Of Mice and Men - Literature Exam Curley notes

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  • Created by: perterter
  • Created on: 19-03-14 17:52
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  • Curley
    • Power
      • Boss's son - does not need to work like ordinary ranch hands
      • Seeks to compensate for small stature by picking fights with bigger men
        • "He's alla time picking scraps with big guys"
      • Aggression
        • Main perpetrator of violence - evidenced by physical description during first appearance
          • "Clenched fists" "Elbows bent"
          • Looked "threateningly" about the room - hostility
        • Candy says that Curley is "handy" - suggests violence
          • "Got in the finals for Golden Gloves" amateur boxer - hobby
      • Vengeance (end of book)
        • Revenge on L to assert authority - doesn't care about wife
        • "worked himself into a fury" - not upset about wife death, angry at L
    • Masculinity
      • Marries physically attractive wife to show masculinity
        • Paranoid about where wife is
      • Slim lies about Curley's hand - "caught in a machine" to retain C's masculinity and reputation
    • Insecurities
      • Height - wears "heeled boots"
      • Starts fights with "big guys" to show strength
        • "What the hell you laughin' at?" "I'll show ya who's yella"
          • Main perpetrator of violence - evidenced by physical description during first appearance
            • "Clenched fists" "Elbows bent"
            • Looked "threateningly" about the room - hostility
        • Picks on Lennie - abuses power to bully him (fight)
          • "What the hell you laughin' at?" "I'll show ya who's yella"
        • Paranoid about where wife is
      • Attitude to women
        • Dysfunctional marriage - breaking records
        • Objectifying women - only uses wife for sexual purposes
          • "glove fulla Vaseline"
        • Visits brothel although married - careless attitude to women
        • Gender imbalance - "trophy wife", only property. Patriarchal society
      • Reactions from other characters
        • Warning by Candy - "he's handy"
        • Curley's wife - "swell guy" sarcatically
        • "I hate that kind of guy" - George after first appearance of Curley
          • Warns Lennie to have "nothing to do with him"
      • Historical context: patriarchal society, harsh environment on ranches. Social context: exploitation of power, physical violence

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