Curley Character Summary

Curley is a very important character in the novella; his personality allows Steinbeck to create a lot of tension, suspense and excitement through the novella as a whole. When we first meet Curley in the bunkhouse, Steinbeck quotes "He glanced coldly%u2026calculating and pugnacious". Our first impression of Curley is that he is aggressive and violent. The word "pugnacious" puts emphasis on Curley's aggressive nature; he has only just met Lennie and George but is already willing to fight them. Alternatively, the phrase "he glanced coldly" suggests he may just be trying to be intimidating towards Lennie and George so that they are scared of him; he feels they may mock him for his height if he doesn't intimidate them.
Curley's dislike of his height is shown again when Candy quotes, "Curley is like a lotta little guys, he aint a big guy". This shows that Curley is envious of taller men and explains why he tries to intimidate Lennie as soon as he arrives on the ranch. Furthermore Steinbeck may be trying to foreshadow the fight between Curley and Lennie; Curley is a "little guy" and Lennie is a "big guy". This is further emphasised by Curley's aggressive and violent nature and builds up a lot of tension and suspense for the reader.
Curley's violent nature is repeatedly shown throughout the novella when he is frequently described using aggressive and energetic adjectives. "Curley lashed" and "Curley burst into the room%u2026 seen my wife? He demanded". This further foreshadows that Curley is going to get into a fight with Lennie. Furthermore, Curley's dominant and aggressive nature is emphasised by the word "demanded", he isn't asking where his wife is.
However this aggressive, violent and dominant nature is suddenly contrasted after his fight with Lennie, "He stood crying, his fist lost in Lennie's paw". The fact that he is "crying" puts emphasis on his humiliation and disgrace. Furthermore, the word "lost" stresses the great difference in size and strength between Curley and Lennie. He then quotes, "I wont tell." This again stresses Curley's humiliation and embarrassment; he has been forced to keep quiet about this event.
In contrast, towards the end of the novella, Curley returns to his aggressive and dominant nature. "He worked himself into a fury%u2026 I'll shoot him in the guts". Curley's violent language mirrors his violent actions. The phrase "worked himself into a fury" suggests that Curley is angered and motivated to kill Lennie. Steinbeck may be suggesting Curley's desire for revenge and hate towards Lennie. Alternatively, Curley may be genuinely angered by the murder of his wife and wish to avenge her. Furthermore, the word "I'll shoot him in the guts" further emphasises his hate towards Lennie; he want to give him a painful and long death.
I believe Curley is one of the central and most significant characters in the novella. His energetic character is used very well by Steinbeck to foreshadow many events which in turn creates a lot of suspense and excitement.sss