Hopes and Dreams in John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Hopes and dreams are huge factors of the development of modern society‒technology is being re-evaluated, theories that seemed impossible are being considered and new ideas are embraced. Dreams inspire many people who are willing to go beyond the old standards of society and challenge what is normal. Even so, during the Depression, unlike today, dreams were not always welcomed and hopes were often crushed. The characters in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck can attest to these things. Yet, these characters found ways to use their hopes and dreams as forms of discipline, as a way to form strong relationships and as an element which distinguishes the main characters from the other characters.
Discipline is used most often to help in the achievement of goals. Human beings are prone to indulge in the luxuries of life rather than attain a seemingly impossible dream. George Milton and Lennie Small, two characters from Steinbeck’s novel, are united together as they pursue the American Dream. They often imagine owning a farm where they work for no one but themselves, “‘… [living] offa the fatta the lan[d]’” (Steinbeck 57). However, such a dream does not come without hard work. George, Lennie and eventually Candy, set certain goals in order to be able to pursue their utopia of the farm. They need to earn the money needed for the farm, plan and organize the future to prevent bankruptcy and find a way to purchase the land before time runs out. With these goals in mind, George recognizes the need to spend their meager earning wisely and save their money. For this reason, George doesn’t indulge on the finer things in life. For example, George, although fully capable, does not drink himself to death or spend the night in a cat house ...

... middle of paper ...

...f a ranch of their own or blindly live their boring ranch hand lives, complete with drinking and spending time in cat houses. George, Lennie and Curley’s wife are set apart due to the fact that they had or have dreams of which they wished or wish to be fulfilled.
In the end, dreams and hopes were a major component in the book Of Mice and Men because, for the characters, hopes and dreams were used as a form of discipline in achieving their goals, as a way to create lasting friendships between characters and, for the reader, as a way to recognize important characters. Dreams and hopes were not only important in the 1930’s, but also today, in today’s modern society. All that is left for mankind to do is take a leap of faith and go beyond what anyone else will ever imagine is possible.

Works Cited

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.