Of Mice and Men Group

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atropiano
atropiano

What was behind the decision of Curley acting irresponsibly toward his wife?

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Posted by atropiano on Thursday March 12, 2009 at 6:39 PM and tagged with curley, curleys wife, of mice and men.

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  1. rshaffer Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    Best answer as selected by question asker.

    Curley's treatment of his wife is not a decision he makes, rather, it is brought on by his own limitations as a character.  The things Curley values the most, such as his wife, are the things that he tries to hold onto so tightly that he smothers them.  Because of Curley's insecurities, he treats his wife as a possession, thus her name "Curley's wife."  By referring to her this way, Curley has total control over her, hence, making him feel better about himself.  Curley further controls her by isolating her on a ranch with only men for company.  Again, Curley's isolation stems from his need to compensate for his low self-esteem.  Her isolation elevates him to a feeling of total control and power.  In essence, it is only out of Curley's need to control people as well as situations that his irresponsible treatment of his wife is one of possession.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/ofmice/teachable-good-book-mice-men

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    Posted by rshaffer on Thursday March 12, 2009 at 7:36 PM