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

As the country built on values of independence, freedom, and Christianity, America conveys the possibility to achieve anything, a land of opportunity. Throughout its recent history, America’s inhabitants adopted this concept, and dreamed the American Dream. However, many Modernist authors, such as John Steinbeck, questioned the reality of the American Dream. A life where a man born at the bottom can work hard enough to make it to the top? A land where anyone can achieve anything? When the Great Depression hit America, many people needed something to cling to, and that was the American Dream, and their religion. Steinbeck cleverly weaves these two concepts into his novel, Of Mice and Men, to illustrate his idea about the ignorance of Americans

and the truth of their opportunity, leading readers to question the reality of the American Dream amongst the flaws of mankind. Through the symbolic significance of the biblical story of The Fall, Steinbeck suggests that Americans may naturally hope for the American Dream, but lack the qualities and opportunities to achieve that aspiration.

Many Americans during the Great Depression needed to believe in something greater. They began to believe in the American Dream. Steinbeck develops characters and situations that exemplify the ideal American Dream through biblical allusions. One of the symbolic characters, Slim the jerkline skinner, receives respect from the moment he walks into the bunk house. He emits a strong air of nobility and power, moving with “majesty,” and as the the jerkline skinner possessing the title “prince of the ranch” (33).The unparalleled awe and pure honor that the other men show to Slim prove that they look up to him as a their goal. Even amongst their complaining and chatter, “all talk stopped when he spoke” because they highly valued his opinions and comments. Repeatedly, the men wait to make a decision to check with Slim. To the men, Slim plays the role of their moral compass. Not just one to talk, he also gains esteem because he “heard more than what was said to him” and his speech conveyed his “understanding beyond thought” (33). These impossible characteristics allude to the concept of Slim as a God-like character. He understands and hears more profoundly than others and his “authority was so

