Importance of Dreams in Of Mice and Men
Many people have dreams in Of Mice and Men but I intend to discuss the dreams of Lennie, Candy and Curley 's wife.
Lennie 's dream is of owning a farm of his own with George. In his dream he looks after the rabbits. He likes this idea because he likes to pet things and the small things he finds as he is travelling around, like mice, are too easily hurt or killed when he pets them heavily. Rabbits are big enough for him to look after without hurting them. He also remembers that he used to pet rabbits when he lived with his Aunt Clara.
As George and Lennie travel around they tell each other their dream as a way of coping with the loneliness of being migrant workers in America in the 1930s.
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Curley 's wife has a different dream. She dreams of being a film star. She obviously hated the place where she grew up and when she was told she had the potential to be in movies she thought she could escape to Hollywood. However, she never got as far as Hollywood and ended up being trapped on the ranch with no one to talk to. Curley is not interested in her dream and the only person she finds to share it with is Lennie. Curley 's wife 's dream is also ended by Lennie.
All three dreams make me feel differently about the characters. Without his dream Lennie would have had no direction in his life and his behaviour would be annoying rather than sad. As it is, Lennie 's dream gives hope to George, Candy and even Crooks. Lennie 's ambition to look after rabbits shows him to be a gentle man in spite of the violence that goes on in the novel. Crooks ' dream of sharing in George and Lennie 's plans gives him more depth, particularly after the death of his dog. Curley 's wife 's dream reveals another side to her character. Generally in the story she appears to be trying to get the men into trouble, but her dreams and frustrations show that she is as lonely as the other people on the farm.
John Steinbeck makes very good use of dreams throughout the novel. Each character is shown to have greater depth than we might have expected and we are able to see how lonely and disappointed their lives are through the quite humble ambitions that they
Ever since humanity has come into existence, the world has allowed dreams to blossom into beautiful flowers or be rejected and die like a fly swatted in a household. Each dream may end in a success or a tragedy, but it is up to the discretion of the cruel, but rewarding world humans inhabit. In the novel of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, a myriad of characters all have dreams that they passionately want to fulfill. Curley’s wife, who remains unnamed in the book, has a dream of becoming Hollywood’s biggest star. Crooks, the black stable-hand only dreams of being able to have friends and be seen as an equal to others. Lennie and George are a pair of migrant workers who want to live the American dream and have their own ranch. Each of these characters’ dreams were all torn down by the world, illustrated by Steinbeck as a cruel place where dreams cannot come true, no matter how passionate a person may be.
Dreams in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck A dream can be described as an ambition or the aspiration to reach a goal in life. In the novel "Of Mice and Men" John Steinbeck creates characters to have an optimistic dream. These dreams are ones which they would all like to make a reality. They all have a longing and desire to fulfil their dreams.
Lennie has his mind set on one thing. That is getting out of the barn and getting his own piece of land with George. This dream motivates Lennie to always listen and follow what George says. There he can finally tend the rabbits he has always wanted. Lennie loves petting things such as small animals and dresses which usually leads him to trouble.
Hopes and dreams can be very important for peoples’ needs and survival. In Steinbeck’s story, Of Mice and Men, each of the main characters is driven by their hopes and dreams; it provides a sense of motivation and animation to each of their being. From Lennie and George being driven by their hopes and dreams of owning a farm, to Curley’s wife’s dreams of becoming an actress, having dreams plays an essential role in giving hope to the characters of Steinbeck’s story. Although dreams and hopes are essential themes in Steinbeck’s story, in a sense, Steinbeck does seem to emphasize that dreams are not meant to be achieved, and that there are other factors that are essential for survival. I believe Steinbeck included their dreams to give
George is the logical one, always figuring out some way to keep Lennie going. Such as the beginning of the tale when he states the dream to motivate Lennie to talk about something happy. “‘O.K. Someday we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and.’ ‘Live off the fatta the land’ Lennie shouted!”(Page 14) Talking about the dream gives Lennie some “reset” button, which sets his mood back to his cheerful self. Following the short journey of George and Lennie often involves talk about the American Dream, which ends with George losing his temper. Lennie has talked about leaving, but George wants him to stay. The relationship with Lennie is a vital factor for the dream. The significance of this is that Lennie is constantly a burden to the dream and has no way contributed to it. George needed Lennie in the idea but stated that he could make it without Lennie. Nevertheless, everything George does for Lennie is for the sake of this illusion to become a reality, even if George gets no reward. Also, George has shown that trouble follows this idea and can cause an additional problem. Candy is one of the people who has joined George. “They fell silent. They looked at one another, amazed. This thing they never really believed in was coming true.” (Page 60). No longer a hallucination, George has inspired Lennie and Candy to the point where they will follow him to the end of the world.
