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

875 Words2 Pages

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related

  • Child's Dream In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    Everyone dreams about something. However, it is important to know when the right time to dream is, and when to wake up. A major theme that Steinbeck conveys in the book Of Mice and Men is the pursuit of the American Dream. The book tells the story of two men trying to earn a better life. Their American Dream was to get their own place somewhere and live together. Although, through the characterization of Lennie, the symbolism of rabbits, and the setting of the book, Steinbeck is trying to convey that people cannot continue to live in a dream.

    Read More

  • Obstacles In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme that John Steinbeck amits from the novel Of Mice and Men is not everyone’s american dream can come true because one wants it to. This alludes to a famous poem by Robert Burns called “To a Mouse”. The theme of this poem is the greatest schemes of mice and men often go astray. Meaning that things do not always go as one plans it to. The novel is set in the Great Depression (1929-1939) in Southern California (near Soledad). Characters in the novel such as George and Crooks have obstacles that hold them back from achieving their own american dreams. George is held back from his by having to care of Lennie, who cannot take care of himself. Crooks is held back from his american dream because of his skin color.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    To paraphrase Robert Burns-"The best laid plans of mice and men go awry". This is a bleak statement and it is at the centre of the novel's action. George and Lennie have the dream of owning their own ranch and living a free independent life; they would be self-reliant and most of all they would be safe from a harsh and hostile world. Other characters in the book also try to buy into their dream ie, Candy and Crooks. Ultimately, the dream unravels and like a Greek Tragedy, the ending is terrible but also predictable.

    Read More

  • Handicaps, Hardships, and Friendships in Of Mice and Men

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream is a dream that everyone imagines to be picture perfect. The American Dream means having freedom, equality and opportunity’s to achieve the dream that you conceptualize to be right by you. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck did not want to just illustrate the American dream as being easy, but he wanted to point out the American Dream as being difficult too. Steinbeck made a work of art by composing a great novel to make the reader understand that life can be difficult and at times dreams are hard to achieve. Of Mice and Men was written and based on the settings of the Great Depression (Anderson). The Great Depression was a very dire time that left multiple of people despondent and the unavailing to move on with their lives. The Great Depression created a world where everyone had to seek and survive for themselves. In the novel Steinbeck wanted to explore and point out how powerless people where during the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck purposely incorporated his characters to depict the life struggle of what people go through during grim times. In the novel, Steinbeck illustrated a great set of characters Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck discusses handicaps, hardships, and friendships of the characters.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men American Dream Theme

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Of Mice and Men, one of the main themes is the idea of the American dream. This is one of the more important themes in the book because it plays such a big role in how each character pursues life, and their dreams show a different side of who they are and what they want from life. Many of the characters talk about what their version of the American dream is. Curley’s wife talks about how she wanted to be a movie star. Candy and George both want to own their own land.

    Read More

  • Dreaming the Dream in The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream has long been thought the pinnacle idea of American society. The idea that anyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, or financial status, could rise from the depths and become anything they wanted to be with no more than hard work and determination has attracted people from all around the world. Two writers from America’s past, however, have a different opinion on the once-great American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck have given the public their beliefs on the modern Dream through the novels they have written, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men, respectively. One novel placed during the Great Depression and the other during the Roaring Twenties both illustrate how their author feels about the Dream itself through the use of many literary devices. While both novels have main characters with hopes for something better, all the characters seem to fall into the same plagued pit. Through depravity and decadence, the American Dream seems to have become exactly what its name implies: A dream, not a reality.

    Read More

  • American Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every person has an American dream, no matter how big or small, everyone has one. Their dreams however, vary from person to person, based on past experiences. While some people will chose to try to own a small farm in California, others will want to go to Hollywood and become an actress. Though American dreams are commonly found in living people they are also able to be within fictional characters as well; such as in Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Only American dreams can go astray due to problems that were not foreseen. In Of Mice and y Men, Lennie was the unforeseen problem with George, Candy, and his American dream because of his ableism. His mental ableism made him love to touch soft things such as hair, even though he could end

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    2965 Words  | 6 Pages

    Of Mice and Men is a story set during the 1930's America, this was a

    Read More

  • Essay On The American Dream In Of Mice And Men

    1402 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book shows how different characters are striving for their version of the American Dream and have natural obstacles in their way that they have to overcome to achieve their dreams. Three main characters that have American Dreams, but do not achieve them do to obstacles are Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Candy. All three of these characters worked super hard and did their best, but sometimes the best dreams lead to

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men Theme Essay

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    The theme in the book “Of Mice and Men” is “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them”. Steinbeck shows us this throughout the story of George and Lennie dreaming and how they pursue them. The story shows how some characters have dreams that they look forward to in the long days on the ranch. Dreams have the power to change lives and give hope.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in John Steinbeck's Essay, America and Americans

    357 Words  | 1 Pages

    John Steinbeck, in his essay America and Americans, uses many contradictions to explain his views on the American Dream. I have witnessed and experienced many of these contradictions in my life. Through my experiences, I have learned to believe that the American dream is no more than just a dream.

    Read More

  • John Steinbeck’s View on the American Dream

    682 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main characters in the novel, Lennie and George, dreamt of owning their own farm where Lennie can tend to the rabbits. Steinbeck uses these characters dream as an example of a quixotic dream being deferred. To explain, when Lennie and George are sitting by the river imagining their future farm, George illustrates “OK. Someday- 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 and-...’ ‘...An live on the fatta the lan,” (Steinbeck 14). George and Lennie shared a dream that was not real and could not be achieved because the things holding them back in that time era. For example, the depression made it hard for people to find a job because many people were poor and didn’t need workers like Lennie and George. The two men were migrant workers who received a combined salary of one hundred dollars a month which is not nearly enough to buy land. Instead of being realistic, which would mean they would just keep trying to find regular jobs at ranches, Lennie and George kept hanging on to the dream even though it is preposterous. This dream that they have is very impractical for someone in their line of work, especially during the Depression. In addition, when George a...

    Read More

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

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Steinbeck is a famous american author. He wrote many books that take place in the salinas river valley during the great depression. His most famous book Of Mice and Men he talks about the failure of the American Dream. John Steinbeck uses George, Candy, and Curley's Wife to show the failure of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

    561 Words  | 2 Pages

    In October of 1929, our nation’s stock market crashed creating total chaos in our economy. Millions of U.S. citizens were left jobless and were forced to migrate into larger cities with greater opportunities. In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the main characters, George and Lennie, want to gather enough money to live out their image of the American Dream. A major theme, or message the author wants to convey to the reader, in this novel is the reality that the American Dream is achievable. In this novel, Steinbeck uses several literary devices, most importantly symbolism and foreshadowing to establish this theme by creating suspense and an emotional attachment to the characters.

    Read More

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

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, the set of ideals (Democracy, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, and Equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.” This is what Wikipedia says about the American dream. John Steinbeck´s novel “Of Mice and Men” from 1937, deals with the idea of this so called American dream. The two main characters work hard and are motivated by their “American dream”. Their dream of little farm where they can live just the two of them.

    Read More

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

Open Document