The Importance Of Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Have you ever had a dream that you have been really committed to? Has something or someone ever stopped you short of that or any dream of yours? These questions are quite relevant to the main characters in the selections Of Mice and Men and “Only Daughter”. Of Mice and Men is a well-known story by John Steinbeck that tells the tale of two travel companions, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they dream and work hard to gain a small piece of land for themselves during The Great Depression, a harsh financial time. “Only Daughter” is an autobiographical essay by Sandra Cisneros about her struggles on trying to bond with her father while being impeded by her six brothers. The two selections’ main dreams are both corresponding and distinct in various ways. The dreams are also very substantial to the one who holds it. George and Lennie’s dream, in Of Mice and Men, influenced their lifestyle, behavior, and relationship between them. Sandra Cisneros’s dream, from “Only Daughter”, had an impact on the topic of her writing, her writing style, and her relationship with her father, who she has been trying to gain the approval for her writing career for many years.

A Dream can be defined in as an ideal. The American dream is to be

gives a damn about us…. An' why? Because I got you to look after me,

An anonymous quote is that “Dreaming is humanity’s only defense against an indifferent world” (Of Mice and Men (Themes) 1). George’s and Lennie’s dream was to own a farm, to have rabbits, to be their own boss, and as Lennie would say to “live off the fatta tha lan” (Owens 145). A central metaphor in Steinbeck’s work is that America is represented as an imperfect world, a Garden of Eden (Hadella 34). George’s and Lennie’s dream of a little farm is a vision of Eden that has been recognized as an important part of the American dream theme in Of Mice and Men. Their dream is a vision of Eden in that they are sons of Cain (Owens 145). The dream of George and Lennie represents a desire to defy the curse of Cain and fallen man to break the pattern of wandering and loneliness imposed on the outcasts and to return to the perfect garden (146). The California valley setting dictates that the stories “will take place in a fallen world and that the quest for the illusive and illusory Eden will be of central thematic significance” (Hadella 34). But according to Owens, “The good life is impossible because humanity is flawed” (146). The land hunger of impoverished farm worker, a dream of independence, usually remains a dream; and when it becomes a real plan, the plan is defeated. This ties into where Steinbeck got the title for the novel which is from a line in Robert Burns’ poem (Van Kirk 1). “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” This means, “The

Dreams can have a strong, and lasting affect on people, in which can change their lives, and others lives forever. Dreams affected characters in Of Mice and Men by making Lennie strive to change his behavior, George to work hard and make important decisions, and also Candy to invest his life’s savings, and the rest of his life into the possibility of achieving their dreams. Having a dream changed the way Lennie behaved, or else he Would not have been able to tend the the rabbits if they had bought the ranch. At a point in the story, George said to Lennie “You get in trouble, you do bad things and I got to get you out. ”(SteinBeck 11)

In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie dream of owning their own farm and "An' live off the fatta the lan'," (Steinbeck 7). George and Lennie, however, are never able to achieve this

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe” (“ Dreams Quotes”). The saying in this quote is that one must dream ,but also believe that is what Lennie, George, and Crooks did. For Lennie, George, and Crooks their dreams were harder to reach. Dreams affect the characters of of Mice and Men through Lennie causing trouble, George choosing to care for Lennie, and Crooks being limited by being African American.

Dreams are a fundamental part of the novela Of Mice and Men. Dreams motivate characters and help them develop throughout the story. Crooks is not necessarily a huge part in the story; however, his dreams help Lennie and George develop theirs and make them possible. Crooks, being the only black man on the farm, often felt alienated by the others and wanted to integrate with the other men. A great example of Crooks expressing his frustration was when he said “They play cards in there, but I can't play because I’m black”(68).This scene within the Crooks’ living space showed the reader Crooks’ distaste for the men because they excluded him. When Crooks heard about George and Lennie’s dream, he thought that a farm would his only chance to escape

The associable characters and universal themes help many people in different situations to be able to relate the story with today's society. Of Mice and Men has the power to captivate the readers' minds with its timeless qualities: pursuit of the American dream, prejudice, and friendship. Just as George and Lennie dream of "‘[living] offa the fatta the lan'" (Steinbeck 57) for the security of a home and for freedom, people today strive for a family, a job, fame, and opulence. For example, many immigrants who have a difficult time in their homelands try to come to America, a land of promise, to fulfill their American dream. However, similar to Lennie and George, some immigrants fail to realize the reality of the land of opportunity. Additionally,

When you dream really big and fall up short, how do you feel? Does the question ever nag at you, is it really worth it to dream? I do not think dreams are worth it because they distract a person from pursuing achievable goals, they can leave one feeling empty and depressed, and most of the time dreams are extremely big, sometimes unachievable, and misleading. In class, we have read many John Steinbeck novels.

In John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men, the theme of the American Dream’s destruction resonates throughout the novel within the 1930s Great Depression Era of the United States setting. The idea of the futility of the American Dream is put into heavy focus as the author explores the theme through the character Lennie Small and his contribution to the figurative fall of man’s ambitions. Steinbeck utilizes Lennie’s flaws to illustrate the ultimate flaws of the American Dream. The character is innocent yet destructive, two failings on which the premise of the American Dream is suggested to be built upon due to its fragile nature deriving from its unharmonious components. The novella focuses upon the construction and the development

Of Mice and Men Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows that this is not always true. This novel talks about how three friends had found what they had in common and which was their dreams. When they finally had the opportunity of making it become true, Lennie caused trouble for them. Because of the trouble they got into, they couldn’t attain their dreams.

Vast numbers of characters which their dreams were expressed in the novel each have their own unique and exuberant visions of their future. All of their hopes and imagination have motivated them to keep on working on their dreams a complete. If this hard work is not included into achieving this dream, it is likely the dream that you image will not succeed or be accomplished. Unfortunately, for Lennie,Crooks,and Candy their wishes of the future has been squash by reality even though they put their best effort to achieve theses goals but the harsh reality thought otherwise. But that does not mean that we have to stop trying our best to achieve something.It is better to try than not trying at all if you don't even try you might not know your

Why dreams are important in people's everyday lives “Nothing happens unless we first dream” (Carl Sandburg). Dreams don’t become real, until we first believe in them, and actually try to reach them. This idea of dreams, and trying to reach them, is explored in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. This novella is about two guys, Lennie and George, who have a dream of living on a ranch, and they meet new people at their job who want to join in on this dream. They all join together and strive to make their dream become a reality.

Arthur Golden once said, “This is why dreams can be such dangerous things: they smolder on like a fire does, and sometimes they consume us completely”. Having dreams for the future can be one of the greatest forms of motivation for one to work their hardest, however; it is easy for one to fall victim to the cycle of impossible dreams in which he or she will be left with anger stemming from the resulting devastation. Seemingly pessimistic, this is a side of dreams not often dealt with for it is not a joyful view, though, it is a reality that must be faced. John Steinbeck understands and conveys this as he says, {The writer} is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement”. He alike, believes the faults of humanity must be exposed so society can improve, therefore, the danger of dreams must be brought to the surface. Steinbeck carries out this idea and duty he believes a writer takes on within his writing. In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses tone to shed light upon the subject of dark, dangerous dreams and their consequences as characters place absolute trust and reliance upon their aspirations.