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

The American Dream in the novel Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is an unattainable ideal having influence on the theme throughout the novel. In Of Mice and Men, two males named, Lennie and George, began working at a ranch during the Great Depression in order to make ends meet. The theme of the American Dream is found throughout the book, because practically all characters at one time or another wish for another life, better than their own. This leads each of them to their demise. Blinded by what is unattainable, each character uses their aspirations as a source of hope but their ambitions lead them to face corruption and cruelties throughout the novel. In this case, the American Dream leads to death, loss, and hopelessness. The American Dream is portrayed through the character: Lennie, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy. These characters were hopeless, encountered loss, and even through all of this maintained hope. The American Dream, in this novel, is a forlorned delusion that is only present in fairytales. Lennie’s dream is perhaps the most influential in the novel. Working to make ends meet and increase funding for the farm, Lennie’s goal throughout the plot is the rabbit farm. This idea of owning his

The depressing nature allows the theme of the American Dream to be portrayed through: hopelessness, loss, and even hope. Hope that one day Lennie will own a rabbit farm, Curley's wife will act in movies, and Crook’s and Candy will belong somewhere and take part in the farm. The sense of worth and security that would come along with these lost dreams is innumerable. So although the American Dream may be lost in this novel, one can hope that with the thousands of other people trying daily that someday, one person with a dream as inconsequential as a rabbit farm, will have that ability to make that possible in the land of the