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Racism and literature
Explore the importance of friendship between mice and men
How is the american dream seen in literature
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The American Dream is to have a full and successful life. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George are both starting work on a ranch for a reason, to eventually make enough money to own their own farm. “O.K. Someday----we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and-----” (Steinbeck 14). This sentence shows that Lennie and George eventually want to find happiness and success in life on their farm, hence why I picked the American dream for the theme of this chapter. These two companions want to get out there and have memorable moments in their lives. “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future.” (Steinbeck 14). Unlike the other workers on the ranch, Lennie and George have a goal to work towards, the goal of their dream farm. The farm that Lennie and George dream of having is the epitome of the American Dream. Once they work hard enough to get a farm, they can call their lives a success. Friends look out for each other, and an example of a strong friendship can be seen in the book Of Mice and Men. As the two men get settled into the bunkhouse of the ranch, George helps Lennie make a good first impression. …show more content…
“No, he ain’t, but he’s sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull.” (Steinbeck 22). Here, George is doing all the work for Lennie by trying to accentuate Lennie’s abilities without having him talk at all. “He’s... my cousin. I told his old lady I’d take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid.” (Steinbeck 22). George is such a good friend to Lennie that he would lie for him. If George did not care for Lennie so greatly, he would not have a reason to lie. The smooth way that George helps Lennie meet their new coworkers at the ranch shows that they definitely have a sound friendship. The character Lennie from Of Mice and Men is very innocent and childlike. Other people often have to explain situations to Lennie in order for him to understand what is going on. “He’s jes’ like a kid, ain’t he.” (Steinbeck 43). Slim says this after Lennie leaves the bunkhouse to go put his puppy back in the barn. Lennie did not know that keeping the puppy away from its mother was a poor choice, so George had to tell him. “‘I didn’t wanta,’ Lennie cried. ‘I didn’t wanta hurt him.’” (Steinbeck 64). Whenever Lennie holds people or animals too tight, he does not mean to cause them harm. Lennie is such an innocent guy that most of the time, he simply does not realize what he is doing wrong. In chapter four of Of Mice and Men, more background is given to the character Crooks.
Being an African-American in the 1930s, Crooks was subject to some discrimination on the ranch. “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.” (Steinbeck 81). Curley’s wife is obviously trying to emphasize that she is superior to Crooks because she has the power to get him killed. “‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink.” (Steinbeck 68). The other workers on the farm exclude Crooks from the activities in the bunkhouse. Since Crooks knows that he is not wanted there, he stays confined in his small room in the barn. The people on the ranch blatantly discriminate Crooks because of his
race. At first, the character Curley’s Wife in Of Mice and Men comes off as an attention-seeking tramp. In chapter five it is revealed that Curley’s Wife is actually quite lonely. “Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awful lonely.” (Steinbeck 86). “‘I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?’” (Steinbeck 87). Curley's Wife is lonely for a few reasons. She does not like Curley as a person, so she does not like to be around him. She tries to talk to the workers on the ranch, but the workers do not like her as a person. The workers also know that Curley would surely pick a fight with them if he figured out that other people were hanging around his wife. Curley's wife tries to make conversation with other people, but no one but Curely wants to talk to her, so she ends up lonely. When you are friends with someone, sometimes you have to make unexpected sacrifices for their sake. “Look acrost the river, Lennie, an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it.” (Steinbeck 105). Before George shoots Lennie in Of Mice and Men, he wants to make sure that Lennie has a peaceful death. “He pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again. Lennie jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and he laid without quivering.” (Steinbeck, 106). George knew that if he did not shoot Lennie, then Lennie would either be killed by Curley or end up in jail. George had accepted the fate of Lennie’s death. Even though George did not want his companion dead, he knew that he would not have any regrets if he killed Lennie himself. George was such a loyal friend to Lennie that he would rather commit murder than see his friend suffer.
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.
In today’s society, one does not consider how one person’s dream can affect others. In the story Of Mice And Men written by John Steinback, two men search for a job that will secure their ambitions, but find out that “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men” can result in “nought but grief and pain.” One of the two men, Lennie, acts as a burden with his child-like personality, is dangerous because of his lack of intelligence combined with prodigious strength, and spreads hope to others with his innocence.
Although discrimination is still present during the time period of the book, Crooks still attempts to make friends. Others treat Crooks unjust because he is different from others given that he is black. He does not know how to treat others because of the way others treat him; with disrespect. Furthermore, he does not know how to vent his frustration and as a result, lashes out at others because they are cruel to him. Crooks is not allowed to participate in daily events with white people. He is treated unfairly and therefore acts the same way toward the white people (the ones who offended him.)
The American Dream is a dream that everyone imagines to be picture perfect. The American Dream means having freedom, equality and opportunity’s to achieve the dream that you conceptualize to be right by you. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck did not want to just illustrate the American dream as being easy, but he wanted to point out the American Dream as being difficult too. Steinbeck made a work of art by composing a great novel to make the reader understand that life can be difficult and at times dreams are hard to achieve. Of Mice and Men was written and based on the settings of the Great Depression (Anderson). The Great Depression was a very dire time that left multiple of people despondent and the unavailing to move on with their lives. The Great Depression created a world where everyone had to seek and survive for themselves. In the novel Steinbeck wanted to explore and point out how powerless people where during the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck purposely incorporated his characters to depict the life struggle of what people go through during grim times. In the novel, Steinbeck illustrated a great set of characters Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck discusses handicaps, hardships, and friendships of the characters.
