Female characters from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and from The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy Essay

Compare the presentation of two female characters, one from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and one from The Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy, Pay close attention to their roles as outsiders. In these works of prose fiction, both authors write about women confronted by circumstances that make their lives very difficult. The women are, or become, outsiders of one sort or another. You will need to: show your knowledge of both texts Use quotations to support the points that you make Show a knowledge of the life and times that each author was writing in Show what you understand the term outsider to mean. I am writing an essay comparing ‘Curly`s wife’ from the novel Of Mice and Men and ‘Rhoda Brook’ from The Withered Arm. John Steinbeck was born in 1902 and lived until 1968 was an American who lived in California this is where he wrote his novels. He always had jobs on farms during his highschool-years, or, as he was very much interested in science, helped out in local laboratories. After school John went to college at Stanford University but John dropped out of school without a degree to enter journalism in New York. He then returned to California to write novel writer. Of Mice and Men was the first novel that was recognised, Of Mice and Men was first published in 1937. In 1962 John Steinbeck got the Nobel-prize for literature. Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men. Of Mice and Men was a story about two men who move from Ranch to Ranch earning just enough money to last them the week. John Steinbeck wrote this story from experience he also travelled from ranch to ranch so knew what it was like to not have a life and have life plane just dreams to look forward to which were just distance dreams. Steinbeck expresses his feelings on life living on a ranch through Georges character, in the book George was always repeating his story on men living on the ranch and describes them as nobodies. John Steinbeck wrote Of Men and Mice during depression and wrote about two men George and Lenny as the loneliest guys in the world which were like him not going to stay alone they are different and they will achieve there dream and this is what John Steinbeck achieved. Guy swho lived on ranches were usually very lonely but John Steinbeck was not going to be lonely and when too old be useless he wanted to overcome his dream. â€Å"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tale on some other ranch. They ait got nothing to look ahead to.† John Steinbeck then lived in California and wrote Grapes of Wrath a story about people who earned nothing and would work non stop for a slice of bread. Both Steinbecks novels are to do with money and people working so hard to become there dream like Lenny and George their dream was to have their dream house but it was out of their reach and they could not overcome it. Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 and lived until 1928. He lived in Dorset so knew a lot about the place he wrote the withered arm which was set in Dorset during 1825 although Hardy knew a lot about Dorset he set the novel before he was even born. Because the story was set so before his time he had to adapt his knowledge of Dorset to how it was in the 1820s his words had to be old fashioned and include long intense sentences to suit the play in the time it was set. Unlike John Steinbeck, Hardy wrote long sentences with old fashioned words. Thomas Hardy was educated locally and at 16 he worked for an architect. At 22 he went to London to train as architect, he then returned home, he then returned home in 1867 persue his chosen career to write novels. He had even started writing his first novel The Poor Man and the Lady, which was never published. Thomas Hardy wrote about fate and pentimizium, most of his novels were tragedies, and he appeared to grow more pessimistic in later life. He then stopped writing novels and returned to writing poetry. Thomas Hardy wrote the withered arm of which is his best known novel The withered arm DESCRIPTION OF STORY. Both the authors write about women confronted by circumstances that make their lives very difficult. The women are outsiders and are not loved and want a better life. Of Mice and Men written by john Steinbeck has a woman in, in the story her name is never spoken of she is referred to as Curlys wife as though she is his woman. She is the only woman on the ranch so is an outsider, she has no one to relate to. Curlys wife is presented in the Story Of Mice and Men as a tart or a flirt her clothing and her body language create a flirty atmosphere. Her clothing is very tarty she wears red clothing and red makeup and red was the colour usually worn by prostitutes so she is wearing these tarty clothes for attention. â€Å"Quote Curlys wife description† She wants to be looked at, her husband Curly is not giving her the attention she needs and she is feeling lonely and apart from the world, on her own and wants a friend or to be loved. Her husband Curly also lives on the Ranch and treats his wife as an outsider, curly doesn’t love his wife he just treats her as a sex object. The withered arm written by Thomas Hardy also has a woman in Rhoda Brook is made to feel as an outsider. Rhoda isn’t married and doesn’t have a partner, in those days to be a single mum was very unlikely so the people in her town thought she was a witch so she didn’t have many friends. Rhoda lives with her twelve year old son in father lodges cottage, Rhoda is very in love with Farmer Lodge but he has a very beautiful wife which Rhoda is extremly jealous of. â€Å"The thin woman who had not spoken was joined by a boy of twelve or thereabout.† Rhoda Brook is not very attractive she is pale, tall and thin. Unlike Curlys wife she isn’t beautiful so cannot use her beauty to attract men and get peoples attention. Rhoda is very jealous of beautiful woman so unlike Curlys wife, Rhoda is around other woman so isnt an outsider in that prospective she is an outsider because of men, she is neglected by men and is unlucky in love. Rhodas loneliness and emotional feelings only aid to the boys like Curlys wife she wants to be loved and cared about. Rhoda works on a farm as a ‘milking woman’. Curlys wife doesn’t work she is just a housewife for Curly. Curlys wife was very much like George and Lennie they all had a dream but none of them came true. Curlys wife’s dream was to be a movie star but she could not live her dream because she met Curly, they fell in love and he took her away from the natural world and placed her in a lonely neglected environment on the ranch. On the Ranch she is never spoken to because the men on the ranch don’t want curly thinking there is something going on with her wife and another man because he would kick them off the ranch. Curly and Rhoda are very different in appearance but very similar in personality and would be feeling very alike. Rhoda is very modest and lifeless unlike Curlys wife who seems to be very outgoing and flirtatious.