Lennie And The American Dream Analysis

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.

This is the first mention we have of the American dream. Even from the introduction, it seems Lennie is more excited than George about the prospect. George’s easy dismissal of "them rabbits" makes it seem as though he thinks the whole thing is silly. This will get more difficult as we realize that George might be as excited about the dream as Lennie; it seems he is just more cautious about that excitement, given that he’s more knowledgeable than his companion.

In “Of Mice and Men”, George and Lennie are chasing their “American Dream” of owning and farm of their own.

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

In this novel, George and Lennie have the dream to purchase a small farm and farm the land themselves. In contrast to most dreams, their dream is very modest and achievable. Their dream is realistic because their friendship has been established through years of togetherness and the basic needs of both the characters (Scott, 1985, p. 39). George and Lennie are dependant on each other. Through Lennie, George can feel superior and justify his own failures. Through George, Lennie is provided with direction in life. Lennie is protected from himself by George. But, the most prominent reason their dream is realistic is that the farm is in actual existence and George has a vivid picture of it in his mind (Scott, 1985, p. 43). Sadly, regardless of the realism of their goal, inevitable destruction must occur. Although it is beyond his control, Lennie’s circumstances are what destroys the dream. Steinbeck creates Lennie to exist in a society where he is rejected because of his constant conflict with others. According to Brenda Foster Scott in John Steinbeck's Concept of the Individualistic Survival of the American Dream, “such characters are destined for failure not only because of a non-teleological view which pits them against a world which lies beyond any distinctions of that which is moral or immoral, but also against a society which cannot tolerate their inabilities to

In Of Mice and Men, the ultimate dreams of the characters are to have that equal opportunity for success—whether through land, fame, or other means. Right at the beginning of the book, the main characters, George and Lennie are discussing their dream. According to Steinbeck, George and Lennie will “ ‘…get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and-’ ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’” (14). The American Dream, to them, is owning land and having a farm. This would give them the equality with those they work for, and they wouldn’t have to ask permission before

"The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work” (Fabrizio Moreira). For many years, men and women struggled to achieve the idealistic life of living on independent terms. Many characters in Of Mice and Men work in order to pursue and achieve the American Dream that consisted of having their own house and income. Characters in the book may use that dream to help the overcome their life struggles and personal problems. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends, George and Lennie, who find themselves on a ranch in pursuit of their dreams. Unfortunately for them, circumstances beyond their control cost Lennie and George their dream and much more. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck portrays how dreams create a false sense of hope in order to cover up the realities of life through George, Curley’s wife, and Candy.

In Of Mice And Men, the American Dream was also portrayed. George Milton and Lennie Small have a dream to have a farm full of pigs, cows, rabbits, and more. They are going to live on a farm with a nice house and a garden. It is quoted in the book, “An' live off the fatta the lan'," Lennie shouted. "An' have rabbits.” They want something to work hard for and earn. George and Lennie keep their dream alive in the back of their minds at all times. Lennie always said that he would “tend the rabbits”. Both of these men do not enjoy being wandering workers at all. Their dream is to be free and live on their own farm. George and Lennie want to have independence for themselves. They do not want to be controlled and be treated as if they were almost like slaves. Being free is also stated in the American Dream.

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.

Both Lennie and George clearly have those dreams. In page 14, the following convo happens: “O.K. Someday—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 and—” “An’ live off the fatta the lan’,” Lennie shouted. “An’ have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George.” (John Steinbeck) In this quote, the “American dream” both Lennie and George have is very clear since they say that they are going to have their own land where they will not depend on anyone to live comfortably. At the time of the book’s publishing the United States was going through the Great Depression and, eventually, Lennie and George would have to recognize that their dream would, probably, not

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

Of Mice and Men is set in Salinas, California during the Great Depression. Lennie is a special needs man who is obsessed with soft things and the idea of caring for rabbits and is looked after by his friend George. Although George and Lennie are best friends, when Lennie gets in trouble, George lashes out at him. Despite this, their friendship and their moving from job to job makes them try harder and harder to achieve their dream. Their American dream is to own a farm of their own and to work for themselves. Lennie’s special needs puts restrictions on the pair, bringing them tough challenges. Though they face many challenges, they still work towards achieving their goal to the best of their ability. Of Mice and Men portrays the failure of

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can be successful in America if they just work hard enough. The American Dream gave hope to all Americans that they have a chance to be successful despite their backgrounds. Although the American Dream inspired many, several people took a more negative view on it. Both F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck criticize the American Dream in their novels: The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men. In these two novels, Gatsby and Lennie both have dreams they so desperately want to achieve. The green light on the end of Daisy’s dock is symbolic of Gatsby’s dream to repeat the past and be reunited with Daisy. On the other hand, Lennie has the dream to buy a patch of land with George where he can tend the rabbits. Although these dreams may seem harmless, Gatsby and Lennie made some big mistakes that led things to take a bad turn. By analyzing both Gatsby’s and Lennie's dreams, it will become obvious how the American Dream ultimately fails them.

     The friendship between Lennie and George went beyond what was unambiguous, they shared a common dream, and they never stopped trying to acheive their dream. They dream of a peice of land of their own. Independence. A couple of acres, a cow, some pigs, and rabbits that Lennie dreams of tending to. Their dream will later be shattered by fate.

Everyone has an American dream, but the American dream during the times of the Great Depression was way different than what it would be now. George and Lennie from the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, wanted a nice cabin for themselves and their own little farmland where they could tend their own animals. Candy overhears George and Lennie talking about their American dream and wanted to be a part of it because he wanted to do something different with his life. The Great Depression was a sad time for all Americans and hopes and dreams were the only thing that kept most people going because it felt like they had nothing. All America had was their hopes and dreams. Their American dream doesn’t include being wealthy, or being famous, it includes the ways of life and their simple freedoms. Although George, Lennie, and Candy have the same dream they had different reasons for why they sought this.