Describe the atmosphere of the ranch and bunkhouse.
The atmosphere of the ranch and the bunkhouse is almost restraining and, in a way, tough. Since they are in a new environment, Lennie and George are forced to keep their guard up. George makes sure not to let Lennie talk, and George himself tries not to reveal a lot about their past lives. In the novella, it states, "You was gonna leave your big flapper shut and leave me do the talking'. Damn near lost us the job." ... "Now he's got his eye on us. Now we got to be careful and not make no slips." (Pg 23) This quote shows George lecturing Lennie, in which can be considered a rather harsh way. This shows a bit of toughness, but it also resembles restraint. George is cautious to make sure the ranch doesn't know about Lennie's condition so he makes sure Lennie is on a tight leash and doesn't utter a word.
There are more signs of the atmosphere being restraining and tough. A character, Curly, has especially been giving off this vibe while in the ranch. In the novella it states, "He glanced coldly sat George and then at Lennie. His arm gradually bent the elbows and his hands closed into fists. He stiffened and went into a slight crouch. His glance was at ounce calculating and pugnacious." (Pg 15) This shows that Curly feels somewhat intimidated and this can lead to toughness. He is raucous to Lennie especially. Later in the chapter, George also makes sure that Lennie and himself stay away from Curly, and his wife. He doesn't want anything to go wrong with his job, which is why the atmosphere might feel restrained.
Overall, I don't think the atmosphere in the ranch and bunkhouse is positive. George has to watch over Lennie more, to make sure he doesn't slip up and cause them to lose their jobs. Not only that but Curly has become a new problem because he has some kind of hatred towards them already. George also needs to watch what he does, in sake of Lennie and their future career. There's not much to do but be careful and make sure Lennie doesn't do anything wrong that can lead them into big trouble.
Why doesn't Curley's wife have a name? What message, if anything, is John Steinbeck trying to send by not giving her a first name?
The reason Curly's wife does not have a name, in my opinion, is because women aren't important in the story. Women are hardly mentioned, except for Aunt Clara and Curly's wife. I believe the message John Steinbeck is trying to send is that women were not particularly important and instead they were just known as the men's possession during that time. Why else would they just state she was Curly's? It's almost as if he owns her. Then again, in the story they do make references about her relying on Curly.
Curly's wife is dependent on her father in-law and her husband. In the novella it states, "Wife lives over in the boss's house." (Pg 27) This is a small quote but it shows that she is dependent on Curly and The Boss because she lives in their home. She relies on them to provide a roof over her head. This also shows how women might've not been important, they weren't independent yet.
Curly not only partially provides a place to stay to his wife, but he also provides money to her. In the novella it states, "Curly got his work ahead of him. Bet she'd clear out for twenty bucks." (Pg 28) Not only does this show that she might not have a job, but it also kind of resembles how women were thought of back then.
In the book, she probably doesn't have a name because she is characterized in the stereotypical sense of a women who isn't all that smart, but is very flirtatious with many men. My interpretation is that she, and other women, weren't important during that time because they didn't do anything significant.
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