One of the major themes of John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is that having a dream creates hope, friendship, and determination, enabling one to strive onward in life with a sense of importance. Three major examples show this idea. The first example is Candy’s loss of his dog and his joining George and Lennie 's dream of owning land. A second example is Crook’s memory of his father’s
He gets his freedom, and he gets to ruin himself, and own a few acers. Lastly, to Candy, the dream is for him to be able to work the garden, and to live in a relaxed environment because he thinks that soon, the boss will let him go. A quote from the story to show how much Lenny likes hearing their American Dream is , and to show how important the American Dream means to him is “’Tell me like you done before.’ ‘Tell you what?’ ‘About the Rabbits’ George snapped ‘You ain’t gonna put nothing over me.’ Lennie pleaded ‘Come on George. Tell me. Please George. Like you done before’” (pg 13). This quote from the story shows how much Lennie believed in the dream. His mental disability made him act a lot younger than his actual age, he dreams a lot and can easily be tricked by what people say. He is very fragile and short tempered, like a young child can be. But also like a child, he believes in dreams, he still has the innocence and pureness, which causes him to have faith, and trust in the dream. A quote that shows that George is believes in the American Dream is “Maybe you’re gettin’ better. When we get a coupla acres I
Dreams drive people to accomplish goals and live the life they want to, even if it means doing something that you won't normally do to make that dream come true. Dreams are the central idea and main theme in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. both George Milton and Lennie Smalls have the same dream of owning a place on a farm all to themselves and try to make their dream come true despite some big issues they encounter.
Dreams give a person hope, and hope makes life worth living. In Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck chooses dreams as one of his central themes. As the reader digs deeper into the story and characters, the theme of dreams expands as the novel goes on. Lennie and George held on to their dream of moving to a farm. Even though George had his doubts, he kept the dream alive for Lennie. Candy, the swamper, is a dreamer too. He wanted to escape his miserable life working on the ranch to go with George and Lennie to their dream farm. Many of the characters in the novel had dreams about their future. Lennie, George, and Candy wanted to move to a farm, and Curley’s wife wanted to be admired. All of these characters were examples of how John Steinbeck
The most important dream in this novel is that of the two main characters Lennie and George. They
In the novel Curley’s Wife is portrayed as a source of trouble and danger for the men, not only in how she is described, such as ‘Curley’s married a tart’, but also in how Steinbeck portrays her affect on light and hope. Lennie and George first come across Curley’s wife when ‘the rectangle of sunshine in the door way was cut off. A girl was standing there looking in’. She is blocking one of the only light sources into the bunkhouse, which indicates that she is an obstacle on the path to realising hopes and dreams, for Lennie, George and the other men. George is wary of Curley’s Wife and so he warns Lennie ‘ Well you keep away from her, ‘cause she’s a rat trap ’. He suspects that someday she will cause Lennie to get into trouble, thus making it harder to reach their dreams. In the barn towards the end of the novel when Lennie kills Curley’s Wife, ‘ the sun streaks were high on the wall...and the light was growing soft ’. In this situation the light represents her hopes and dreams
John Steinbeck utilizes Lennie as a physical symbol of the dream he and George share. Lennie’s actions are driven by his strong desire to “tend the rabbits” on the piece of land he, George, and Candy will eventually own (Steinbeck 14).
The unlikely destroyer of George and Lennie's dream is a young woman who is married to the boss's son Curley. The theme of loneliness is again shown in Curley's wife. Her loneliness is so determined to her that she becomes a flirt and is still lonely. She attempts to use herself to gain the attention of the ranchers to sooth her loneliness. These acts gave her a sense of relief and made her feel wanted so she can share
“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.
having a job, a house and a wife. He got all the things he had hoped