Chapter Five - the death of Curley's Wife * character/plot: where Lennie kills the pup and Curley's Wife reveals a softer side to herself * themes/ideas: where Steinbeck shows the futility of dreams, shows how women are powerless to control their own lives in a patriarchal society, foreshadows Lennie killing Curley's Wife and makes another point about how tragedy is inevitable in life. Phew.
1. How does Curley's Wife's dream of fame and excitement reflect the empty promises of the American Dream?
What language or feelings do Curley's Wife and Crooks share? What do they have in common in terms of their place on the ranch? if the ranch is a microcosm for America, metaphorically reflecting it in a mini-version, what is Steinbeck showing about the place of women and African-Americans?
How does Steinbeck begin to make her a sympathetic character? What does this imply about her relationship with Curley? What does this show about the lives of women in Steinbeck's America?
“Aw, nuts!” she said. “What kinda harm am I doin’ to you? Seems like they ain’t none of them cares how I gotta live. I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.” She said darkly, “Maybe I will yet.” And then her words tumbled out in a passion of communication, as though she hurried before her listener could be taken away. “I lived right in Salinas,” she said. “Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me. She says because I was on’y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet.” Lennie stroked the pup back and forth. “We gonna have a little place—an’ rabbits,” he explained. She went on with her story quickly, before she could be interrupted. “’Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was in pitchers. Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it.” She looked closely at Lennie to see whether she was impressing him. “I never got that letter,” she said. “I always thought my ol’ lady stole it. Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something of myself, an’ where they stole your letters, I ast her if she stole it, too, an’ she says no. So I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace that same night.” She demanded, “You listenin’?” “Me? Sure.” “Well, I ain’t told this to nobody before. Maybe I oughten to. I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella.” And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him. “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes—all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it wouldn’ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. An’ all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural.” She looked up at Lennie, and she made a small grand gesture with her arm and hand to show that she could act.
Chapter Five - tenderness and impending doom. Lennie+pup =Lennie+Curley's Wife
character/plot: where Lennie pets Curley's Wife too hard, echoing the 'woman in the red dress' incident, all the soft vulnerable things from before, AND showing how George needs to 'put him down'.
themes/ideas: where Steinbeck makes it clear that life is a struggle, vulnerability cannot survive, women are crushed by a patriarchal society, tragedy is inevitable and we can't control our lives etc
What type of language technique does Curley's Wife use to try and regain power over Lennie? What does this show about women in society?
Curley's Wife suffers the most violent and brutal death in the whole book. Looking at the bold section, create a list of all the violent verbs (actions) that Steinbeck uses to describe it. Then find out what they actually mean. For each verb, explain what was specifically happening to her eg 'writhed' means that she was...
Why does Steinbeck make her death so shocking and brutal? Consider what this does to the reader's perception of Lennie (and therefore what has to happen to him) as well as a symbolic reason.
If Lennie himself embodies the American Dream (and the belief in it), how is it symbolic that he literally crushes the life from a woman?
Steinbeck uses some powerful metaphorical language. What does the metaphor "her eyes were wild with terror" make you think of? The simile "her body flopped like a fish" echoes the same phrase that was used to describe Curley when Lennie crushed his hand (and his power). Using divergent thinking, how many different reasons can you come up with for why Steinbeck echoes this here. What image does the simile give you? Focus on the image very carefully and explain what this tells us about what has happened to Curley's Wife and Lennie.
Look at the section in purple. Choose a few short phrases that create an incredibly peaceful scene. Why can the peacefulness in death symbolise?
Optional: some people see Steinbeck as a misogynist because of Curley's Wife's lack of name, insulting language and the fact that she is a largely unsympathetic character. Is Steinbeck a misogynistic, sexist ,writer or is he just reflecting the misogynistic world of the times? Create a list of reasons for and against this view, then explain your final choice.
“Don’t you muss it up,” she said. Lennie said, “Oh! That’s nice,” and he stroked harder. “Oh, that’s nice.” “Look out, now, you’ll muss it.” And then she cried angrily, “You stop it now, you’ll mess it all up.” She jerked her head sideways, and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on. “Let go,” she cried. “You let go!” Lennie was in a panic. His face was contorted. She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose. “Please don’t,” he begged. “Oh! Please don’t do that. George’ll be mad.”
She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free; and from under Lennie’s hand came a muffled screaming. Lennie began to cry with fright. “Oh! Please don’t do none of that,” he begged. “George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits.” He moved his hand a little and her hoarse cry came out. Then Lennie grew angry. “Now don’t,” he said. “I don’t want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will. Now don’t you do that.” And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. “Don’t you go yellin’,” he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.
He looked down at her, and carefully he removed his hand from over her mouth, and she lay still. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, “but George’ll be mad if you yell.” When she didn’t answer nor move he bent closely over her. He lifted her arm and let it drop. For a moment he seemed bewildered. And then he whispered in fright, “I done a bad thing. I done another bad thing.” He pawed up the hay until it partly covered her. From outside the barn came a cry of men and the double clang of shoes on metal. For the first time Lennie became conscious of the outside. He crouched down in the hay and listened. “I done a real bad thing,” he said. “I shouldn’t of did that. George’ll be mad. An’ . . . . he said . . . . an’ hide in the brush till he come. He’s gonna be mad. In the brush till he come. Tha’s what he said.” Lennie went back and looked at the dead girl. The puppy lay close to her. Lennie picked it up. “I’ll throw him away,” he said. “It’s bad enough like it is.” He put the pup under his coat, and he crept to the barn wall and peered out between the cracks, toward the horseshoe game. And then he crept around the end of the last manger and disappeared. The sun streaks were high on the wall by now, and the light was growing soft in the barn. Curley’s wife lay on her back, and she was half covered with hay. It was very quiet in the barn, and the quiet of the afternoon was on the ranch. Even the clang of the pitched shoes, even the voices of the men in the game, seemed to grow more quiet. The air in the barn was dusky in advance of the outside day. A pigeon flew in through the open hay door and circled and flew out again. Around the last stall came a shepherd bitch, lean and long, with heavy, hanging dugs. Halfway to the packing box where the puppies were she caught the dead scent of Curley’s wife, and the hair arose along her spine. She whimpered and cringed to the packing box, and jumped in among the puppies. 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. She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly. The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted. As happens sometimes, a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment.
