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

If there was a favorable circumstance under which one could endeavour all their hopes and visions, wouldn’t one pursue it? The American Dream was introduced as an interpretation to cause the people of America in the early twentieth century to work tougher. The American Dream is the opportunity to reach the goals one sets for themselves. It is about having your dream job and life one has always fantasized about. The dream is also about having freedom and equality. In the novel, “Of Mice & Men”, John Steinbeck uses symbols and motifs such as the vicious slaughtering of virtuous animals, Crooks’ rubbish bunkhouse and Lennie and George’s deception of an ideal farm to exhibit the perception that materialistic success results in happiness is a major flaw in our thinking about the American dream, and it is this thinking which makes the dream unattainable for many.

    Curley’s wife was known as a tart and was avoided by the men on the ranch. At first the reader could assume her dream was to be noticed and talked to but her dream was to ‘be in the pictures’. A professional man had promised to make her famous and she waited for a letter that ensured this. She never received the letter and that’s where the decline of her dreams happened. Shortly after, her dreams started failing she married Curley who controlled her.

It is the natural inclination of all men and women to dream. In John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men,” the American dream is sought after by many different characters. However, the main theme in the story is how these dreams are unattainable, and how because of the Great Depression, all American dreams were dead. But what is the American dream? A unitary definition does not exist, however, the meaning of living the American dream is something that differs for everyone. For some people, the American dream might be acceptance and equality. On the other hand, for others, it might mean fame and fortune. In the short story called “Of Mice and Men” the American dream seems unreachable for a number of characters, such as George, Lennie,

People living during the great depression had dreams but on seemed to be the most popular but with their own twist to their dream. The American dream is in the Declaration of Independence stating “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. This dream is called the American Dream. The American dream is a set of standards in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success that can be achieved through hard work and determination. Steinbeck uses the American dream to give each character a goal to work toward to. Each character had their own American Dream. Owning some land so you could live independently, to tend the rabbits or to be playing cards with the other guys.

Is the American Dream, just a dream or reality? In the story, Of Mice and Men the american dream is just a dream. The american dream is what the characters in of Mice and Men dream of and get so close to achieving but getting sidetracked ruins it. Dreams affect the characters in of Mice and Men by George being distracted by the dream, Crooks realizing that his dream will never come true and Curley’s wife feeling desperate because her dream didn’t come true.

What is the understanding of the Unattainable American Dream? During the 1920-30’s the American Dream was different from one another, in hopes that one day they could still become or get what they’ve always wanted. During this time period The Great Depression hit home for everyone. People starved, lost homeownership/land, and those who seeked jobs for themselves was difficult as well. George and Lennie’s American dream never came true.

Imagine if you were in your world Everything is going as you want it to go. Then your world turns into a nightmare. Everything is going in a circle. You don’t even know which is left or right. Then you wake up and find out it was just a dream.

The American dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have a equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity In the fictional novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by: John Steinbeck throughout the book we see characters pursuing the American dream. George and Lennie the main characters have this fantasy of owning their own land, rabbits, chickens, and more pushing them to not give up. On the way they meet characters like Crooks, and Candy who lonely want to join them on their journey. In the novel Steinbeck uses the characters to develop the idea of the American Dream and the boundaries in their way stopping them from reaching their dreams. ‘In Of Mice and Men’ Candy a old man who had nothing to live for, after seeing his dog die because it

Fighting for dreams Have you ever felt trapped and lost hope that you would not achieve your dreams? In the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, many were trapped in a place where it kept them from achieving their dreams. Some had lost hope for a better future for themselves. In the start of the story, two characters, George and Lenny, were traveling together as companions to find work. During this time, it was very rare for people to travel together, or at most, be friends.

“For the rabbits,” Lennie shouted. “‘For the rabbits,’” George repeated. John Steinbeck’s uses of the symbolism in Of Mice and Men, the rabbits to signify the American dream and during the course of this novel, George and Lennie will try to achieve this dream but stumbles. Also, the reader need to analyze the purpose of the scenery and characters in order to understand the true meaning behind John Steinbeck’s work. Steinbeck uses the symbolism of Lennie’s compulsion to touch soft things, the rabbit farm, and the evil aspects of nature in the setting to showcase his beliefs about the American Dream being unreachable for many in the 1930s.6

According to a February poll from the Public Religion Research Institute, an overwhelming 87% of black Americans say black people face a lot of discrimination in the United States, but only 49% of white Americans say the same thing. From this poll, we can see that racism, especially in the black community in America, can negatively affect a person’s level of confidence and their willingness to work hard in order to achieve an important dream. The American Dream, the archetypal notion that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative, is an ideal that most people strive to achieve. Unfortunately, in the past and in modern day, the population that surrounds

In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, the theme of the American Dream’s destruction resonates throughout the novel within the 1930s Great Depression Era of the United States setting. The idea of the futility of the American Dream is put into heavy focus as the author explores the theme through the character Lennie Small and his contribution to the figurative fall of man’s ambitions. Steinbeck utilizes Lennie’s flaws to illustrate the ultimate flaws of the American Dream. The character is innocent yet destructive, two failings on which the premise of the American Dream is suggested to be built upon due to its fragile nature deriving from its unharmonious components. The novella focuses upon the construction and the development

Curley’s wife constantly complains how lonely she is as Curley is not around most of the time. This drives her to wander about the ranch talking to other men and questioning them about Curley's whereabouts. As most of the men are in town, Curley’s wife wanders to the barn where Candy, Crooks, and Lennie are currently located. The men question why she is there and see her as a nuisance. But, she stays and discusses her struggles with loneliness. “‘I get lonely,’ she said, ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley, else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to nobody’” (Steinbeck 87). In other words, Curley’s wife is left alone by Curley so much that she feels the need to talk to anybody that she finds. This is why she wanders about the ranch all day and talks to any men she can find. This demonstrates how women were treated during this time; they were thought to be unimportant and were often left alone by their spouses. Curley’s wife did not have a name, which shows how unimportant she really is. Women were thought to be of no use, leaving them to not have the ability to achieve the American dream.

She hoped to be on the big screen with adoring fans giving her all their attention. Sadly, she didn’t follow her dreams because of her parents. Her mother and father thought being in movies wasn't a real or suitable job. Curley’s Wife chose to obey her parents, though she was resentful of it. To escape her parents smothering rules, she married Curley. However, she wasn’t actually in love with Curley. Curley’s Wife was so desperate to leave her parents that she chose to stay with a man she didn’t truly like. However, this didn’t bring Curley’s wife much closer to her dreams because Curley isolated her and deprived her of attention. Because of her social deprivation due to the possessiveness of her husband, Curley’s Wife seeks attention by flirting with all the other men on the ranch, because all she’s ever wanted was the attention and to be adored. Finally, Curley’s Wife is killed by Lennie. This, again, symbolizes that when one dies, their dream

What does the American dream mean to you? The dictionary defines the American dream as,  “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American.” Everyone has a dream. Everyone wants to achieve something and most are willing to work hard and make possibly painful sacrifices in order to do so. To transcend the boundaries of what we are and what we think we can be is something that every person desires. We often find ourselves haunted by these unforgettable aspirations. We paint a mental picture of our dreams and cling on to the hope that maybe one day things will get better. This is a theme that author John Steinbeck presents in his famed novel, “Of Mice and Men” through characters such as George, Candy, and Curley’s Wife. These characters all crave a taste of a life that is free of dependency and distress. A life that they have control over. Steinbeck uses these characters to illustrate to readers the faith and optimism the American dream promotes and the horrors of reality.