Rewards In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The author continually exemplifies the negative effects of dreams and hopes, specifically the “American Dream” throughout the book. This dream can also be explained by an individual overcoming all obstacles and beating all odds to one day be successful. However, in the setting of Of Mice and Men, it interprets more commonly in relation to owning land, leading a better and richer life, and living an independent lifestyle. Steinbeck uses Of Mice and Men to show how although the

can knuckle down, work hard, keep a positive frame of mind and try earnestly to

Crooks, the African American stable hand of the Tyler ranch, was discriminated for his skin color and could not imagine his dreams would ever to come true because of it. Crooks grew up on his father’s ranch with his brothers and they were happy. He worked hard for his American Dream of eventually living off the ‘fat of the land’ with George and Lennie. Crooks' home is, a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn “This suggests that he is isolated from the other men and treated like the animals he cares for and as such is made to live with them” (“Effects of Segregation and Racism in Of Mice and Men Chapter 4”). He came to the quick realization that it is impossible to go along with George and Lennie and he does not see any dream with white men possible.

I believe that Crooks is most similar to Candy as in the social hierarchy of the ranch, both suffer from a disability that places them in the lowest rank. As mentioned, Crooks is lonely and isolated from the others due to the colour of his skin, yet Candy is lonely because he’s not as abled as the other workers. Because he is handicapped, he cannot do the work that the other men do, so when they go off to do work, Candy is left behind. The theme of loneliness is conveyed throughout the novel. Steinbeck also portrays loneliness through characterisation. He uses sexism, racism and ageism to get his message across. When George talks to Candy and his antiquated dog, Candy states to the inarticulate George:

He yearns to be seen as an equal to everyone else, wishes to be self-sufficient, to have a companion, and to be able to live a life of his own choosing. This dream is significant to Crooks since it provides him with a feeling of confidence, self- dignity, and pride that was not so often appreciated during the time when he was feeling lonely. To be specific, in Chapter Four, when he is conversing with Lennie and Candy about the dream farm that Lennie frequently speaks about, Crooks promises to work for nothing as long as he can live his life out there without the fear of being put out (Steinbeck). Perhaps, with the help of Lennie and the others, it could have been a true reality to be free and successful. But, the undeniable circumstances, such as the discrimination Crooks faced, would not have gotten him very far as he would have liked to. To illustrate, Crooks is “put in his place” by Curley’s wife, when he voices out his feelings, causing him to lose his pride and hope to be seen as an equal to the other white men at the ranch. Due to the prejudice Crooks faces because of his race, the overpowering circumstance dooms his desires to be independent and equal. After all, he wishes to acquire the perfect American Dream. But, there is no security for anyone in a prejudiced world, least of all a black stable hand with a crooked back. Hence, the cruel and unequal circumstances Crooks encounters in Of Mice And Men restricts him from fulfilling his dreams and

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.

For example, Candy, the older, one-armed, ex-worker who is now a permanent resident, bound to the ranch, offers to pitch in his savings in exchange for living with George and Lennie on the hypothetical farm that has kept the two friends together. Crooks, the pessimistic stable hand, previously made a comment on how the dream farm could never be a reality. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, … an' that same damn thing in their heads… They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it." (ADD CROOKS HERE) Candy and Crooks are both isolated, Candy because of his disability, and possibly his age, Crooks because of his race. However, Candy welcomes the idea of sharing a farm with Lennie and George, while Crooks sees the dream farm as an unrealistic ideal to help the workers cope with their current situation. Looking back, Crook’s statement foreshadows the events that take place later on. When Lennie is killed, the illusion of paradise, the farm’s possibility, dies too. Nothing truly separates Lennie and George from other migrant workers with heads full of dreams except for the seed of hope planted by Candy in their minds, and simultaneously, the reader’s mind. Candy, the optimist, made the farm seem close, and very possible. According to Jill Karson, in his article “The Need For Commitment”, he states: “...Steinbeck allows for no serious hope that George and Lennie will ever achieve their dream farm”(30-31). However, the statement is easily disproven because of the optimistic nature of Candy, and the money he offers, almost upfront (PUT PART OF TEXT WHERE CANDY OFFERS MONEY) throughout the novel. Candy, who has been bound to the ranch, finally has an opportunity to leave. His personality switches from a dull, filler character to a key part of

Because Crooks is black he is seen as having less worth than the white ranch hands, because of this he is excluded from the rest of the ranch hands and seen as an outcast. Because he was injured he and his ability to work was lessend he cant work as hard ans the other ranch hands. Crooks always seems like he is angry at every one when he is realy just lonely and wanting to be friends with the other ranch hands. Crooks, Lennie and Candy end up getting to know each other more and helping each others lonelyness.

In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, people are portrayed to not work hard enough to achieve long-term goals or dreams that they have set for themselves. This idea is shown multiple times throughout the story. It starts with Lennie and George wanting to purchase their own farm, to do this they will need to make enough money to get the farm started. They show no effort to make progress on this dream of theirs, they spend all the money they make on women and beer. Lennie’s dream is to tend to and take care of the rabbits on the farm they hope to one day own, his problem is that he has a problem with animals. When Lennie pets an animal he usually ends up killing it, and he makes no effort to show a little more care for the poor

In the book Of Mice and Men the main characters all experience the struggle of trying to achieve their personal version of absolute happiness. George and Lennie share a dream of having their own farm. The farm symbolizes ultimate happiness to them. They are bonded together with a common goal and it gives them a sense of community. The road to ultimate happiness is one of struggle and perseverance. George and Lennie view having their own farm as freedom to do what they want as displayed in the below quote from the book.

Aspirations of success often drive individuals toward success. However if one only focuses on their dreams and not on working to achieve their goals, they will not be successful. Charles Dickens and John Steinbeck in their respective novels Great Expectations and Of Mice and Men, use their main characters failures in manifesting their aspirations to warn about the dangers of aspiring about the future and not focusing on success in the present.

Crooks is the only black man on the ranch, and is often discriminated against by all the other workers at the ranch. He is usually excluded from many activities that all the other men participate in, and is ignored by most of the workers. “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house…cause I’m black…” This quote shows how the other men who work at the ranch reject and isolate Crooks, and how he is forced to have his own bunk house, since he isn’t allowed to reside in the same bunk house as the other workers. Crooks leads a harsh, lonely life, only because the

Michael Jackson once said, “We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment.” Michael Jackson postulates how our hatred for each other--which is derived from competition to survive--makes a hostile environment. Naturalism is a theory that states that an organism’s survival is based on competition, which can eliminate those with detrimental or unappealing traits. The novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck conveys the idea that competition causes a society to become prejudiced, merciless, and alienated.

but you won't get no land. You'll be a swamper here till they take you

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is set during the Great Depression, whereas the American Dream is a crucial belief that is a part of the itinerant workers’ life. As itinerant workers, people worked from ranch to ranch, hoping to achieve their dream. Besides the hard work, the author Steinbeck reveals the tragic death of Lennie at the end of the story. A number of characters like George, Lennie, Curley and Curley’s wife are all responsible for the death of Lennie at the end of the story, however, George, Lennie himself and Curley’s wife are the most culpable.