Of Mice And Men Symbolism

394 Words1 Page

OMAM Essay Have you ever gotten a gift that looks bad, but could have a whole other meaning? Like when you get socks from your grandma that don’t look great, but you don’t realize she hand knitted them herself. This is known as symbolism. Symbolism is “Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning.”(Literary Devices) In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he uses symbolism to show us what the American dream looks like, and how hard it can be to achieve the dream.The American dream always starts with a vision.Take Lennie and george’s farm, for instance. George and Lennie's farm is where their dream began. They always imagined getting that freedom of having their own farm.“Just like heaven,everybody …show more content…

In the barn “Crooks could leave his things about”(Steinbeck 66-67).This quote shows that crooks didn’t have to worry about anybody touching his things. But just like George and Lennie, Crooks had a dream.But every dream must come to an end look at Lennie's hallucinations. Lennie's hallucinations showed two things his aunt and a big rabbit.Lennie’s Dream on the farm was always to tend the rabbits. When he realized he had killed his puppy and curley's wife, he knew his dream was over. In the book the rabbit said “Tend the rabbits,you crazy bastard”(Steinbeck 101-102).This quote was implying that Lennie wasn’t fit for the job. Showing him that his dream is coming to an end. In conclusion of this paragraph, the main points of this essay where freedom,loneliness, and the end of the dream. What is the American dream, though? Some people believe that, “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”(Wikipedia )Many examples in book to show how hard it is to achieve the dream.The american dream can be harder than you

Show More
Related

  • Comparing The Dream Farm In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The best laid schemes o’ mice and men, Gang aft agley often go wrong, And leave us nought but grief and pain, For promised joy!” Robert Burn’s quote makes us believe that even the best laid out plans for joy often go wrong and brings us grief and pain. George and Lennie’s plan was for a better future. The future where they didn’t take commands from someone; where they took care of themselves. As George and Lennie keep talking about the farm and more people joining in on the plan, it looks like it might happen. But with the foreshadowing through this quote: “Look, Lennie. I want you to look around here. You can remember this place, can’t you? The ranch is about a quarter mile up that way. Just follow the river. (15)” This quote foreshadows Lennie messing up and it creating a larger gap between the dream farm and them. When Lennie kills Curley's wife, the idea of the dream farm slowly starts to disappear. As George finds out about what had happen, he realizes that plan for a farm was just an idea, an illusion. “—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”

    Read More

  • Imagery In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    844 Words  | 2 Pages

    George's dream is to have a ranch of his own and Lennie's dream is to have, as mentioned earlier, a farm filled with rabbits. Lennie's hope for his dream is influenced whenever George starts describing his dream farm in explicit detail, such as how the fields are going to look, what animals they will own, what the daily routine will be etc. This farm symbolizes happiness and salvation, especially for Lennie, since he understands that the farm is his ticket to getting rabbits. In fact, the reason why he forgets George's orders is because he cannot stop thinking about his rabbits. A farm has basically become Lennie's version of heaven. This relates to how people always long for something to the point of where it becomes like heaven, a place where happiness lasts forever. Unfortunately, the rabbits symbolize false hope. For instance, Lennie holds a dead mouse and a dead puppy all for the same reason: he killed them. His love for petting soft creatures only causes trouble for himself. So if he owns a lot of rabbits, it is more than likely that they will all die because of Lennie. The rabbits, to Lennie, are things that seem like they will bring him true happiness, when they only create more sorrow. In other words, the rabbits symbolize sorrow disguised as salvation because in the end, Lennie goes suffers all because of his love for soft things. This is able to teach readers how dreams in the past

    Read More

  • Child's Dream In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ending the Life of a Best Friend in Of Mice and Men by Jon Steinbeck

    795 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin, the death of Lennie allowed him to be freed from the cruel world in which he lived and to live in the make believe world that he and you had dreamed of. Lennie could sense danger when he arrived at the ranch; he said "Le’s go, George. Le’s get outta here. It’s mean here." (Steinbeck 33). Many characters throughout the novel antagonized Lennie; Curley tried starting trouble when he thought Lennie was laughing at him. When you were at the Cat House, Lennie met with Crooks and Curley’s wife. Crooks told Lennie that you weren’t going to come back. In the novel it states “Crook’s face lig...

    Read More

  • Symbiosis between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    589 Words  | 2 Pages

    George and Lennie need each other to achieve their dream of their own farm with rabbits to tend. Lennie could not take care of his rabbits or even survive without George.

    Read More

  • This That And The American Dream Summary

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the article the author supplies us with many examples of what the American dream is. Although people think that they have a different dream for everyone else it actually

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men American Dream Theme

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men - Symbolism

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    The farm is a very important symbol in the novella it is important because it is repeated throughout the novella it is reminding the reader of the comforting dream that Lennie and George have created. It is a symbol of brotherly love. The dream in some ways is like the whole “Depression era” it reminds the reader of freedom and homely pleasure.

    Read More

  • Andrew Carnegie and His American Dream

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    What is the American Dream? There are a myriad of aspects to it, but one general idea: the ideal life. It is making a lot of money, being respected, and triumphing difficult situations. The American Dream has been pursued by many, but only few make it all the way.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On The American Dream

    1785 Words  | 4 Pages

    First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bills without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1).

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    The story starts when two traveling laborers, named George Milton and Lennie Small, are on their way to a job loading barley at a California ranch. . They spend one night along the Salinas River before going to the ranch that they were to work at. Because Lennie is slow, mentally, George acts as Lennie's guardian. They have been traveling together for a long time, since the death of Lennie's Aunt Clara. Also, Lennie's habit of petting soft things, such as a mouse or a rabbit, often gets them into trouble, which forces them to find a new job. Their dream is to own their own place and be their own bosses in the future. In their farm, Lennie wants to take care of rabbits and grow vegetables for them.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    George and Lennie feel they are not alone they have a dream. This dream is what pushes them on. They are often talking of the land they dream of.

    Read More

  • The Obstacles Of The American Dream

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is an idea that anyone can live in the United States through hard work and live happy successful lives. There are many obstacles that would stand in the way from achieving the American Dream. Fear, money and education/training, families changing in size, disability, race and gender, are some of the hurdles that many Americans face as they try to achieve the typical American Dream.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men Vs The Pearl

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    George and Lennie have to continue to move around the country looking for work until Lennie screws up again. The instability of work only makes it that much harder for them to complete their dream of a farm of their own. Candy’s participation in the dream of the farm upgrades the dream into a possible reality. As the tending of rabbits comes closer to happening fate curses them with the accidental death of Curley’s wife. The end of their wishful thinking is summed up by Candy’s question on page 104, “Then-it’s all off?”

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    "The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.

    Read More

More about Of Mice And Men Symbolism

Open Document