley:
“Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughten to. I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.”
We might assume she doesn't like him because he is a "stereotypical" male. If his treatment of the men on the ranch is any indication, he probably tries to dominate her. He tells her what to do and is content with her doing all the domestic chores of their marriage. He leaves her on Saturday night to go into town, possibly to a whore house, which is the subject of a conversation between George and Whit in chapter three. Curley's wife says,
“Think I don’t know where they all went? Even Curley. I know where they all went.”
In the stereotype it is perfectly fine for Curley to cheat on his wife, but if she even as much as looks at one of the other guys he goes into a furor and is ready to fight. She is expected to stay in the house, cook, clean and basically cater to Curley's every wish. Her eventual death is caused by Curley's lack of attention to her. She yearns for companionship and excitement. Unfortunately she chooses badly in trying to flirt with Lennie, who is mentally challenged and does not understand her need for attention.
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