Comparing The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Propaganda filters throughout the world to lean people’s views one way or another. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, he uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife to demonstrate the American Dream. This is unattainable but is their motivation to carry on their daily on the ranch lives. George and Lennie’s actions revolve around their American Dream. In a conversation between George and Lennie they discuss their dream, George states “... We’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres, an’ a cow and some pigs” (Steinbeck, 14). George says this to Lennie to motivate him to keep quiet and out of trouble so they can eventually reach these dreams. The American Dream can be defined as people

The American Dream started off as propaganda in order to make the American people of the early twentieth century work harder to build a successful economy. The idea of the American Dream is that every American citizen has an equal opportunity of making money along with owning a large house, some land, and having a family with kids. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates that the American Dream, no matter how simple is impossible to achieve. As everyone has their own interpretation of the American Dream, Steinbeck uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife to demonstrate how the American Dream is impossible to achieve and how important the dream was for people so they could carry on with their lives.

The disillusionment of the American dream is kind of obvious during this time which is the 1930s because everyone was chasing it. During this time which was the Great Depression people were trying as hard as they could to get a job and keep it. Well that’s what George and Lennie were trying to do they had a good job in this town they called “weed” but because of Lennie they had to run or get out of town and find a new job. Which they did after going place to place in search of a job. They get a job at a farm trying to earn a big enough “stake” to live their own American dream. George and Lennie’s version of the American dream was to get their own piece of land in the “country” with a nice farm on it. Lennie wants this but he’s also focused on getting rabbits on the farm.

The two gentlemen alway had a big dream through the entire novel. Their American Dream was definitely alive. In the novel, there was a lot of talk about George and Lennie having a ranch of their own. Them living in luxury; to them anyway. "An' live off the fatta the lan'," Lennie shouted. (Steinbeck 14). As this conversation continues, George replies, " we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and sat around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof." (Steinbeck 14-15). This quote demonstrates the imagination and the dedication to this dream that they had about getting their own little piece of land. Towards the end of the novel George is stirred up and he left the impression that the only reason this dream came about was because Lennie loved hearing about it, it was the only thing that made him happy. So I think that George's American Dream was dead before he even started. He was just trying to make Lennie

The most important dream in this novel is that of the two main characters Lennie and George. They

Ever since the beginning of the twentieth century America has fascinated people from all over the world to move and to begin a new life. For many people living in America was a chance for a better opportunity and experiencing new things. They all had something in common and that is a dream. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lenny and George spent their lives migrating from one farm to another in order to obtain a stable life. They have no family and have an unsuccessful past; they try to see and reach their opportunities for a better life out there and believe that it can be done over hard work. Unfortunately, George and Lenny don’t accomplish their version of the dream; but with this journey the audience learns that a better life

The American Dream is based off of the Declaration of the Independence. The Document presented the idea of “pursuit of happiness.” This promotes the idea of Lennie and George's dream of a perfect farm for them in the future. This means that through hard work and dedication, they will eventually find happiness for the both of them. For Lennie, this happiness comes from tending to the animals. For george, it comes from creating an advanced idea of a farm that he had pictured since he was a kid and the thought of being able to live strictly off the farms produce and land, away from society.

George and Lennie’s dream might have never been obtainable due to Lennie’s undiagnosed mental problem along with the depression. To achieve the American dream is to be fully independent and own land. The first setback was the difficult and long task of not only finding, but keeping a job. This proved to be almost impossible for the pair due to Lennie’s track record. George stated, “Well he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’thing he likes. Jus’ wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk , and the only thing he can think to do...and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes runnin’, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on.” (Steinbeck) That was a setback in George and Lennie’s plan to achieve their dream. The duo made their way to the ranch with the work cards to find a job to

George and Lennie’s American Dream is very important to them, because they have always relied on each other, and both of them love each other like brothers. George works very hard for both himself and Lennie to have the desires that they have and want. To lose something that “they” work so hard for it would just hurt them. Lennie works also, but not as hard as George does,

The American Dream was a concept that quickly became instilled in the mind of thousands of immigrants and migrant workers as they were searching for a better life. They believed that America would be a land where life would be better, more successful, and consist of many opportunities. Although very few were able to reach the level of prosperity they aspired for at that time, several people still continue to believe in the American Dream today. In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays the idea that dreams will simply stay as dreams through the characters who failed to reach their own. As stated by Robert Burns, “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men go oft awry”, meaning that even the greatest planned dreams can be shattered,

During the Great Depression, many people found it impossible to overcome the obstacles to complete their American Dream. George and Lennie each have an established ideal plan for the future. For George, he just wants to have his own land. “ ‘We’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and

The American dream has forever been debatable. It can be the smallest thing or the largest. It changes for the person. It can be one thing for one person and a different thing for another. In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, there are many types of American Dreams, from Lennie’s, Curley’s wife’s, and George’s. All of them have different dreams and different ways of accomplishing them.

John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men takes a deep look at two migrant workers during the great depression of America. The novel also embodies the idea the American dream, showing readers what length some may go to accomplishment the dream. The setting takes place just near Soledad, California on a ranch, which is also the town near where the author John Steinbeck was born. Although a small ranch near Soledad, California during the great depression may seem dull, it shows true idea of what “the American dream” is and what some do to achieve it.

In every person, there is a dream that they hang on to for dear life. Those dreams are an extensive part of life that motivates people and affect their behavior. After the stock market crash in 1929, the United States fell into the Great Depression, which lasted for 10 years. A year later, the Dust Bowl became a natural disaster that affected the Great Plains for about a decade. During the 1930s, a number of Americans lost their jobs, lost their homes, and in some cases, lost their families. Those tremendous losses affected the dreams of almost every American. This time of loss is when the novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place. The main characters, George Milton and Lennie Small, face the losses of their dreams. The author, John Steinbeck describes a central theme of the inevitable failure of the American Dream, which motivates each character throughout. The American Dream influences several of the main characters, primarily George and Lennie, and then later on Candy and Curley’s wife. Steinbeck, through these characters, explains the impossibility of the American Dream and the power of the American Dream, even if it is hopeless to achieve.

The American Dream is something that many individuals have desired for countless years. Although it has evolved during the past couple of years, many individuals still strive to achieve it. Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men illustrates this American Dream of the 1930’s, which is looked upon as impossible through the failure of George and Lennie’s achievement. “The story Of Mice and Men and the American Dream is known to be somewhat different; it can define the independence and self-sufficiency for an individual and also the freedom that one person gets that comes from owning a land” (Johnson 140). The dream is still present in people’s eyes because they still have that mindset to this day. “Steinbeck intends to present that the dream has finally become a reality for Lennie, but that only possibility is in death because in life things will always happen out of human control, to destroy those dreams” (Burkhead 54). Lennie and George’s dream of owning a farm and living off the “fatta the land” symbolizes this dream, certainly not to realize the dream embraces their remarkable friendship together, their dreams give them life, even if life never allows them to accomplish their dreams. “George and Lennie who travel as a pair both desire that one simple vision of their own land, animals to tend, and a vacation now and then” (Christians 1). The novel does a significant way of demonstrating the American Dream; it is certainly a metaphor for the opportunities that one can earn. Of