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The Theme Of Traveling In Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Traveling, to go from one place to another, as by, car, train, foot, plane or ship. The novels, Travels With Charley and Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck share the theme of traveling. Steinbeck in Travels With Charley has his french poodle he travels across America with, and in Of Mice and Men Lenny has George by his side. These books share many similiarities. In Travels With Charley Steinbeck sets out to see the people of the world trying to pursue the American Dream and in Of Mice and Men the characters are stuck working towards the hopeless American Dream. Steinbeck received the Noble prize for his ability to write realistically and imaginative and his good social perception, and which these traits can be captured in Travels with …show more content…

Well, The American Dream is written into the Declaration of Independence: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” The American Dream is the belief of the American Society that each individual can, through hard work and strength of mind, achieve everything they have ever wanted( ). Lennie and George’s dream of owning a farm and living off the “fatta the lan” symbolizes this dream. Many of the characters in Of Mice and Men are wanting a different life that represents the American Dream. For example, George and Lennie’s American Dream is owning their farm and being their own boss and not having to listen to anyone else. Having this constant thought in mind George and Lenny always work as hard as they can and to save up their money without spending much on their own selfs. Curley's wife is affected by the American Dream before she dies because of her belief that she could be an actress. Even Crooks allows himself the nice fantasy of hoeing a patch of garden on Lennie’s farm one day, and Candy latches on desperately to George’s vision of owning a couple of acres. Crooks is motivated by his own American Dream, which ends up being one of inclusion and companionship. Before the action of the story begins, circumstances have robbed most of the characters of these wishes. Curley’s wife, for instance, has resigned herself to an unfulfilling marriage. Their journey, which awakens George to the impossibility of this dream, sadly proves that the bitter Crooks is right: such paradises of freedom, contentment, and safety are not to be found in this world (Kannan). Not only does Of Mice and Men relate to the American Dream but so does Travels With Charley. In Travels With Charley Steinbeck sets out on his journey and realizes so many people in the real world are trying to achieve the American Dream. He finds a whole new breed of modern people who were pursuing their own version of the American dream – to live free from the world of

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