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The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Decent Essays

The American Dream, the ultimate ideal of gaining a higher social class and becoming someone significant, is a goal Americans have strived for since the birth of the country. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men displays the sinister nature of this goal through a multitude of the characters’ desperate attempts to achieve their dreams. Set during the Great Depression, this novella follows George and Lennie, two migrant workers, in their endeavour to fulfill their lifelong dream of owning their own property and “[living] off the fatta the land” (Steinbeck 242). The two men get jobs at a ranch in California in order to earn enough money to live their dream, but face several struggles, mainly Lennie’s disabilities. In the end of the story, George kills Lennie and, in doing so, kills their dream portraying the eventual failure of the American Dream. Through the struggles of George, Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, John Steinbeck portrays how the American Dream destroys their lives and their hope for their futures.
George and Lennie not only travel together; they also share a dream together. George and Lennie dream of having “a little house and a couple of acres [of land and] a cow and some pigs and...have rabbits” (Steinbeck 242). However, Lennie’s mental impairment impedes on their success several times. Time and time again, Lennie makes incidents at all their jobs, forcing him and George to flee in search of another job. Due to their constant wandering, they are unable

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