Curley's wife has had this dream since she was young. He laments that he “could have been in the movies and had nice clothes, all those nice clothes like they wear…because this guy said I had a natural talent” (Steinbeck 89). Curley's wife was very happy with that statement and thought it was special, but the guy who told her this never contacted her again. Most likely he saw that she was very absorbed in the dream and told her out of pity. Since she never received any information from the boy, she decided that "[she] wouldn't stay anywhere where [she] couldn't get anywhere or make anything of myself...[and] she would marry Curley "(88). Curley's wife immediately marries Curley after making a decision and sealing his fate. Attell believes that Curley's wife's “actions and the resulting events are [the result of] specific norms and practices that govern contemporary society and life” (n.pag.). Therefore, Curely's wife at the time did not want a normal female life and wanted to stand out. But because she was a woman and not special, she had to marry like other women did at the time. Bound by her reluctant marriage, she is unable to realize her nearly impossible dream