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Importance of dreams in the novel of 'Mice and Men'

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What is the importance of dreams in Of Mice and Men? What role do they play in people’s lives? How do people use dreams, and how to various characters’ dreams affect them?

The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, written by John Steinbeck is a truly fascinating novel based upon the theme of dreams. This novel was published in 1937, which was towards the end of ‘The Great Depression’ that hit the United States. The novel was set in Soledad, California, during the same time period as published. This was an era in which the economy collapsed; many Americans lost their jobs, therefore leading into a lot of poverty and despair. Although many people were depressed, this was also the era of dreams. This is what Steinbeck’s novel is all about, dreams …show more content…

“She screamed then, and Lennie’s other hand closed over her mouth and nose”. Lennie said “Oh! Please don’t do that!” George’ll be mad… George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits… You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will.” “And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her… he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.”(Chapter 5, page 103). Lennie killed Curley’s wife, because he didn’t want her to stand in the way of his dreams. Due to the fact that his dream blinded him, he couldn’t differentiate between what’s right or wrong. He chose his actions carelessly. Achieving his dream was his priority, so much so that he sacrificed a human being for nothing to stand in his way. Not only did dreams have a key role in the novel, dreams also played an important role in the characters’ lives.

Dreams were a crucial part of the characters’ lives. The characters were not living the life they craved, and it is safe to say that a few of them were depressed. However, their dreams were a source of motivation to them. In chapter one, on page 15, George said "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don 't belong no place. . . With us it ain 't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We

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