Essay Beyond The Line

What does Curly’s wife symbolize?

Symbols represent many things. Like how in the book, Lennie represents the mentally retarded or how George represents the hard working man in that time period. Or maybe even how the puppy represents the future and the old dog represented the past.
But I’m focusing on how Curly’s wife represented the women back in this time period.Curly’s wife represents: how women didn’t have an opinion, how women couldn’t vote and how women couldn’t be who they wanted to be.

Back in the 1920s, when the Great Depression started not a lot of people had lost their jobs. But it didn’t make it better for women. Some women didn’t have their own opinion about what they believed they deserved their husbands just told them what they deserved. Some couldn’t say how they felt or what they thought about anything. Curly made all the decisions for his wife so she didn’t have to think about anything.But she still told Curly that she can think for herself and he didn’t tell her what she can and can’t do.

In the 1920s, Women also couldn’t vote, just like African Americans. Men believe that women shouldn’t vote because that means they would have an opinion. But women fought for the right to vote just like African Americans fought for their equality. Women believed that they had the right to be able to have an opinion on who should run our country or should represent their state or their city or even their neighborhood. Any and every women should be able to vote and have an opinion or idea.

Women couldn’t be the person they wanted to be. Back then, the women were always the stay at home mom & wife. Or they were always the waitress or the assistant if they had jobs. They never could be a mayor, president, lawyer, scientist, policemen or any other important job. Women have the knowledge and patienece to have these kind of jobs. Even some women today are the best at these certain jobs than men.

In conclusion, Curly’s wife represents women in America in many ways. She just wanted to be like other women. She wanted to be able to talk to people. To express her feelings and to show people who she is and what she is capable of.