Week 8 - Character's journey (TA)

Instructions
How does Steinbeck use language represent Curley’s wife after and before her death?

Explore the quotes commenting on Curley’s wife

•Point: The writer presents Curley’s wife as…
•Evidence: Quote/s from the novel
•Explanation: Explain how this quote shows how Curley’s wife is presented
•Analysis: Break down the information, make inferences, quote on author’s writing style and use of
language
•Link: back to the question – incorporating all the context, evidence, analysis

See ppt for guidance and support

Steinbeck uses language to portray Curley’s wife as a victim of being left secluded in a man’s
world. Steinbeck uses this terminology to give the reader a understanding of how women were
treated during the 1930s. She is represented as a flirtatious woman throughout the book by
many of the characters. This presents her as a juvenile, flirtatious girl manipulating other men
since she is confined in a relationship that she no longer desires. This can be perceived in this
quote.
“She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown
forward.”

But Steinbeck also uses Inference in this passage “Curley's wife lay with a half-covering of
yellow hay. And the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache for attention
were all gone from her face." to show that once she has departed, all her ache for attention had
all been in vain. In my opinion, Curley’s wife was a victim of being left secluded in a man’s world
with no one to come to help her and understand her, which made her feel insecure about her
marriage with Curley and flirt with the men on the ranch just so she could talk to someone.
Steinbeck also exemplifies how women were treated unfairly in the 1930s, by talking about her
dream of becoming an actress, but was unable to because she was not given the right and
respect to do so from Curley , which demonstrates how unbalanced women’s rights were in the
1930s.