Symbolism In Of Mice And Men

Imagine if you had almost no money, only had 1 true friend, and one goal that you will do anything to achieve. That's the life of George and Lennie, two farm hands who are about to start working on a ranch in Salinas, California. It seemed like everything was going well for the two of them, or at least they thought it was. Steinbeck argues, throughout Of Mice and Men, that we as humans need to be able to comprehend the fact that the American dream is impossible, so when we fail at that, we won't fall as hard as we might if we had full faith in it, and he develops this stance using diction choices, imagery, and characterization.

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is proven to be an unobtainable commodity, as the attempt at living a fulfilling life by George and Lennie is mercilessly destroyed due to behavior derived from eccentricity and madness. Lennie’s eccentric behavior ceases George and Lennie’s dreams of buying their own farm and achieving the life they wanted and deserved. Lennie’s illogical actions, however, are not Lennie’s fault, as his mental handicaps, compounded by the unfavorable situations he is put in, are what induce Lennie to fail at succeeding in his goals. Although Lennie puts in an earnest effort in making his aspirations a reality, his coming up short resembles much of what the lower class experience when chasing their

In the novel, ‘Of mice and Men’, John Steinbeck uses allegory to represent different themes and messages. An allegory is a story, poem or a picture which can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning. While reading Steinbeck’s book I noticed different metaphors such as the usage of animals and Curley’s wife. Throughout the whole book the reader can notice many animals mentioned such as rabbits, mice, the puppy and the old dog. Curley’s wife is also a sort of symbol. She represents the way in which the women were treated and looked upon in those days. The animals and Curley’s wife all symbolize different things in life in the 1930’s USA. They all symbolize the hopes and the dreams that the characters share which motivates and drives them

Everyone has dreams, big and small. When one dreams, there is a scent of whimsical hope in the air mixed with the powerful drive for success to obtain their luminous goals. But, many times these luscious dreams end up in grief and pain instead of a promised joy due to the hurdles in life, such as the certain circumstances that society professes or the flaws in a person that restrains them from their aspirations. The writer, John Steinbeck, incorporates this ideology in his novella, Of Mice and Men by creating three pivotal characters. Lennie, Crooks, and George all have schemes that go wrong, and yet hope to illustrate their desires of fulfilling their American Dream and to be prosperous for their own independent purposes.

"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.

“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head.” In the book, “ Of Mice and Men ,” by John Steinbeck (13), the author uses so many symbols in his characters and in the background throughout the story. In the book, everything represents symbolism whether it is the characters or the setting of the time and place they are in. The time period in “ OF Mice and Men “ is around the 1930s during the Great Depression. The men and women in the story aren’t very educated by how they talk and pronounce words. The setting is in Salinas Valley, California which is located in Northern California just south of San Francisco.

Additionally, Of Mice and Men depicts the broken dream of the two protagonists, Lennie and George. The two men, whose dream is to own a farm of their own, despise working on ranches as George denotes in his statement, “For two bits I'd shove out of here. If we can get jus' a few dollars in the poke we'll shove off and go up the American River and pan gold. We can make maybe a couple of dollars a day there, and we might hit a pocket…We gotta stay” (Steinbeck 33). George fantasizes about leaving the ranch, but he knows that both he and Lennie will not be able to survive without a job. Candy, also a worker on the Californian farm, offers his life savings to Lennie and George so as to be included in their plan to buy a place of their own. This shows the dream of the workers, who hope to leave employment and have farms of their own. Now, the line “Nowhere else to go/ Work satisfies” further demonstrates that there is no other choice but to work and keep up a stake as that is the only way to survive. Any desire to give up work to lead an effortless lifestyle is disregarded, as many people of this time, the Great Depression, are realists. They understand that chasing a dream unrealistic of this time period is foolish and without a doubt will end badly.

