Curley

Question 1

1. Introduction - interesting, revealing, deliberate (3)

Answer 1

• “A young man came into the bunkhouse; a thin young man with a brown face, with brown eyes and with a head full of tightly curled hair. He wore a work glove on his left hand, and, like the boss, he wore high heeled boots”
• “He glanced coldly at George and then at Lennie. His arms gradually bent at the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch”
• “calculating and pugnacious”

Question 2

2. Rumours about fighting success (3)

Answer 2

• “‘Curley’s pretty handy. He done quite a bit in the ring.’”
• “He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys”
• “got in the finals for the Golden Gloves. He got newspaper clippings about it”

Question 3

3. Mockery he suffers behind his back (2)

Answer 3

• “seems like Curley’s cockier’n every since he got married”

* “you seen that glove on his left hand…well that gloves fulla Vaseline…he’s keeping that hand soft for his wife”

Question 4

4. George’s worrying concerns about Curley’s reaction to Lennie (3)

Answer 4

• “You keep away from Curley, Lennie…don’t let him pull you in but if the son of a bitch socks you - let him have it”
• “Will Curley’s old man can us?”
• “Lennie was just scairt”

Question 5

5. Rumours about Curley’s Wife and his concerns with her(2)

Answer 5

• “Curley’s got yella-jackets in his drawers…seems like she can’t keep away from the guys. An’ Curley’s pants is crawling with ants”
• “she’s gonna make a mess”

Question 6

6. Climactic turning point of his attack on Lennie (2)

Answer 6

• “stepped over to Lennie like a terrier”

* “Then (temporal adjective) Curley’s rage exploded. ‘Come on ya big bastard’”

Question 7

7. Rage in defeat (2)

Answer 7

• “ Curley was white and shrunken by now, and his struggling had become weak. He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie’s paw”
• “He avoided looking at Lennie”

Question 8

8. His wife’s disrespect of him (1)

Answer 8

• “I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit. He got it coming to him. Sometimes I’d like to bust him myself”

Question 9

9. His wife’s arrogance in his position on the ranch (2)

Answer 9

• “Think I’m gonna stay in that two by four house”

* “Ni**er I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”

Question 10

10. Wife’s disrespect

Answer 10

• “I don’t even like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella”

Question 11

11. Response to his own wife’s death (3)

Answer 11

• “Curley came suddenly to life”
• “He worked himself into a fury”
• “I’ll kill the big son of a bitch myself. I’ll shoot him in the guts”

Question 12

12. Disappointment at not getting physical revenge on Lennie (1)

Answer 12

• “got him by god…right in the back of the head”