Curley
Curley is the boss’s son and is known to wear high-heeled boots to distinguish himself from the field hands. Rumoured to be a champion prize-fighter, he is a confrontational, mean-spirited, and aggressive young man who seeks to compensate for his small stature by picking fights with larger men like Lennie. He is recently married and extremely jealous of any man who looks at or talks with his flirtatious young wife. Lennie crushes his hand, earning Curley’s future enmity.
Quotes
‘Curley was flopping like a fish on a line’
(Curley’s wife): ‘guys he don’t like, and he don’t like nobody.’
Curley’s wife after Lennie beat up Curley in Chapter 4 : ‘He got it coming to him. Sometimes… I’d like to bust him myself.’
(Curley’s wife) ‘I don’t like Curley. He…’Who said this? When?’
(Curely on Lennie) ‘the son-of-a-bitch myself’ ‘the guts’
(Curley on Lennie) ‘When you see ‘um, don’t… Shoot for his guts. That’ll… ‘give ‘im no chance.’ ‘double ‘im over.’
(Curley upon George and Lennie Arrival) : ‘Oh, so it’s that way’ When was this said?’
( Said to George) ‘ Let the big guy talk’
( To George): ‘By Christ, he’s gotta talk when he’s spoke to… What the hell are you gettin’ into it for?’
( To George) : ‘Well nex’ time you answer when you’re spoken to.’
‘Any you guys seen my wife’
( To Lennie) ‘ What the hell you laughin’ at?’
‘Well I didn’t mean nothing… I just… ‘Slim,’ ‘ast you.’
( To Carlson) You keep outta this… les’ you wanna step outside.’
( Before the Lennie Fight): ‘Come on, ya… Get up on your feet. No…big b***ard.” “son-of-a-b***h is gonna laugh at me.”
( Curley Introduction after the boos left) ‘He wore a work glove on his left hand, and, like the boss, he wore high-heeled boots.’
( Description) : ‘His glance was at once calculating and pugnacious’