Of Mice and Men Essay- Maddy Bale

The Roadblock Effect

Through the dust, sitting right in front of you and only a couple yards away, is everything that you have ever hoped for, dreamed of, and wanted. The answer to a question that you have pondered for years is suddenly right before your eyes, alongside every object that you have ever desired and all the people you have ever loved. It is a place where your life goals can come true- where everything that you have strived for is made possible. There is something standing in your way, though- a roadblock- and finding your way around it is going to be difficult. You turn and see another option. A family grins at you, beaming and gesturing with their arms for you to meet them on the lawn of their little white house with the picket fence. There is an apron inside, and you will wear it every night when you cook dinner for your family. In a corner of the kitchen hides a broom. You will use it to clean up the mess that your children have made for you. The average 1930s life of a woman is calling for you, telling you that pushing through your roadblock is unnecessary. The people in your life have taught you that when your dreams are hard to reach, you are supposed to settle for society’s most basic expectations. You will melt into a life that you never wanted for yourself. When it is so easy to settle for the bare minimum, it is so hard to achieve your lifelong dream. It is human nature to take the easy way out, but you will spend the rest of your life regretting the moment you turned away from your roadblock. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the roadblock standing in the way of Curley’s wife steers her toward a life that she can never possibly love. Of Mice and Men should not be banned because the everyday struggles that Curley’s wife goes through teach today’s young women the consequences of abandoning a dream and settling for the lowest, most basic of expectations.

One of the main consequences of abandoning a dream and settling for society’s expectations is a life of resentment. There are many times throughout the book when Curley’s wife expresses feelings of regret and loathing for the situation she is in. In Of Mice and Men, Curley’s wife considers her mother the roadblock. While talking to Lennie in the barn after he killed his puppy, Curley’s wife tells him about how close she was to achieving her acting dream and having her name in dazzling lights. A man capable of making her famous had promised to send her a letter. Because she never received this letter, she assumes her mother had stolen it. This was a serious roadblock standing between Curley’s wife and her goals of fame. When achieving her dream got challenging, she chooses to give up on them and settle for the basic expectation of a woman in the 1930s- marrying a man that could provide for her. The life that Curley’s wife marries into, however, is not the life that she had hoped for. This causes her to feel hateful toward her mother, and she will live the rest of her years feeling this way. This isn’t the only time when we see evidence of her bitterness, though. Curley’s wife admits many more of her dark feelings during this same talk with Lennie in the stable. She admits, “‘I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ out of myself”’ (88). This proves that, in addition to loathing her mother, Curley’s wife is disappointed with herself for letting her dream slip away. Furthermore, she is not happy in her marriage. While still deep in conversation with Lennie, Curley’s wife says, “‘I don’ like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella’” (89). When she abandoned her dream of making it big and settled for what was expected of her, she ended up marrying a man that she could never love. Her animosity toward Curley is further shown when she and Lennie are having a conversation about Curley’s injuries and she says, “‘I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit. He got it comin’ to him. Sometimes I’d like to bust him myself’” (81). This expresses how much Curley’s wife despises Curley and the life she is living with him. These ideas of resentment and loathing- sometimes even self-loathing- are one of the dangers of abandoning a dream. By living through this, Curley’s wife teaches young women the dangers of giving up and settling for the expectations of the average woman.

In addition to putting herself into a situation she hates, Curley’s wife lives in isolation and loneliness when she lets her dreams slip away. In the beginning of the story, when Lennie and George get their first look at Curley’s wife inside the bunking room, George is fast to make sure that Lennie never talks to her. George says, “‘Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does… You leave her be’” (32). This shows that, from the absolute start, the men on the ranch are vowing to stay away from Curley’s wife. This results in a very lonely woman. Later, Curley’s wife and Lennie are having a conversation with Crooks in his stable room. They are the only ones left behind after the other workers went out to have a good time. Curley’s wife thinks that she can talk to Lennie and Crooks, but even they shut her out. Crooks asks her to leave. “‘I had enough,’ he said angrily. ‘You ain’t wanted here’” (79). This hurts Curley’s wife because she is rejected by the people that are already outcasts themselves. Shortly after this painful encounter with Crooks, Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie in the stable and says, ‘“I get lonely… You can talk to people but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?’” (87). Marrying Curley sentenced her to a life of loneliness, which is one of the biggest prices Curley’s wife will pay for abandoning her dreams and settling for meeting the lowest of expectations.

Lastly, Curley’s wife loses any power she could have had when she lets her dreams slip away and settles for what is expected of women in her time period. There are many times when Steinbeck allows us to see just how powerless Curley’s wife is because of her marriage to Curley. For example, when George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch in the beginning of the story, Candy warns them about Curley’s wife. He says, “‘Purty… but… well- she got the eye. I think Curley’s married a tart’” (28). He adds on to this idea by telling George, “‘Well, you look her over, mister. You see if she ain’t a tart’” (28). This shows that Candy and the rest of the men working on the ranch have classified Curley’s wife as a tart simply because of her appearance. Because everyone already has a negative view of Curley’s wife cemented in their minds, she has no control over the way people think of her. Stereotypes deprive her of power. Later in the story, when Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie and Crooks in Crooks’ stable room, her powerlessness is exposed even further. Curley’s wife says, “‘Sat’iday night. Ever’body out doin’ som’pin. An’ what am I doin’? Standing here talkin’ to a bunch of bindlestiffs’” (78). Undoubtedly, Curley’s wife is implying that if she had the choice, she would be out on Saturday night like everyone else. If she had not abandoned her dream and married Curley, she could have been a celebrity with her name in dazzling lights. When she married Curley, she gave up any power that she could have had over what choices she makes. Later in this same conversation with Lennie and Crooks, Curley’s wife says, “‘Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by-four house?’” (78). These words are the essence of her powerlessness. Curley’s wife is trapped in a life that she never wanted, and she lacks the power necessary to get herself out. Power is a vital freedom to possess, but Curley’s wife loses hers when she settles for what is expected of her.

All of these examples prove that Curley’s wife warns today’s young women of the dangers of abandoning a dream and settling for what society considers the expectations. This is an important lesson to learn because everyone has dreams, and it is vital that people do not give up on them. Readers can take what they learned through Curley’s wife and use their new knowledge as empowerment when they are faced with one of life’s many difficult decisions. Imagine- you are standing before whatever roadblock is in your way. It is tall, menacing, and challenging, but what lies behind it is rewarding- is all you have ever wanted. Once again, you turn and see another option- the easier option. Your limbs itch to make the move. All of a sudden, though, you freeze. You remember the book you had just read by John Steinbeck. Your heart aches as you recall the sympathy you felt for Curley’s wife. You felt her pain as she married into a life that stripped her of power, love, and friendships. Now, as you stare at your own roadblock, the lonesome words and resentful feelings of Curley’s wife trigger something in your mind. You refuse to make the move toward that metaphoric simple white house that represents the most basic of society’s expectations. Instead, you begin pushing up against the roadblock that stands in your way. It might not be easy, but you know that you will eventually achieve your goal. You will never have to live a life of powerlessness like Curley’s wife did. If you continue pushing, you will never be forced to feel hatred towards those you should love.You will never be alone. Because someone taught you the important lesson of perseverance and the dangers of settling for the lowest of expectations, you will be inspired to obtain the life that you have always wanted. Of Mice and Men should not be banned because it teaches women that we can live whatever life we want to as long as we refuse to give up on our dreams and settle for the least of what is expected of us.