After his death, the setting sun is low and fading. The sun is a metaphor for the end of his dreams or the sun setting on his life. When the girl is first described, she is described in bright colors and strong imagery. After Lennie accidentally kills her, those sparks of life are extinguished. The metaphorical sun has set on his life. As the description continues, it is noted that "the meanness, the plans, the discontent, and the desire for attention had all disappeared from his face" (Steinbeck 92). Death seems to have reduced her to the idealized version of woman. Soon after the death of Curley's wife, there are images of her purity and serenity in death. She is shown in a positive light for the first time in the story and provides a contrast to what has just happened. Her appearance in the story seemed inconsequential until her death made her an important element in the narrative. He eventually received recognition, but not the kind he had wanted