Curley's character essay- Of Mice and Men

Alternative transcript:

weakness. When Curley is first introduced to the two protagonists, we see him change his stance as "his arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists" which shows the lack of trust he has in the newcomers and is quick to want to acert dominance to show masculinity. He is depicted as "pugnacious" and violent character throughout the novella as he attacks Lennie violently, following the humiliation and threatening of the other ranch hands, knowing he is morally weak and won't fight back to try and prove his power he had over all of them. He is resentful of bigger men as he's described as a "mean little guy" which causes him to pick fights with them because of his hatred and jealousy even when they can't defend themselves which shows what a vicious character he portrays. Steinbeck also uses the character of Curley to reflect the thirst for power everyone had in 1930s America and how any power that was possessed was often exerted on others to prove your value within society by bullying the other men on the ranch to intimidate them. He is described to be wearing "high-heeled boot" which shows his need of standing out from the rest of the ranch hands to maintain his authoritive figure. However, this phrase can also suggest that he wants to look down upon the men to prove their inferiority to him seeing as he's the bosses' son. Throughout the novella we see Curley abuse his pow by flaunting his dominance both physically and verbally by giving imperative commands such as "let the big guy talk" which shows his need of acerting dominance whenever he meets new people. He is portrayed to be a power-hungry individual that is fixated on securing the respect and submission of the ranch hands beneath him as he is always attempting to prove both his authority and the power he holds. The power he possesses is an example of the social injustice and corruption that people faced in America during the time the book was set in. Throughout the novella we also see Curley's dream, one to prove his dominance to everyone and show himself as a strong individual despite being physically tiny. This once again shows how everyone feared each other and how power was the something everyone craved for in the dog-eat-dog society. He is also extremely protective of his reputation and is constantly on the look for his wife as he sees her as his trophy, something that the other men don't have and something he can flaunt to show his authority. This, however, causes him to be in a constant state of anxiety as he's scared of the humiliation that he would face if his wife cheated with one of the other ranch hands. This is evident when Curley accuses Slim of being with his wife. The phrase "I didn't mean nothing Slim" showing the desperate grasp for authority and yet shows how even Curley fears slim which also causes him to be jealous of Slims high status and respect of other men. In 1930s, it was also ideal for a man to be dominant powerful and attractive which can also cause Curley's jealousy of Slim as he was viewed as the "prince of the ranch" and the ideal worker. To conclude, Steinbeck uses the character of Curley to represent the harsh reality of treatment throughout the 1930s in America and the common abuse of power in order to exert it negatively upon others. He does this through themes of violence, power, fear and masculinity. Curley's character shows the damaging effects of power that has gone to someone's head and how it can easily turn to violence.