Sunday, January 23, 2011

Chapter 5 Prompt


In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, he demonstrates through Curley’s wife’s life that people are judged by what they seem and have lives that they do not deserve. “Why’n’t you tell her to stay the hell home where she belongs... You let her hang around bunkhouses and pretty soon you’re gonna have som’pin on your hands and you won’t be able to do nothing about it.” Everyone thinks all she is good for is cleaning the house and cooking/making food for them. They do not have any respect for her. They think she is just an obstacle in the way preventing them from working and also think she is “jail bait”. She also was mean to many of them like Crooks. “You got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. Now you jus’ get out, an’ get out quick. If you don’t, I’m gonna ast the boss not to ever let you come in the barn no more.” “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” Whenever she is threatened by someone, she tries to get even by saying something really harsh. She is showing that she knows she may be a woman but she has her rights. Even though she is yelling or threatening Crooks, she only does it because she does not want to get in trouble and be kicked out so she wants to make sure he does not tell the boss to kick her out. “She struggled violently under his hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free… he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” I do not think she deserved to die this way because she was trying to show Lennie how soft her hair is. After she started screaming, Lennie got scared he might get in trouble so he panics and tries to make Curley’s wife stop screaming. However, with Lennie’s strength, he shook her so hard her neck broke and she died. Even though she was mean and an obstacle to many people, she did not deserve to die because she was trying to help Lennie and be friendly.

2 comments:

  1. I agree with the idea that she did not deserve to die because she was just unhappy with her life and that is why she lashed out at Crooks as you said. Nice quotes used, and way to give good evidence on why your thesis is right while answering the question. good job Tim :)

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  2. I think you did a fine job explaining Curley's wife's predicament, not solely revolving around her loneliness and flirtatious ways, but also about her taking her sadness out on other people, such as being rude to Crooks. You found excellent references and took a new approach to her tragic end. Although I was already convinced she did not deserve to die, you were clearly persuasive to change opposing ideas.

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