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.

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

ever happened.” ( 31-33) lets the reader know that she wishes to be somewhere that this

Back then being Curleys wife, she was expected to stay in the house and not move, maybe clean up. Curley was always upset cause she left the house, well I think that she was lonely. Trying to get attention, back then woman only got attention because of who they were married too. One of Curleys Wife Quotes goes “ "Awright," she said contemptuously.

She stated, "I don't like Curley." He ain’t a nice fella. (89) This implies that Curley really hurt her. Curley's wife has lived a rough life before and during the farm. Curley's wife has really lived a rough life.

In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the American Dream is to work hard and get money even though the Great Depression is happening, and to do your own thing without anyone holding you back. Two characters who are hoping to achieve their dream but cannot are George and Curley’s wife. They are analogous because they both have someone holding them back from achieving their dream. George has Lennie holding him back, and Curley’s wife has Curley holding her back. Because of this, both of them do not have the power of achieving the American Dream.

In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts the American dreams as a myth, not a reality. Steinbeck shows this through people not achieving their dreams. Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Candy are just three people who did not get their American dream in this book. Lennie is a towering man, but a child at heart. Lennie has a vision of what his dreams look like, and he loves when George tells him about it.

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is not attainable for everyone, which is conveyed by Curley’s wife, Candy, and George. First, one example of a character who was unable to achieve their dream is Curley’s wife. She tells Lennie, “I don’t like Curley” and she explains to him that she “Coulda’ been in the movies and had nice clothes…” (Steinbeck 89). This implies that Curley’s wife wanted to be an actress, and had an opportunity, but ended up losing it, leaving her to settle with Curley and become a wife. This has left her feeling lonely and isolated on the ranch. Next, another character who lost their ability to achieve their American Dream was Candy. Candy says, “S’pose I went with you guys. Tha’s three hundred bucks I’d

The Great American Dream What is the American Dream? The American Dream is described by many as their life goals. In John Steinbeck’s book, “Of Mice and Men”, the Great American Dream has a different meaning to everyone as it depends on the person who is dreaming of a life goal. Some ways The Dream is described in Steinbeck’s book is owning a small portion of the United States, or becoming an actress, or even just equality between humans.

“With us it ain’t like that. We got a future(15).” George and Lennie is set on the idea to own that he even knows of some land that he thinks they could buy. George and Lennie travel from town to town, trying to achieve their goal. It is an dream that they will always be working for. In this time period, many migrants travel to earn a living like George and Lennie. Steinbeck's showed how hard is it to achieve the American Dream for many Americans, especially during the time period of the Great Depression. In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck crafts the theme of Dreams by using it through different aspects of the story, that a lot of people have a dream but, failed to achieve it.

The American dream is the traditional social ideals of the US, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity. In the Novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the American Dream plays a huge role in almost every character’s lives, and the different version of the American dream for each individual has affected both their lives and the outcome of this novella.

I never get to talk to anybody. I get awful lonely.’” ... Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ‘ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house all the time?’”(Steinbeck 86) Curley’s wife is surrounded by other men on the ranch, and all of these men see her as just an inconvenience rather than a person with feelings. They perceive her as a distraction to the hard work that they do, which undermines her position on the ranch.

Swell guy, ain't he? Spends all his time sayin' what he's gonna do to guys he don't like, and he don't like nobody."(78) This quote shows Curley's wife's displeasure with her husband it also shows that Curley doesn't really spend much time with her unless he's talking about who he want's to fight next. Curley's wife try's to make up for her husbands absenteeism by trying to make friends with the other ranch hands, but she go's about it in a way that scares the away from her. She wears too much makeup and shows off her body to the men in provocative ways.

The American Dream has never been attainable. This has held true in the 1930s and today. The Dream is prevalent in pop culture and is mentioned quite frequently. Among others, Donald Trump claims to have achieved the Dream by incurring “a small loan of a million dollars” from his father to start his business. Rapper Aubrey “Drake” Graham has claimed to have “started from the bottom [and now he’s] here” although this isn’t entirely true considering he has actually “started from the [upper-middle class and now he’s] here.”

“Come there when I was a kid”. Well, a show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me. She says because I was only fifteen.