Of Mice And Men

Curley
Description
-Son of the owner of the ranch
-Small man with inferiority complex and acts on it, to over compensate his size
-His complex produces a very bad temper
-He isinsensitive, inconsiderate and cold
-Very violent man
-Used to be a fighter (low weight)
-Likes to get into fights with bigger people so that if he wins he will prove himself, and if he looses the bigguy will look like a bully for getting into a problem with a smaller man
-Has a trophy wife, can’t control her
-He is constantly looking for her for his lack of trust and probably that he knowsshe is too much for him
-He picks on Lennie as soon as he mentally measured him
-A very frustrating person with whom we don’t empathize
-Source of trouble in the Ranch
-Lennie breaks hishand because he tries to get into a fight with him
-Finds his wife dead yet feels no pain but anger as soon as he realized it had been Lennie’s mistake
-Wants to kill Lennie, but probably notbecause of his wife’s death but his own pride

Importance to the plot
-Disturbs the peace in the Ranch
-Generates tension and foreshadows a tragic end
-His behaviour towards his wife and howpossessive he is and insecure take us back to the time they were in Weed and how they had to run away because Lennie touched some girl’s dress
-Portrays the context
-Didn’t like Lennie fromthe start
-His bad temper doesn’t allow him to be forgiving to Lennie so George has to kill him before Curley kills him

Quotes
“I’ll try to catch him,” said Curley. His eyes passed over thenew men and stopped. He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed in fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glancewas at once calculating and pugnacious.”

“Slim nodded. ‘We might,’ he said. ‘If we could keep Curley in, we might, but Curley’s gonna want to shoot ‘m. Curley’s still mad about his hand.”