Two Between-the-Line Questions

1.) Why does Curley’s Wife try so hard to talk to people?
a.) Curley’s Wife craves companionship. She wants to talk to people, because she has so much on her chest that she wants to get off. She’s just like any other person, needy for companionship. She has no companionship with her husband, because he only married for self-gratification. He keeps her cooped up in the house because he doesn’t want anyone to talk to her, and vice versa. In the scene where she talks to Lennie, she completely comes out, telling about how she could’ve been in the “pictures”, and how she could be an actress. She even admits to the fact that she truly doesn’t like her husband, Curley. She just wanted someone to know that she really is a good person; she just longs for attention. She needed someone to vent to. She was finally able to let someone know of her feelings, just before she died.

2.) Does George look out for Lennie’s best interest?
a.) George and Lennie have a great relationship. George is like Lennie’s big brother. He tries to keep Lennie out of trouble, by keeping him quiet, and such. However, that may not be so much in Lennie’s interest as it is in George’s interest. George doesn’t want Lennie’s actions to get George in trouble. George tries to keep Lennie under control, and demands that Lennie learn to look out for himself. George does promise to take care of Lennie all his life, however, George knows very well that this isn’t possible. In the end, George eventually learns he can’t continue his life saving Lennie all the time, and takes Lennie’s life to end it. However, George does have a feeling of regret at the end of the book, after he takes Lennie’s life. This shows that though George may have not always looked out for Lennie’s best interest, but he certainly did care for him, and cares about him.