preview

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

Decent Essays

George Milton is one of the many unique characters in, Of Mice and Men. For the duration of the story, George Milton is accompanied by his eccentric yet slow friend, Lennie Small. George and Lennie go from ranch to ranch, looking for work; however, they lose every job they get, due to Lennie’s disabilities. Throughout the novella, John Steinbeck uses George to represent the unattainability of the American Dream, also using him to symbolize the nature of humanity, and to make parallels to religion.
John Steinbeck tries to convey that attempting to dream in a crooked society, especially during the Great Depression, will be nothing else but what they are, dreams. The spirit of the “American Dream,” is the belief that every US citizen, through hard work, can achieve anything. Although this ideology seems like the opportunity of a lifetime, reaching for goals in a society of exploitation will only lead to broken dreams. In the backwards society in Of Mice and Men, the reality of the “American Dream,” is completely different than what it portrays. The truth is, the poor only get poorer, and the rich only get richer through the labor of the poor; as a result, George and Lennie dream big, but living in a culture of inequity, leads their dreams to nothing but pain and suffering. For instance, George has to kill Lennie. Whenever George tells Lennie about their plans to “get the little place an’ live off the fatta the lan’ –an tend the rabbits (Chapter 3; Page 56)” it is as if George

Get Access