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Jacqueline Hyslop
Gruenberg English Foundations II Honors
English Foundations II Honors
19 December 2016
The Perception and Objectification of Women
Each year, around fifteen-million girls under the age of eighteen are forced into marriage
worldwide. John Steinbeck uses the characters in his story to emphasize the hardships of human

struggle during the discriminatory time period of the 1930s in his fiction novella, Of Mice and
Men. Curleys wife is a representation of prejudice based on perception and objectification of
women.
Curleys wife fell victim to false perception based on her looks and gender, just as many
women have. She is seen as a tramp, by the workers, and they are told to steer clear of her.
Lennie is told not to speak to Curleys wife because of her looks and so-called intentions.
Yeah. Purty but Well, she got the eye, (Steinbeck 28), shows that Candys perception of
Curleys wife is constructed from her appearance, and passed on to Lennie. In addition, due to
Candys remarks, George already assumes she is whatever the workers say she is, although he
has never met her. This can be seen regularly in modern life through discrimination of women,
dependent on their presentation. According to a 2007 paper from the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, there is a statistically significant wage penalty for overweight and obese women
with a wage loss of 12%, (Sinberg). Physical characteristics play a large part in preconception
of women, even in a place where women should be judged, if any, on their ability to work. The
men of the ranch are told never to speak to Curleys wife and, You aint got sense enough in

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that chicken head to even see that er aint stiffs, (Steinbeck 79) is proof that her comprehension
or education is determined on her looks. Despite a growth in respect for womens intelligence,
there will always be people who believe that looks and ignorance go hand-in-hand. This can be
demonstrated with the popular use of dumb blonde jokes, and other depictions of inferiority,
that assume women can only be smart if they are considered unattractive. I seen em poisoned
before, but I aint never seen no piece of jailbait worse than her. You leave her be, (Steinbeck
32) is another way Steinbeck uses Curleys wife to reveal that intentions of women can be
assumed by their features. The word, seen, in the second part of the sentence is evidence that
Georges statements are based solely on her looks. In our society, television shows and other
platforms that depict beautiful women as arrogant and egotistical towards others, aid in the
conclusion that all attractive people have bad intentions. Curleys wife represents a typical
woman during the Great Depression and it is fascinating to see that even in our modern day
society, women can be judged on their abilities, based off of looks.
Another way Curleys wife is misjudged is through objectification. Throughout the story,
she is consistently shown as a prize, or object, to her husband, and this is common in our society.
During the great Depression and even today, many women, such as Curleys wife, have been
mistreated and neglected, caused by the idea that wives are property. Given the fact that she was
never identified as anything other than, Curleys wife, it is clear that she is seen as nothing
more than an item for Curley to use and show off. This can be connected to modern day in view
of the fact that many men believe women should be kept at home to cook and clean. This is what
led Curley and the modern-day man to be oppressive over women. Advertisements portraying
women as the perfect idea of beauty, only add to the interpretation and effects of

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objectification. Too frequently, advertisements show a womans body being used to sell a
product, and its because of this that, One out of every six American women have been the
victim of sexual assault. (RAINN) The more women, such as Curleys wife, who are viewed as
products, the more consequences it has for the female population as a whole. Curleys wife
represents objectification of women, and many of her difficulties can be applied to the struggles
women face in the modern day society.
Curleys wife symbolizes perception and objectification of women in our community.
Her dilemma with independent and intellectual abilities are a representation of what women
endure on a daily basis. Steinbeck helps to identify the problems being faced in every social class
through his works and the characters hes established.

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Works Cited
Makers Team. "21 Facts You Never Knew About International Gender Inequality." MAKERS.
N.p., 7
RAINN. "Victims of Sexual Violence." Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics | RAINN. N.p.,
2016.
Web. 19 Jan. 2017.
Sinberg, Laura. "Think Looks Don't Matter? Think Again." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 05 Dec.
2009.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books, 1994. Print.
Worrow Lewis. The Cost of Gender Inequality. The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com,
26 Apr. 2015. Web. 20 Dec. 2016.