The Importance of the American Dream to John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Propaganda filters throughout the world to lean people’s views one way or another. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, he uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife to demonstrate the American Dream. This is unattainable but is their motivation to carry on their daily on the ranch lives. George and Lennie’s actions revolve around their American Dream. In a conversation between George and Lennie they discuss their dream, George states “... We’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres, an’ a cow and some pigs” (Steinbeck, 14). George says this to Lennie to motivate him to keep quiet and out of trouble so they can eventually reach these dreams. The American Dream can be defined as people

It is the natural inclination of all men and women to dream. In John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men,” the American dream is sought after by many different characters. However, the main theme in the story is how these dreams are unattainable, and how because of the Great Depression, all American dreams were dead. But what is the American dream? A unitary definition does not exist, however, the meaning of living the American dream is something that differs for everyone. For some people, the American dream might be acceptance and equality. On the other hand, for others, it might mean fame and fortune. In the short story called “Of Mice and Men” the American dream seems unreachable for a number of characters, such as George, Lennie,

In the novella Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, the struggle to achieve the American Dream; sucess, happiness and ownership of land weaves into the life of Crooks, an African American, disabled character who labors in the rural Californian ranch environment of the 1930’s. Throughout the story, Crooks struggles with the constant physical pain from his back, and emotional pain from the prevailing racism of this time period that isolates him from others. Due to his disability and race, Crooks is lonely, isolated and depressed, making it nearly impossible for him to achieve his dream.

A twenty-five percent unemployment rate. People desperate for lodging and food. Families stretching every penny to support themselves. Government trying to solve these problems through reforms and programs. This is what the world in the 1930s was like for Lennie and George, two migrant workers traveling across California, earnestly trying to achieve the American Dream. Even though these dreams seem impossible to accomplish, during the Great Depression a dream was a reason to get out of bed.

If there was a favorable circumstance under which one could endeavour all their hopes and visions, wouldn’t one pursue it? The American Dream was introduced as an interpretation to cause the people of America in the early twentieth century to work tougher. The American Dream is the opportunity to reach the goals one sets for themselves. It is about having your dream job and life one has always fantasized about. The dream is also about having freedom and equality. In the novel, “Of Mice & Men”, John Steinbeck uses symbols and motifs such as the vicious slaughtering of virtuous animals, Crooks’ rubbish bunkhouse and Lennie and George’s deception of an ideal farm to exhibit the perception that materialistic success results in happiness is a major flaw in our thinking about the American dream, and it is this thinking which makes the dream unattainable for many.

details. One example of this is in the beginning of the story. In the play,

The most important dream in this novel is that of the two main characters Lennie and George. They

For years upon years, we have heard the concept of an “American Dream” repeatedly. In school, at home, and there’s probably several who have mused about it on their own during their time by themselves. It seems that, also, several have concluded that the Dream is dead: gone, disappeared, poof into thin air. Some argue that it’s nothing but a pack of lies our predecessors were fed to believe that perhaps America had a better future lingering just around the corner, or that it’s changed much from what it was ‘back in the day’. The American Dream has remained unchanged since the Great Depression, but the nation we are today may slowly be killing it. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the Dream is to have that equal opportunity for success, the same as in Bobby Jindal’s and Ellen Powell’s articles, but it seems that inequality may be killing the American Dream.

“The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive, and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.” Through this quote,Tommy Hilfiger expresses the fact that the commitment, determination, and actions necessary in order to achieve one’s dream are

It also played a vital part in the moral of Mice and Men. The two of

Motivation is the will to do something. Life has many different levels of motivation; achieving something, attempting to achieve something, and not trying it achieve something. Motivation can be applied to the American Dream. In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the levels of motivation are clearly evident, this affects the process of how the characters achieve their dreams. Of Mice and Men is a story of two migrant workers, how they deal with their American Dream, and the troubles of working on a ranch during The Great Depression. The Characters of Of Mice and Men are going through these levels of motivation and achievement. Through the Characters George and Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks the stable buck, Steinbeck

The novel, 'Of Mice and Men' written by John Steinbeck refers back to The American Dream as 'heaven'. Steinbeck is trying to point out that the American Dream is unrealistic. This novel looks back at the dreams of American individuals in the 1930's. It is set in California at the time of the Great Depression during which the American stock market collapsed leaving the nation in a state of economical disarray.

As a result certain character had Americaine dream that they wanted to achieve from wanting to be a movie star and be in the big pictures in hollywood, curley’s wife didn’t fulfill her dream because she married a ranch worker so she had no choice, Lennie also wanting to tend rabbits so badly that if he got in trouble he would be sad and think that George wouldn’t let him tend the rabbits anymore and George and Lennie’s dream of owning their own ranch that dream might be hard to achieve after the death of Lennie. The author of mice men tells us the American dream of certain characters in the novel to achieve their own dream. Steinbeck shows in the novel that even if you dream about the American dream you're not going to achieve it. In conclusion

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is not attainable for everyone, which is conveyed by Curley’s wife, Candy, and George. First, one example of a character who was unable to achieve their dream is Curley’s wife. She tells Lennie, “I don’t like Curley” and she explains to him that she “Coulda’ been in the movies and had nice clothes…” (Steinbeck 89). This implies that Curley’s wife wanted to be an actress, and had an opportunity, but ended up losing it, leaving her to settle with Curley and become a wife. This has left her feeling lonely and isolated on the ranch. Next, another character who lost their ability to achieve their American Dream was Candy. Candy says, “S’pose I went with you guys. Tha’s three hundred bucks I’d

When we try to chase our dreams, we end up in our own diminutive lonely world. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, has taught readers that the American dream can only ever be accomplished through hard work and determination. More times than others, we are distracted by the dream itself, and don’t chase the reality, which can then lead to high expectations, and without hard determination, that can then failure. In the end, we have been lonely for so long, chasing a dream, that when reality hits us, we become isolated and lonely. For George and Lennie, they have each other, until the American dream seemed too hard to chase.