Curley's Wife, in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, is an example of how the reader's perception of a character can change without the character actually changing. We first hear about Curley's Wife when Candy describes her to George. Candy uses expressions such as "she got the eye" and goes on to describe her as looking at other men before eventually calling her a "tart." Through Candy's words, we develop an initial perception of Curley's Wife as flirtatious and even promiscuous.

This perception is further emphasized by Curley's Wife's first appearance in the novel. Steinbeck uses light symbolically to show that she can be imposing when he writes, "The rectangle of sunshine in the doorway was cut off." Her physical appearance of "full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made- up", as well as painted fingernails and elaborate hair, further build on our preconceptions. She both talks...