great, his word was taken on any subject” (33), all similar to an omniscient and respected God. In addition, the infinite nature of God compares to Slim’s “ageless” (33) appearance, furthering the idea that Slim represents God. Perfect and all-powerful as God, he also represents the idealistic portrayal of the American hero as the expectations of the American hero overlapped with expectations of a god-like character. His ageless face illustrates the ageless American concept of a hero who epitomizes strength, power, and moral standards. Physically described as a “tall man” (33) with “large and lean” hands, Slim exudes masculinity, a quality much desired during the time period, yet also behaves “gently” and “kindly” (34). Throughout the book, not a single negatively connotated word describes Slim, an unobtainable flawlessness that American men attempted to reach. Slim only appears to epitomize the American Dream because of his god-like characterization, implying that the impossibility of American Dream for mortal men. George and Lennie also attempt to reach something nearly unobtainable. Lennie frequently begs George to retell their shared aspiration for their future. In their dream they “live off the fatta the lan’” (15) the same way that Adam and Eve lived in Eden, totally independently from a society or community. The Garden of Eden provided all the needs for easy living, so that the first occupants never worried about anything. A perfect environment allowed for a worry-free existence, the existence Adam and Eve lived in the Garden, and the life Lennie and George dream about living. Several times throughout the novel George and Lennie describe this goal to which they cling. However, in all their explanations of their hope of a farm, they never mention any of the work it takes. George wants to “jus’ live there” and “belong there” and “there wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round” (56). On a farm as large as the one they dream up, they ignore about the work required to keep it up. In comparison, the Garden of Eden never required any work either, Adam and Eve never needed to lift a finger. They lived in innocence and bliss, just like Lennie and George , who spend all their time in an unlikely fantasy. In mentioning that they just wanted to belong, they reference the American Dream in the idea that they want to possess things. The American Dream held a lot of value as the faith that it allowed people to take control of their own lives and live according to themselves and behave as their true selves, despite the way they feel like misfits. As many Americans spent time believing in a future of opportunity that never came to fruition, Lennie and George spent many days planning their perfect life, which never occurred because of Lennie’s mistake. Just as Adam and Eve fell from Eden, Lennie causes a fall from the possibility of their dream life, furthering the concept that the American Dream hardly ever became a reality.
Steinbeck conveys the idea that the folly of man causes the impossibility of both Eden and the American Dream. Temptation, sin, and immediate gratification all pull at humanity’s natural instincts. Mankind psychologically must balance their instinctual needs and the logistical sensibility of an action. George frequently references Lennie as mentally simpler and more ignorant than himself. Lennie got in trouble in their last location because he grabbed a girl’s dress and she claimed he attacked her. George promised to Slim that Lennie “‘never hurt her. He jus' wanted to touch that red dress, like he wants to pet them pups all the time.’” (42), and Slim, as a god-like character, rules that Lennie “ain’t mean” (42). This establishes Lennie’s character as naturally decent morally, yet curious and easily tempted out of his innocence. This foreshadows the eventual downfall of the pair, and illustrates the idea that temptation reaches even good men. Lennie has a innocent weakness for soft things, and kills mice, a puppy, and Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife represents Eve. Just as Eve first ate the fruit and then tempted Adam and got them both kicked out of Eden, Curley’s wife tempts all the men to forsake their jobs and ambitions to be with her. The motif of the color red symbolizes temptation. The girl Lennie originally grabbed wore a “red dress” and Curley’s wife dressed in “red mules” with “red ostrich feathers” and had “red fingernails” (31). The bright red color attracts attention and even Lennie comments on her attractiveness, no doubt drawn in because of the devilish hue. Red also conveys violence, action, and primally, blood. Lennie kills and essentially spills the blood of Curley’s wife which causes the loss of the Eden he invisions. Curley’s wife symbolizes Eve, offering the tempting fruit of her “‘soft and fine’” (88) hair to Lennie, telling him to feel her hair and then physically “[taking] Lennie’s hand and [putting] it on her head” (88). When Lennie touches her hair and therefore partakes of the fruit, hope of his dream goes out the window. Mistakes, such as doing things considered wrong, or “bad” as Lennie says, cause a spiritual fall from the innocence of Eden to reality. Up until he kills Curley’s wife, Lennie never committed a true crime and maintained his innocence. After he snaps her neck, Lennie must face consequences he does not understand, so he has lost his innocence, but not his ignorance. Difficult to cling to, the American Dream takes work and effort, yet even those who seem to want it the most, such as George, go to waste their money at a club because “‘a guy got to have fun sometime’” (52), though he already needs more money to achieve his ultimate goal. The men who seem infinitely stuck working for another man, continue to throw away their money and opportunities because of simple desires. Steinbeck uses women in different positions of power as symbolic temptresses that constantly inhibit men from reaching their goal, Curley’s wife as the nameless actual representation of Eve, and the girls at the club as similar temptresses. The desire for the immediate gratification of going to see girls at a brothel wins out for George. This temptation to both participate in such events and to join the popular crowd kills the American Dream. The same way Eve’s choice causes mankind to get forever sent out of the Garden, Curley’s wife’s behavior tempts Lennie, whose subsequent mistake cost him, and George, their dream of the farm.
The proverbial fall of man causes a host of changes. Eden becomes a fantasy, and men must face choices, and consequences for those choices. The innocence and ability to do whatever they want becomes lost, and isolation becomes another detriment to the American Dream. Lennie did not intend to hurt anyone, but his intentions of goodness and his behavior and actions of did not align. He must still face the repercussions or his action. The first brothers face this truth when Cain kills Abel out of jealousy and hatred, and Cain must then walk the world alone. Though not actual brothers, Lennie and George behave like it. During this time, men hardly traveled together, most leading a isolated and lonely existence. Lennie and George however, they “‘got someone to talk to that gives a damn about [them]’” (15). This behavior originally makes them more successful, as George has the brains and Lennie the brawn to get them their job at the ranch. In addition, their dream of owning their farm came the closest to a reality when Candy and even Crooks joined in, showing that although Americans place value on independence and self-reliance, the dream only becomes possible when men work together. However, because of the temptations of man, and Lennie’s mistake, he can no longer maintain his innocence and the dream again becomes only a dream. After killing Curley’s wife and retreating to the pond, Lennie asks to George to tell him about how “if [George] was alone [he] would live so easy” and he could ‘get a job and have no mess” and simply take his money at the end of the month and go to a “cat house” (101). George always chose to take care of Lennie, because he cared about him, an interesting dynamic between men during this time. In the bible, when Cain kills Abel and God asked where Abel went, Cain responds with only “am I my brother’s keeper?” showing that he did not feel responsible for his brother. George however, feels great responsibility for Lennie’s well-being and his actions. Even after Lennie commits the big sin, George “ain’t mad” that he “ain’t never been mad [at Lennie] an’ he ain’t [mad] now” (103). Unlike Cain, George kills Lennie out of mercy and love, wanting to save him from a more painful and public lynching, rather than jealousy. This shows that even though after the fall and the lost hope of Eden, the loss of ignorance does not mean the loss of goodness. In fact, George killing Lennie in his innocence, unaware of his impending death, still talking about their dream, seems like the kindest act George could give him. Even god-like Slim condones the act because “a guy got to sometimes” (104). This approval illustrates the point that George made the right decision for the situation, because no better alternative existed. Though the book ends at that point, the implication that George never achieves the dream of the farm because, similar to Cain, he now must walk the world in solitude, similar to the other ranchers he and Lennie pity earlier in the novel.