text: how does stienbeck prepare you for the idea that the death of curley's wife is inevitable?   like the previous response, several instances of foreshadowing occur in of mice & men.  lenny's size, propensity toward petting/killing "soft things", etc. are repeated and made very obvious.  you could look at curley's wife in  similar light.  she is not unlike a small animal, somewhat lost in the world and affected by many forces beyond her control.  she is also naive.  the story about the movie offer and her blind belief that her mother derailed her chances of living her dream life support this idea.  in addition, her physical "beauty" in contrast to the bleak scenery and lives of the many farmhands makes her almost otherworldly.  the innocence conveyed by her angelic features and naivete qualifies her as unique and somewhat ethereal (i.e.- too good for this world or life).  some might dispute this, based on her behavior toward the farmhands, but you should consider her background and desperate efforts to gain any form of attention available to a woman in her position.  i think steinbeck prepares you for her inevitable death (and the peace she finds in death - see the description of her lying in the barn) in both obvious and not-so-obvious ways.  it's all how you interpret what you're given.