In the novel, "Of Mice and Men," the author, John Steinbeck bases the book on personal experiences of his own. Steinbeck grew up and worked on a ranch in Soledad close to where the book is set. During the Great Depression, Steinbeck encountered many migrant workers and learnt of the daily hardships ranch workers had to face. In this period, mainly all migrants were dependent on their dreams and personal needs to get through in a time of complete isolation and poverty. Steinbeck used his personal experiences heavily to represent the characters on the ranch. The title ‘Of Mice and Men’ was chosen from a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns, the poem summarises how the best laid out schemes do not always prevail. This is heavily interlinked with the novel when George, Lennie and even Curleys’ wife’s dreams never come to fruition. John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men in order to express his social views about America in the 1930's, focusing throughout the book on the themes of the predatory nature of human existence, the loneliness and the urge for companionship and finally the impossibility of the American dream (America’s ethos that with hard work your dreams can come true). The characters used in the novel help represent every level of society and Curley’s wife is an important part of the novel as she represents all the main themes in the book. We first acknowledge Curley’s wife when the workers on the ranch give their opinion of her to George and Lennie. The workers perceive her as “jailbait” and "tart." In addition she is accused of dressing like a "whore”, affirming she is open to revealing herself to others, strongly demonstrating her desperation to be noticed. Lennie and George then meet Curley’s wife and Lennie is mesmerised by her features. George quickly realises Lennie's fascination with her, and warns Lennie to stay away from her as “shes gonna make a mess”; this foreshadows the ending, as she shatters George and Lennie’s dreams. Her physical appearance of ‘full, rouged lips and wide-spaced eyes, heavily made- up’, further support our assumptions of her. Red, the colour of her makeup and the way she presents herself suggests some sexuality. Also, she uses evocative and amorous body language, ‘she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”. She both talks and acts playfully with the other ranch workers. She behaves in this manner because her sexuality is her only weapon to gain attention, which she craves due to the solitude of her marriage. She also overcomes her insecurity by covering herself up through the way she expresses herself publicly, masking her true identity and emotions. Some would argue though, she feels empowerment when she is the centre of attention, which in turn boosts her confidence and her sense of existence helping her feel her life has a sense of purpose. In the later stages of the novel, Curley’s wife finally begins to open herself up. She begins speaking, “in a passion of communication,” to Lennie. This part of the novel demonstrates her humanity and shows the reader she has her own ambitions. We see an ignorant approach and attitude towards her dream, “I coulda made something of