Social Classes In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men seeks to compare what life was like for different social classes during the Great Depression. However, Steinbeck’s portrayal of women is dehumanizing. The character introduced as “Curley’s Wife” doesn’t receive enough value to be given an individual name. She embodies the idea of sexism best throughout the story as she is described as a flirt and the root of all of the men’s problems. Feminist criticism according to the Purdue OWL, “is concerned with ‘the ways in which literature (and other cultural productions) reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women’ (Tyson 88).” We can argue how the author’s writing perceived women as worthless individuals who consequently don’t contribute to society.

 Another example of feminist criticism would be the misogynistic worldview displayed by the author in the following quote, “Seems like Curley is cookier’n ever since he got married” (27). Steinbeck is purposely telling the reader the reason why Curley is in a bad mood is his wife's fault. The author is trying to make a connection between getting married and being a jerk when in reality these things don’t connect in this context. During the 1930s when this novella was published, women were working in factories to try to support their families during the Great Depression. Steinback intentionally doesn't include any recognition for working women in any of the female characters. 

Nevertheless, the author and time period were sexist towards women. We can see this in the quote, “ Whyn't you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs?” (62). The women of the 1930s were expected to stay home and be the caretaker for the children. How can you expect a worthless, nameless, jobless woman to raise the next generation? Although the novella never says Curley and his wife had children if they did, it could be inferred that they would be her responsibility. 

Curley’s Wife hints at traits of loneliness throughout the story. This is displayed whenever she is trying to get male attention from the other workers on the Ranch. One example found in the text is,” I saw her give Slim the eye”(28). Curley’s wife is stuck on the Ranch all the time and most likely gets bored. In this case, Curley’s wife seems to be quite the flirt but I boil it down to just seeking some attention or excitement in life. Curley is portrayed in the text as a controlling husband and whenever anyone feels like they don’t have freedom their instinct is to break rules exactly like Curley’s wife. This is not a womanly trait; but rather a human trait.

The last example of the dehumanization of women is,” Wait’ll you see Curley’s wife” (28). This quote is a great example of how she was sexualized before she ever even spoke in the novella. Women are seen as not only objects but also sexual objects. Curley’s wife was seen as the “slut” of the Ranch however the men were never described as perverts. Curley’s wife was a beautiful married woman and all these men were lusting over her. The author again intentionally doesn’t include any mention of the men’s wrongdoings to further remove women from society. 

In light of this information, it is made clear that Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men undermines the value of women to society. Therefore the publishing of this novella encouraged the misogynistic world view that women are lesser than men in every category. The great thing about feminism is it doesn’t matter your race, it’s not about your religion, or your age, but rather the feminine qualities that every human has. Based on the information given we can come to the conclusion that Of Mice and Men dehumanized women in the text and supported misogyny.