How Does Steinbeck Present The Ranch In Of Mice And Men

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John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men explores the ranch social climate during the peak of the Great Depression, and how the country’s economic tragedy combines with other factors and creates a short yet impactful work of literature. The novella follows two traveling farm hands, Lennie and George, striving to achieve independence and self-reliance. Weaving through Soledad, they encounter jealous farm residents who have grown bitter in their stagnance. While many seemingly accept their fate, Lennie and George constantly plan for greater things. The two dream of one day living on their ranch, free from the orders of others and separated from the rest of society. However, this dream is never fulfilled due to George’s murder of Lennie at the novel's end. The closing scene displays how the …show more content…

By giving in to the truth that the American Dream is not in the cards for them, the men on the ranch are actively acknowledging “the amount of available energy - i.e., available opportunity for joy, productive action, self-fulfillment in a deep sense - is steadily diminishing.” (Bellman 1). The true realization that the ranch hands must come to achieve their full potential is that they will never become anything more than what they are. Men like George and Lennie who enter the ranch environment with the hopes of improving their quality of life are made into a joke, with cruel men like Curley picking on Lennie. John Steinbeck’s novella displays how the Great Depression has corrupted the American Dream into a toxic cycle of jealousy and betrayal. The most liberating moment of the novella comes with Lennie’s death, because now George no longer has any greater goal to work for without the partner he was going to live out his dream with. The murder of Lennie shows George giving in to the lifestyle all those around him

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