In the novel Of Mice and Men, one of the most important themes displayed are dreams. The dreams the characters possess bring them hope during the time of the great depression. Some dreams are metaphors for bigger fulfillments that the characters have and some dreams represent feelings, opinions and outlooks on life. Though as this is during the great depression, not all of the dreams the characters have, are accomplished causing catastrophic impacts towards themselves and others. Dreams signify goals and hopes for characters such as Lennie and George to strive towards and to never lose optimism or give up.
Characters in Of Mice and Men create big dreams that will aid them to have a better future. Before Curley’s wife settled down and married Curley, she had vast dreams and desires for herself in the world. Though Curley’s wife never reached her dream, at the time it was a representation of her place
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Majority of the characters in the novel face the struggles of having their dreams crushed. The significance of dreams during the period of the great depression was monumental, because dreams signified hope. However, if your dreams and hopes were subdued, it had a considerable impact on your life. Crooks pessimistic views stem from his unachieved dream of being viewed as an equal on the farm. This causes Crook’s to believe that “every damn” person who has “a little piece of land in [their] head” never achieves what they aim for and constantly doubts Lennie and George about their dream of the farm. Curley’s wife has also experienced the pain of losing dreams. When she never got the letter about her acting career back, she panicked and married into a miserable household constantly reminiscing about what could have been. She confides in Lennie that she didn’t “used to [live] like this” and how she “coulda made somethin’ of
Curly and Lennie, two men that traveled together everywhere they went. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck describes friendship, dreams, and personality to describe Lennie and Curly adventures.
Dreams give people motivation and a sense of hope to not give up when life's hard conditions get in the way of success. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, George Milton has his own “American Dream” where he will live in a house, that he bought with his hard earned money, with Lennie. They will grow their own crops and own farm animals to feed themselves. This dream keeps George motivated to find new jobs when Lennie gets them into trouble. George does not want to give up on working hard and making money on ranches.
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.
In Of Mice & Men, the character Curley’s Wife is depicted as flirtatious, promiscuous, and insensitive. However, her husband Curley sees her as only a possession. Most of the workers at the ranch see her as a tart, whereas Slim, the peaceful and god-like figure out of all the men, see her as lonely. This answer will tell us to which extent, is Curley’s wife a victim, whether towards her flirtatious behaviour, or to everyone’s representation of her.
Curley’s Curley’s wife represents her broken dreams of becoming an actress. Lennie and George represent a dream in progress, it is uncertain if their plans will work out as intended or plummet before takeoff, even Crooks and Candy see the appeal in Lennie and George’s fantasy and join them. The dream in progress gives hope to Lennie and George and continued to even after losing previous jobs. Curley’s wife is constantly restricted, she married Curley so that she would no longer be alone but now is in the same state as before, just on a ranch of men.
In Of Mice and Men, it seems an incontrovertible law of nature that dreams should go unfulfilled. From George and Lennie’s ranch to Curley’s wife’s stardom, the characters’ most cherished aspirations repeatedly fail to materialize. However, the fact that they do dream—often long after the possibility of realizing those dreams has vanished—suggests that dreaming serves a purpose in their lives. What the characters ultimately fail to see is that, in Steinbeck’s harsh world, dreams are not only a source of happiness but a source of misery as well.
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.
Candy and George have just found Curley’s wife's body. Candy asks George if their farm dream can still happen, but George says that the dream was going to fail anyways. Steinbeck writes, “I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much, I got to thinking maybe we would” (Steinbeck 94). The farm dream means quite a bit to everyone considering it means security from the harsh world they live in. for Crooks it means respect and equality, for Candy it means security for his age, and for George and Lennie it means security from Lennie getting in trouble, and financial stability. Even though all these people are rooting for this dream, it still ends up failing. Curley’s wife is also an example of dreams failing. She could have been in the movies, but sadly her overbearing mother forces her to stay home. She then makes her situation worse by marrying Curley. Even though she works for that dream, it still fails. The reasoning behind both of these dreams failing is completely due to circumstance, which makes it even more tragic. None of the characters can stop the dreams from falling, which means it's more likely that other dreams in the future can end the same way. Every dream that a main character has in “Of Mice And Men” ends up failing, making “dreams often fail” a major
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.
What is the role of dreams in John Steinbeck’s novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ In John Steinbeck’s novella, ‘Of Mice and Men,’ the role of dreams plays a very important part. The book was written during the ‘Great Depression,’ which occurred just after the well known ‘Wall Street Crash.’ The book Of Mice and Men was set in the depression of the 1930’s in California in a place called Soledad. Men travelled around looking for any work they could find, they had to leave families and their homes just to make money. Even firms and companies went bankrupt; these were depressing and desperate times, with no hope and definitely no future.
a better way of life - but something always seems to get in the way of
Most of the characters in Of Mice and Men have their own version of the “American Dream” and in all their dreams they are happy ,and have finally reached their goal. Before her tragic death at the hands of Lennie ,Curley’s wife tells Lennie she wanted to be in the movies. “Her words tumbled out in a passion of communication...I met one of the actors... he says ‘i could go with that show’… If i’d went i wouldn't be living like this,you bet”(pg 88). Curley’s wife is not satisfied and reminiscences about the dreams of her past, and she wished she had gone to live her life and been an actress instead of marrying Curley and being isolated. She talked passionately about it because she wishes that was her life at the moment.Curley’s wife also could have been in the”pitchers”, “i met a guy… says he was gonna put me in the pitchers. .. He was gonna write me about it.. i never got that letter.. Thought my old lady stole it… I couldn’t make anything of myself.. So i married Curley”(pg88). Curley’s wife's dream was never obtained and there never was hope. The men that promised to make her dreams come true were never
In Of Mice And Men, The American dream provides hope for a variety of characters throughout the book. One example is one of the main characters, Lennie. Lennie’s dream is to “tend to the rabbits” on the farm that his friend, George, and him were going to buy. Lennie’s dream influences him to be on his best behavior. “Oh!
Dreams and the nature of them is a prominent theme within Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men’. The theme is constantly expressed throughout the novel and clearly presented through the Characters George and Lennie, Curly’s wife and Crooks who all share versions the 'American Dream'. The 'American Dream' is presented as being unattainable and the forces that work against the aspirations are explored. Many of these concepts within the content can be adapted and applied as they are true to real life experiences. George and Lennie George and Lennie share a dream of their preferred life, a life separate from the trap of ranch work.
In the meantime, while the fantasy may never be acknowledged, Of Mice and Men recommend that with the end goal for life to be full and important, it must contain dreams. George and Lennie never accomplish their fantasy, yet the dream holds their exceptional companionship together. Their dream is genuine because it is genuine in their creative energies. The American dream keeps Lennie upbeat and prevents George from getting to be "signify" and lonely like most farm members. The fantasy gives them life, regardless of whether life never enables them to accomplish their