Of Mice and Men Group

Question:

dominicanpro
dominicanpro
Student
High School - 10th Grade

In "Of Mice and Men", why does Curley wear a work glove on his left hand?

Rate question:

Posted by dominicanpro on Sunday September 28, 2008 at 8:06 PM and tagged with curley, glove, hand, of mice and men.

Answers:


  1. ms-mcgregor Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    According to Candy, Curley keeps his left hand covered with Vasoline so it will be soft for his wife. He needs the glove to keep the Vasoline on his hand. Odd, isn't it????

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/ofmice

    Rate answer:

    Posted by ms-mcgregor on Sunday September 28, 2008 at 10:07 PM

  2. momo123
    momo123 Student
    High School - 10th Grade

    Curlys left glove is full of vasiline, it is said that he likes to keep that hand soft for his wife.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by momo123 on Monday September 29, 2008 at 9:58 AM

  3. kyerumption
    kyerumption Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    Curly's wife mentions that Curly was a boxer. He keeps that hand protected by Vaseline and a glove to preserve it (think David Duchovny's character in Zoolander, if you've seen that movie). For Curly, that hand (symbolizing his boxing career), is a mark of excellence and dominance and he uses it to bolster his reputation as tough-guy on the ranch.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by kyerumption on Tuesday October 7, 2008 at 12:52 PM

  4. mrssmith
    mrssmith Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    Candy says that the glove is full of vaseline, and that Curley says that he's keeping the hand soft for his wife.  George says that is a dirty thing to tell around.  Presumably, Curley is keeping his hand soft for a sex act with his wife.  Later in the same chapter, George mentions the glove again, and theorizes that Curley is probably eating raw eggs and ordering patent medicines through mail order, presumably to build his sexual stamina.  The overall implication is that Curley's wife is accustomed to frequent and varied intercourse, and that Curley is struggling to meet her demands.

    Rate answer:

    Posted by mrssmith on Sunday October 12, 2008 at 6:49 PM