One of the major themes in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is that having a dream spreads hope, friendship, and determination, which helps to strive onward in life.  Three major examples inside the novel show this idea.  The first example is Candy’s loss of his dog and following George and Lennie’s dream of owning land.  A second example is Crook’s memory of his father’s chicken ranch.  Anothert example is George's and Lennie’s dream of having their own place.  These three examples show the theme that having high aspirations breed hope, friendship, and determination, allowing one to strive onward with a sense of self-worth or importance.

“‘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, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof--...,’”(Steinbeck 14). Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is about George and Lennie’s story as they work on a farm during the Great Depression. Like a lot of people, characters in this book often think about the future. George and Lennie shared a dream of living on their own plot of land and having their very own rabbits.

Many people in today’s society believe that the perfect American dream is comprised of a house on a tree lined street and 2.5 children. People during the Great Depression era had similar dreams, however most of them never came true. The novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two vagrants named George and Lennie, based in the 1930’s. The boys travel from town to town in search for work and ultimately, circumstances lead to Lennie’s death. The characters in the novel all have dreams, many of which come to sad ends. Curley’s wife, did not marry her husband for his looks and love, but instead to try and accomplish her dream of fame, instead she was branded as property and her dreams were never fulfilled. The dead worker, Lennie, dreams of working on the farm with his friend George, his life ending too soon before his dream took flight. Finally, an old man by the name of Candy, dreams of not dying alone, hopes to be with his friends at the time of his passing. Sadly, his dream also, ended. This fact does not only stain the era of the Great Depression, but also for today’s times, for many people’s dreams will never come true. For Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men characters, the American dream is unattainable.

One of the major themes in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men is that having a dream spreads hope, friendship, and determination, which helps to strive onward in life. Three major examples inside the novel show this idea. The first example is Candy’s loss of his dog and following George and Lennie’s dream of owning land. A second example is Crook’s memory of his father’s chicken ranch. Anothert example is George's and Lennie’s dream of having their own place. These three examples show the theme that having high aspirations breed hope, friendship, and determination, allowing one to strive onward with a sense of self-worth or importance.

John Steinbeck’s novella ‘Of Mice and Men’, explores the idea of the American Dream through characterisation, setting and symbolism. Steinbeck’s characterisation of Lennie and George, highlights the idea of the American Dream through their open dialogue. Furthermore, the setting of the remote ranch in California, allows the idea of the American Dream to be thoroughly illustrated. Additionally, the dream farm that Lennie and George aspire to own, proposes the idea of the American Dream through symbolism. Thence, the author John Steinbeck uses literary techniques to explore the prominent ideas of the American Dream.

The American Dream, is the wish to prosper. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men told during the time of hard labor in the 1930’s about two close friends, who are all each other have, but are chasing this American dream, George and Lennie deal with several obstacles and road blocks with each other. Whether it be, hiding Lennie’s mental illness, or trying to keep a job to fulfill their version of the American dream, George will always carry Lennie in his heart, and Lennie tries his hardest to please George. Through characterization and foreshadowing readers learn about the deeper meaning and theme to the novella of the American Dream. Although some may say that George and Lennie are only externally flawed, by reading deeper, you can

During the Great Depression, many people relied on their dreams to keep them going through hard times. More than half of men in the U.S. did not have enough money to support their families. Similarly, in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, George Milton struggles to support himself and his companion, Lennie Small. In Steinbeck’s novel, George Milton and Lennie Small labor on farms to earn money for “a place of their own” with “colorful rabbits.” This dream keeps George and Lennie focused on a future happiness, despite society’s cruel rejection of Lennie.

The American Dream is the idea of the United States having an endless opportunity for anyone, regardless of their past, race, beliefs, and their economic life now. In the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, each character was driven to something that they enjoyed or wanted; something they had to work hard for and strive to have it. In the book, many of these objectives were connected to achieve The American Dream. Lennie and George's American Dream is to pursue their ideal life by owning their own ranch, Candy’s dream is to help Lennie and George buy their ranch and become apart of their little group, and Curley’s wife was dedicated to become an actress and live the “big life” in Hollywood. In conclusion, Lennie and George