Curleys Wife's American Dream Failure

During the 1930’s many Americans went to California in order to have a financially stable life, at this point, the Great depression caused a loss of jobs and home; however, the American dream promises to give everyone the opportunity to achieve anything as long as they are willing to put in the effort. In his novel “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck depicts many characters who have dreams of being someone greater and are willing to work for it. The main characters; George and Lennie, want to buy a piece of land to live on but their dream shortly collapsed. Steinbeck uses characters to reflect defects of society during the 1930’s being the American dream is just and illusion and will stay dreams because they live in a corrupted culture of exploitation,

no matter how hard they work they won't be able to accomplish their dreams.
Steinbeck introduces the main characters; George and Lennie as close friends that have a common goal and they pursue and would like to achieve. They both represent two opposing aspects of humanity, George is the voice of reasoning and logic. “George, how long till we get that little place” …” I don’t know” said George, “I know a place cheap but they ain’t giving it away”... “NO place for rabbits now, but I could easy build a few hutches and you could feed alfalfa to the rabbits” (Pg. 56-57). George is telling Lennie about the place they will buy, however, he doesn’t know when they will have enough money to buy it, he is thinking more reasonably and rationally about the land they will buy also being the voice of reason he always is telling Lennie what to do. Lennie is the opposite, he represents; lust, greed, and violence. “Tell about the place George,” said Lennie … “They’s a place for alfalfa, and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pen-” “An’ rabbits, George” said Lennie eagerly. “ An I’d take care of ‘em” … “We’d have a setten dog a couple cats … but you gotta watch out for them cats don’t get the little rabbits”...”You jus’ let em try to get the rabbits. I’ll break their damn necks”. (56-58) Lennie is passionate about the home they will buy as much as George but he mostly cares about rabbits and not letting anyone else even get a hand on them, he doesn’t think about anything else that will be on the land unless it benefits the rabbits. They both dream of the land they will buy together, however with George shooting Lennie and him killing Curley’s Wife that won’t happen, they both represent two polar opposite sides of humanity and George killing Lennie is him suppressing and destroying his more animal like impulses.
Candy and Crooks are two were characters that Steinbeck introduces with two completely different views on realistic dreams. Candy is the old swamper thats has worked on the ranch for a long time, he even lost his hand while working and get some money to compensate for his hand. “S’pose I want in with you guys. The’s three hundred an fiffy bucks I’d put in … “You’ll be swamper till they take you out in a box … seems like ever’ guy got land in his head” Candy rubbed his cheek angrily, “ You Goddamn right were right gonna do it. George says we are. We got the money right now” (75-76) Candy is tired of the farm and instead makes a deal with George and Lennie to buy the land with them but he agrees to give them three hundred fifty bucks to complete the amount they need, he is very avid about buying the land and believes everything George says, he doesn’t care what Crooks says about it he believes they can buy the land. Crooks is the only black man that is on the farm and has been working for them awhile. “You’re nuts.” Crooks said scornfully. “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on ranches with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of em’ got a little piece of land in his head … Just like heaven. Everybody wants a little piece of lan … Nobody never gets heaven, and nobody never gets no land … but it's just in their head” (Pg. 74) Crooks mocks every person that has wanted a piece of land because they only talk about it and never actually get it, they are always thinking about buying land but never do. Candy is very hopeful and believes George will get their land so they can quit working on the farm but Crooks has always seen people quit working on the ranch but never buy the land or are not successful, he doesn’t accept the idea that they are different enough though Candy puts his trust in George.
Curley’s wife is an important character because she also has dreams and goals she wanted to achieve but couldn’t.

Curley’s wife had a dream of becoming an actress. “Went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with him. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Say I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it” … “I never got the letter,” she said. “I always thought my ol’ lady stole it”. (Pg. 88) A well-known actor was in the movies promised to write her back saying she should be in be in the movies with him at Hollywood, her grandmother doesn’t believe that she could do it, this leads her to think she took it and hid it away. She had, even more, opportunities to be famous and have a better life outside of her home town Salinas. “Come there when I was a Kid. Well, a show come through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me … But the guy says I coulda. If I went, I wouldn’t be livin like this, you bet” … “So I married Curley. Met him out to the Riverside Dance Palace that same night.” No matter how many opportunities she got, her grandma always said no because she was too young and didn’t believe in her, instead she married Curley. Curley’s wife never was given a name by Steinbeck but still plays a big role because she shows that even if you are talented and are given many opportunities it may not work out as you plan it to, in her case she married Curley because it was the best she

could do at the time and her grandmother didn’t disapprove.
The defects in society are clearly shown in this novel by the characters George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife to each express whether they believe they can accomplish their dreams.

John Steinbeck skillfully uses the characters in “Of mice and men” to reflect the problem with the American dream. Each character has or had a dream thinking they can do it as long as they put in the effort, however as it is shown many times throughout the novel it is not always true. George, Lennie, and Candy are hard workers but are never usually rewarded to enjoy the fruits of their labor, Crooks has seen many people out for the same dream but just couldn’t do it, and Curley’s Wife has been given so many opportunities to be famous or something greater but something was always stopping her. The definition of the American dream has been changed many times throughout history, during the setting of the story it was the pursuit of material benefits, but today it promises to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity to pursue a personal vision that promotes faith and happiness, it was more corrupt in the 1930’s than it is today so it is not as big as a defect but instead has been almost

eradicated.