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 pursued 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. Crooks dream is to work in lennie's garden. However it remains only a dream for them and they are awaken by the fact that they can't have the perfect american dream. Another way that this idea is used in the book and by characters is that Lennie and George keep faithful
The time period this novel was written, which was the 1930’s, the discrimination was based on race. Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse with the white ranch hands. Many of the men have never seen where Crooks lived on the farm. Stated in the novel, “Candy leaned against the wall beside the broken collar while he scratched his wrist stump. ‘I been here a long time,’ he said. ‘An Crooks been here a long time. This’s the first time i ever been in his room. Crooks said darkly, ‘Guys don’t come into a colored man’s room very much’”
The American Dream is a thought that everyone has at some point. Some are bigger than others and some are harder than others, but everyone hopes to accomplish their American Dream. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows that the American Dream is a myth, not a reality. John Steinbeck shows the American Dream being a myth through a few of the characters in Of Mice and Men. For example, Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Candy all have American Dreams, but they also have some obstacles that stop them from completing their American Dream.
On the ranch, Crooks is also taken advantage of. He can try to have an opinion or stand up for himself but a white person’s point of view was more important during the time period this book takes place in. Curley’s wife demonstrates this in chapter 4; “ ‘Listen n***er’ she said ‘ you know what i can do if you open your trap’ “ Life on the ranch isn’t easy for either of them, but being a white women was much easier than being a black, handicapped man. When curly doesn’t try to speak up for himself, curley’s wife uses what little power she has against him. Because she knows that little bit of power she has is stronger than the power he has. Crooks knows That so once she threatens him he stops
In the novel Of Mice and Men George and Lennie’s American dream is to work on their own farm and to harvest their own crops and not having to work for anyone else. If George and Lennie owned their place then they would have their freedom and not have to answer to anyone anymore. Lennie’s American dream is to have rabbits he loves
Crooks is isolated because of his race, his disability and his deep mistrust of others. He is physically separated from the other men and has his own room in the barn. "It's cause I'm black" (68). Crooks has been alone for a so long, making him not care about having and making new friends any more. Crooks may constantly be surrounded by the other workers, but that doesn't make him feel less alone. "You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me" (67). Crooks is quiet and weak, meaning no one in the ranch listens to him, nothing he says matters. "This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see?" (70). Crooks is someone a reader can easily feel sorry for, even though Crooks doesn't put much effort is making new friends. He is in a difficult situation, which he certainly doesn't what to
An example of how the men are discriminative towards Crooks is that he is forced to live in a shack away from the bunkhouse and also Crooks says that "They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say "I stink" and "I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse." An example of when Curley's Wife is critical towards Crooks is when she looks into his room to see what Lennie and Crooks are doing and then she states, shaking her head, that they left the weak ones behind. Also, she threatens to have Crooks hanged because a black man should never talk to a white woman the way he just had. As a result of all of these discriminatory acts against him, Crooks feels unwanted and lonely because of his color and placement on the farm.
First and foremost, Crooks is a person who gets treated with discrimination, much more than anyone else. Simply because he is black and has a crooked back, from which he received his name from. People continuously treat him horribly, one person being Curley’s Wife. “Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even
Other than being a topic of the novel, The American dream identify with a few characters. Lennie and George's fantasy of owning their little homestead and rabbits with Candy was a case of what a normal American dream was amid the 1930s Great Depression. The Great Depression has changed throughout the year relying upon the condition of the country. Amid the Great Depression the normal dream was simply singular fulfillment. To fulfill one's self amid the Great Depression was distinctive. Getting another or surprisingly better occupation was restricted of gaining fulfillment, yet the place where there is fresh chances to succeed was filled with emergency after the share trading system smashed. The American dream had lost its impact on America amid the 1930s, yet was still vivacious when men like George and Lennie sought after a superior and distinctive life and perpetual miracle into the desire for the better of individual
Ted Turner once said, “you should set goals beyond your reach so you have something to live for”. Quotes like these are the backbone of the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the book takes place south of Soledad, California with two men George, who is small but intelligent, and Lennie, who is big and mentally slow. They find a new job and get another chance at achieving their dream; to own a farm. Along with their journey, they meet several other people such as Curly, Curley’s wife, and Candy. These characters either have goals or hurt others because they have no goals.In the novel Of Mice and Men, George, Lennie, and Curley are excellent examples of how goals are essential to living a fulfilled life.
The story, “Of Mice and Men” follows George Milton and Lennie Small as they dream of the freedom that owning their own land will bring. Through their ambition and perseverance on the farm, you see the hardships and struggles brought to them from social injustice, loneliness, and mistrust. John Steinbeck, through his use of foreshadowing, symbolism, and motif portrays a compelling theme of loneliness, strength, and human tendency in his novella, “Of Mice and Men”; In a competitive, unfair, or lonely community, people tend to give in to human nature and use strength or oppression as a way to make them feel better about themselves, or appear a more powerful figure in their society.