Saturday, January 29, 2011

Does Steinbeck intend for Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men to be largely unsympathetic?

Another example (pg. 25)...


[[(Candy speaks) "Wait'll you see Curley's wife."


George cut the cards again and put out a solitaire lay, slowly and deliberrately. "Purty?" he asked casually.


"Yeah. Purty ...but---"


George studied his cards. "But what?"


"Well--she got the eye."


"Yeah?" Married two weeks and got teh eye? Maybe that's why Curley's pants is full of ants."


"I seen her give Slim the eye. Slim's a jerkline skinner. Hell fo a nice fella. Slim don't need to wear no high-heeled boots on a grain tream. I seen ehr give Slim the eye. Curley never seen it. An' I seen her give Carlson the eye."


George pretended a lack of interest. "Looks like we was gonna have fun."


The swamper (Candy) stood up from his box. "Know whatI think?" George did not answer. "Well, I think Curley's married ... a tart."


"He aint the first," said George. "There's plenty done that."]]


...(p. 26)


[[Both men (George and Lennie) glanced up, for the rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off. A girl was standing there looking in. She had full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her fingernails were red. Her hair hung in little rolled clusters, like sausages. She wore a cotton house dress and red mules, on the insteps of which were little bouquets of red ostrich feathers. "I'm lookin' for Curley," she said. Her voice had a nasal, brittle quality.


George looked away from her and then back. "He was in here a minute ago, but he went."


"Oh!" She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward. "You're the new fellas that just come, ain't ya?"


"Yeah."


Lennie's eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little. She looked at her fingernails. "Sometimes Curley's in here," she explained.


George said bursquely, "Well he ain't now."


"If he ain't, I guess I better looks someplace else," she said playfully.


Lennie watched her, fascinated. George said, "If I see him, I'll pass the word you was looking for him."


She smiled archly and twitched her body. "Nobody can't blame a person for lookin', she said. There were footsteps behind her, going by. She turned her head. "Hi, Slim," she said.


Slim's voice came through the door. "Hi, Good-lookin'."


"I'm tryin' to find Curley, Slim."


"Well, you ain't tryin' very hard. I seen him goin' in your house."


She was suddenly apprehensive. "'Bye, boys," she called into the bunkhouse, and she hurried away.


...


"She's purty," said Lennie defensively.


"Yeah, and she's sure hidin' it. Curley got his work ahead of him. Bet she'd clear out for twenty bucks."


Lennie still stared at teh doorway where she had been. "Gosh, she was purty." He smiled admiringly. George looked quickly down at him and then he took him by an ear and shook him.


"Listento me, you crazy bastard," he siad fiercely. "Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I don't care what she says and what she does. I seen 'em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse that her. You leave her be."


Lennie tried to disengage his ear. "I never done nothing, George."


"No, you never. But when she was standin' in the doorway showin' her legs, you wasn't lookin the other way, neither."]]

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