Curleys Wife in Chapter 4 of Of Mice and Men

1. What does Curley’s wife mean when she says, ‘They left all the weak ones here’?

2. State the three things that you think are most significant about Curley’s wife’s character, situation or behaviour in this chapter.

3. Find and copy down the quotations which show how Crooks reacts to the threats of Curley’s wife. What exactly is she threatening, and why does Crooks react in the way he does?

4. What is Candy referring to when he says that Curley’s wife ‘can move quiet’?

5. (Links to question 2) How does Curley’s wife come across to you in this extract? Compare how she has been portrayed before to how she is now.

6. How do you think Lennie feels about Curley’s wife now?

Extension: There are some descriptions in this extract which suggest disturbance. These create a mood for the final events in the novel. Find these, and comment on them.

Answers:

1. When Curleys wife says they left all the weak ones here I think she is referring to the reality that because of their circumstances; candy, crooks & Lennie were not capable of visiting the whore house like the other men. Curelys wife is suggesting that they are weaker because of their incapacity to take part in some of the activities other men can.

2. In this chapter I think that Curleys wife comes across as unkind cruel and nasty. She gives off the impressions that she likes feeling higher than others and she seems as though she can be quite dishonest with a inclination to lie.

3. “Crooks stared hopelessy at her and then sat down on his bunkk and drew into himself”

i wrote in my opinion candy says curleys wife can ,move quite because he is making reference to and notifying the fact that curley;s wife is quite sly in what she does as she causes problems and looks for trouble without being seen or heard from others especially curley