Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name in 'Of Mice and Men'?

Answer 1

Curley's wife acts as a plot device and is a manipulative, flirtatious woman who cannot escape her marriage to Curley, a man who has just as many flaws as she does. She foolishly ignores her mother's advice about her future, naively thinking she is going to star in movie pictures, but instead she gets married which she is not ready for (especially since she chooses Curley to be her husband).

To the men of the farm she is rightfully considered a "tart", a woman trying to escape her husband although she is ironically inescapable herself. The men try to avoid her sexual advances for fear of losing their jobs, but the narrow-minded and selfish lady cannot see that.

Obviously Curley's wife is in the wrong on every subject she stands on and sexism doesn't play a roll in Steinbeck's point whatsoever (By society she is considered to be above the lowly farmers, Negros, and mentally disabled, as her disrespect for them proves, but she is looked down upon the farmers themselves because she is quite simply an airhead) but near the end of the story you genuinely feel sorry for Curley's wife and see her pain, you see all of the foolish and naive things she has done and how ignorantly spiteful she is of her mother for trying to give her advice because she wanted better for her. In the end her foolishness leads to a tragic end.

Answer 2

Stienbeck deliberately involves Curley's wife as a dominant character in the novel because she can represent a number of different things. The fact stienbeck had never given this character a name, and is always referred to as 'Curley's wife' although she is such an important character could represent how women were just seen as objects in the 1930's and there was a massive problem with woman rights etc. She is always seen as a possession of Curley's like a trophy, doesn't really have a life of her own and never an actual person, she is just Curley's wife, she has no real sense of purpose she doesn't fit in with the ranch men.

Answer 3

Curley's wife does not have a name in 'Of Mice and Men' to symbolize the lack of identity and power that women had during the time of the Great Depression. By not assigning her a name, Steinbeck highlights the dehumanization and objectification of women in society at that time.

Answer 4

Curley's Wife did not have a name because she was not seen as a person. Instead, she was seen as one of Curley's possessions. That is why Curley's Wife has no name

Answer 5

In_'Of_Mice_and_Men'_why_doesn't_Curley's_wife_have_a_name

^^^ This is the best answer I have found for this question so far... =)