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John Steinbeck 's Of Mice And Men

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"…to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity ….the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him" says the well-known writer Thomas Wolfe. Idealistically, the idea of anyone having the chance to succeed in accomplishing one’s dreams defines the grandness of the American Dream. Whether it be the pursuit of freedom and happiness, being a famous Hollywood actress, or owning a piece of land, one will face obstacles like Crooks, Curley’s Wife, and Candy. A thorough study of the characters and the time period of John Steinbeck 's novella, Of Mice and Men, exemplifies the idea that people from minorities are held back from achieving their version…show more content…
A guy sets alone out here at night, … sometimes he gets thinkin’, an he got nothing to tell him what’s so an’ what’s so. Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not. He can’t turn to some other guy and ast him if he sees it too. He can’t tell. He got nothing to measure by” (Steinbeck, 72). The reader may feel sympathetic for the lonely man, as Lennie and Candy did when they told him all about their farmhouse dream as the light sparks in Crooks when he realized freedom and happiness could perhaps exist in his life. Curley’s Wife was the one to shatter his moment of hope denying him of his will to live and he turned back into his bitter, unhappy product of racial discrimination, self.
Curley’s Wife lives with her husband, Curley, and even though they are physically together, her emotional state is elsewhere. Constantly living in a state of desperation for attention and having a bad husband, Curley’s Wife feels displeased. Curley’s Wife’s first real shot at the movies was when she was recognized by an actor. “Well, a show come through, an ' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol ' lady wouldn ' let me. She says because I was on 'y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I 'd went, I wouldn 't be livin ' like this, you bet” (34). Ever since her mother denied her the type of attention she desired in the first place, cinematic fame, she would spend the rest of her days attempting to mimic the type of attention
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