One dream, One Shot in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men Essay

They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to. ”(15) As put by George, a land of exploitation will never look out for the lesser man. Exploitation is the reason why all the characters’ dreams die. Why couldn’t Curley’s wife be a movie star?

Although Curley’s Wife lives in a bleak ranch environment, she still possesses a firm belief that she is destined to be a famous movie star which proves to be a futile effort in the end. Curley’s Wife obstinately refuses to abandon her

George and Lennie believe they can achieve their American dream because “‘I [George] got you [Lennie] to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.’” (Steinbeck 14). They feel like they can rely on each other and their friendship and loyalty prevent them from isolating themselves. Their presence on that ranch even changed the people around them because they were accepting of the outcasts. Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife all open up to them about the isolation and loneliness they feel. Candy asks George if he can join them on their dream of owning their own property. George says he will consider it but eventually denies the offer when the body of Curley's wife is found, because he realizes the dream of owning a farm with Lennie is dead. As Peter Lisca states in his article, “On Of Mice and Men” from The American Dream, “The dream of the farm originates with Lennie and it is only through Lennie, who also makes the dream impossible, that the dream has any meaning for George.” While it is clear that Lennie needs George, George needs Lennie too. Without Lennie, George loses his sense of purpose and is likely to isolate himself like all the other ranchers. The strong bond between the two of them serve to contrast the economic and social conditions at the

For the longest time they had both talked about their desire to become landowners and to grow their own crops. All Lennie wanted was to grow alfalfa to feel to his rabbits. Their shared dreams being out of reach is apparent to the reader until Candy comes into the picture. Candy, a hardworking ranch handyman comes in with a full-fledged proposal. He offers them all of the money he saved up to fund a bit of land George and Lennie had their eyes on. In return, he would like to live on the land with them. They all agree that this is what they will do and not to let anyone know. Lennie destroys this dream by accidentally crushing Curley’s wife’s spine. George, Lennie, and Candy’s dream fails to become reality because of Lennie’s ignorance and strength.

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.

The American Dream can be defined as the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Lots of people during the Great Depression had an American Dream. The problem was, was that the American Dream was never attained because of the somber time period that these poor people were going through. Back then and still today, people say to one another to chase their American dream or never give up, but when faced with difficulties or obstacles, it is hard to overcome the American dream. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck all of the characters had some sort of American Dream whether it was big or small during the Depression time period that they wanted to be reached. But none of their American Dreams were attained because Steinbeck’s message was that dreams are supposed to be imagined and not achieved. Although people will argue that the American Dream was achievable during the Great Depression, it actually was not because of people’s disabilities, tough job competition, and the harsh discrimination toward those who were different.

What truly is the “American Dream”? Furthermore, during the Great Depression, even the concept of the “American Dream” was not readily available and was no more than a fallacy at the time. For the 2 protagonists in Of Mice And Men, their dream, like many others, was to “live off the fatta the land” and become independent. However, this was not such an easy task at the time, not just because of the rough economic times, but because people of that era still had World War 2 still very fresh in their minds, with the harbored hatred and untrust that came along with it. Nevertheless, for the millions who died in the course of the war, this “American Dream” was not only something worth living for it was something dying for too. However, in the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author emphasizes that the dreams and hopes were delusions and has a grim outlook on living life in search of a dream.

Have you ever dreamed of becoming someone important or doing something exciting and memorable? Would you give up or refuse to let go of your dream until you achieve it? Has that obsessive under-minded your success? Many people have dreams that they want to accomplish, but there are obstacles individuals have to cross over in order to achieve their goals, such as facing reality. In the book of Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, the story is a tale of two drifters working from farm to farm, trying to make a living, and save some money to have their own place someday, which is their dream during the Great Depression. The characters face the hardships

George demonstrates how the dreams he made created a false security for him to rely on. George describes their dream to Lennie when he says, “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-” (14). George uses the dream to distract himself from his life as a migrant worker. The life of migrant workers, isolated and repetitive, usually ends in no success. Migrant workers often spend their paychecks on alcohol during excursions into town. This lack of success leads to a vicious cycle of endless work with no destination, meaning they never leave the ranch to start their own life. Opposing, George and Lennie have a hope for success and want to buy a house like in their dream. Before they arrived at the current ranch, Lennie’s lack of self control resulted in their quick getaway from Weed. On page 7, George exclaims, “They run us outa Weed,’ he exploded triumphantly. ‘ Run us out, hell,’... ‘ We run. They was lookin’ for us, but they didn't catch us.’” George wants to focus on achieving his dream but he knows that Lennie could potentially mess it up for both of them. In the end, Lennie eventually holds his reputation true and causes trouble on the ranch. As a result, George kills Lennie which ruins

Curleys wife wants to be famous and free. The text says, “but the guys said, i coulda. If id went, i wouldn't be livin like this, you bet.” (p.88-89). This shows that her dream is to be famous.

Everyone has their own perfect version of the American dream and during the 1930’s in the south everyone was either wishing for that dream to happen or trying to make that dream happen. Also in the 1930’s anyone would do anything to get their hands on some land, money, or anything that would contribute to make their dreams come true. In order to not only make Lennie to be hopeful but himself too,"Well," said George, "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 (14).”George has a perfect description of how his house is going to be and he dreams of how he and Lennie wouldn’t have to go to work as much as they did working for someone else. They already

George’s story provides hope for Candy and Crooks, the older men in the novel, who feels more useful. The American dream soon becomes only a memory due to the accidental killing of Curley’s wife, who found comfort in Lennie. Steinbeck demonstrates the difficulty of succeeding in living the American dream which describes how George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm would enable them to sustain and protect themselves represents a prototypically American

I never got that letter. I always thought my ol’ lady stole it.” (Steinbeck 88). Curley’s Wife’s dream was to be an actress; her only blockade was her mother, for she thought she was too young. Ergo, in an act of disobedience, she went and married Curley, and left.

In conclusion, The American Dream left George lonely like he has never been with Lennie. Together, the two could have had anything, determination got in the way of that. Like mice, human kind has a tendency to chase after what is right in front of them, because it’s simply easier. Once the dream dust has settled, and we can see the truth, I think readers now know whether they want to continue working hard towards their dream, or start living in

Although the American Dream seems like a bright future with a great success, get rich, make money… the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity, nevertheless Lennie and George will experience times of trouble and poverty, where they will not be able to save up money and have a wealthy and prosperous life, because of the great economic depression that America was going through at that time, a moment in the history of the country where the job conditions were terrible. Lennie is a huge man of prodigious strength, but his intellectual capacity is significantly limited. George travels with Lennie and tries to look after him, both dreaming of finding a place they can own and live in.