Chapter Five - optional but significant: Candy finds the body; George knows what he's gotta do
character/plot: where the Farm Dream is really dead; where Candy shows his utter bitterness and mourns his future; where George knows he has to kill Lennie
themes/ideas: where Steinbeck makes it clear that there is no happily ever after, we are all just waiting for the end to come (in the book as well as symbolically)
Why is it particularly symbolic and touching that Candy is the one that finds the body?
Notice that as soon as Lennie has gone this far, once a human being is dead, that the dream is dead. How does George respond to Candy's query about whether or not they can still get the ranch? In terms of money, Lennie's lack of contribution isn't a deal-breaker: instead of saving, George says he's going to blow it all in the cathouse and then just work another month for another fifty bucks (as Crooks said, he's heard plenty of guys who wanted to buy their own ranch but they kept blowing it on booze and the cathouse: "nobody never gets to heaven and nobody gets no ranch").
Look at Candy's reaction to Curley's Wife's body. How does this misogynistic language shock us, given that she is the victim? What does this show about American society and how women are seen? How does Steinbeck turn Candy from a bitter, rageful man to a mourning, pathetic one in this passage?
How does Steinbeck make it clear to the reader that George only has one choice? Find at least two different pieces of evidence. At this stage, do we agree with what we know George is going to do? Why?
Candy's "poor bastard" as he crouches over Curley's Wife is ambiguous. Is he talking about the woman (using a typically male noun), Lennie (because he is going to be hunted and shot - by someone at least), or George (because Candy knows he has to shoot Lennie)? Give reasons for your choice(s).
Candy pointed at Curley’s wife. George stared. “What’s the matter with her?” he asked. He stepped closer, and then he echoed Candy’s words. “Oh, Jesus Christ!” He was down on his knees beside her. He put his hand over her heart. And finally, when he stood up, slowly and stiffly, his face was as hard and tight as wood, and his eyes were hard. Candy said, “What done it?” George looked coldly at him. “Ain’t you got any idear?” he asked. And Candy was silent. “I should of knew,” George said hopelessly. “I guess maybe way back in my head I did.” Candy asked, “What we gonna do now, George? What we gonna do now?” George was a long time in answering. “Guess . . . . we gotta tell the . . . . guys. I guess we gotta get ‘im an’ lock ‘im up. We can’t let ‘im get away. Why, the poor bastard’d starve.” And he tried to reassure himself. “Maybe they’ll lock ‘im up an’ be nice to ‘im.” But Candy said excitedly, “We oughta let ‘im get away. You don’t know that Curley. Curley gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched. Curley’ll get ‘im killed.” George watched Candy’s lips. “Yeah,” he said at last, “that’s right, Curley will. An’ the other guys will.” And he looked back at Curley’s wife. Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. “You an’ me can get that little place, can’t we, George? You an’ me can go there an’ live nice, can’t we, George? Can’t we?” Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew. George said softly, “—I think I knowed from the very first. I think I know’d we’d never do it. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.” “Then—it’s all off?” Candy asked sulkily. George didn’t answer his question. George said, “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some poolroom till ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.” Candy said, “He’s such a nice fella. I didn’ think he’d do nothing like this.” George still stared at Curley’s wife. “Lennie never done it in meanness,” he said. “All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.
[cut] Old Candy watched him go. He looked helplessly back at Curley’s wife, and gradually his sorrow and his anger grew into words. “You God damn tramp”, he said viciously. “You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.” He sniveled, and his voice shook. “I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys.” He paused, and then went on in a singsong. And he repeated the old words: “If they was a circus or a baseball game . . . . we would of went to her . . . . jus’ said ‘ta hell with work,’ an’ went to her. Never ast nobody’s say so. An’ they’d of been a pig and chickens . . . . an’ in the winter . . . . the little fat stove . . . . an’ the rain comin’ . . . . an’ us jes’ settin’ there.” His eyes blinded with tears and he turned and went weakly out of the barn, and he rubbed his bristly whiskers with his wrist stump.
[cut]
“I guess we gotta get ‘im,” Slim repeated. George stepped close. “Couldn’ we maybe bring him in an’ they’ll lock him up? He’s nuts, Slim. He never done this to be mean.” Slim nodded. “We might,” he said. “If we could keep Curley in, we might. But Curley’s gonna want to shoot ‘im. Curley’s still mad about his hand. An’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain’t no good, George.” “I know,” said George, “I know.” Carlson came running in. “The bastard’s stole my Luger,” he shouted. “It ain’t in my bag.” Curley followed him, and Curley carried a shotgun in his good hand. Curley was cold now. “All right, you guys,” he said. “The nigger’s got a shotgun. You take it, Carlson. When you see ‘um, don’t give ‘im no chance. Shoot for his guts. That’ll double ‘im over.”
[cut]
George moved slowly after them, and his feet dragged heavily. And when they were gone, Candy squatted down in the hay and watched the face of Curley’s wife. “Poor bastard,” he said softly. The sound of the men grew fainter. The barn was darkening gradually and, in their stalls, the horses shifted their feet and rattled the halter chains. Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm.