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Men and mice evaluation
How relevant is the interpreaion of dreams to literature
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Dreams, even those that are unrealistic, encompass and motivate everyone. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck each main characters possess their own dream to propel them forward and each of these dreams are cleverly utilized by Steinbeck to present his theme of the great depression ripping dreams asunder. In order to determine whether the major dreams were destroyed, one must analyze what each dream was, the realistic possibilities, the motivation for each and the opposing forces. George and Lennie’s dream of a future life seems quite possible as they are motivated and are close to their goal; however upon closer inspection it the impossibility of their quest is discovered. The second major dream Curley’s wife’s dream is presented as a failure and after investigation the reader comprehends why. Thus, each of the important dreams feature senses of reality due to their necessity to the character, but are easily suspended as the characters continue their path in life.
Protagonist George and antagonist Lennie share a powerful friendship formed when they were children who played together, and at the center of this friendship is a dream. Their dream is created due to their yearn for their own place, something which Crooks, the stable boy, points out as “Never seen it before” (Steinbeck 62) despite his years of working on farms. Their wish for a new home, their own, also spurns from their despise of not being dependent on someone for an occupation, as they would rather be their own boss, as George says, “An’ no one will tell us what to do” (Steinbeck 81).However, this dream is necessary to both of them even more as it would become a sanctuary for Lennie, the main character who due to mental retardation is unable to cop...
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...akes her life. Up to that point she continually attempted to find success as she has nothing else to do and she abhors her current surroundings. Thus, Curley’s wife’s dream becomes unrealistic as in the process of attaining success she lands herself in a situation quite opposite of her goal.
Overall, Steinbeck presents several dreams from various characters in order to portray how dreams are ripped asunder. Through the story the reader followed main characters George and Lennie, as well as Curley’s wife’s dream through the novella and understood that “even the best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.” (Burns Corporation)
Works Cited
Alexandra Burns Corporation. "To a Mouse - A Poem by Robert Burns." Robert Burns Poem -"To a Mouse" Toucher Design, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.
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.
The theme that John Steinbeck amits from the novel Of Mice and Men is not everyone’s american dream can come true because one wants it to. This alludes to a famous poem by Robert Burns called “To a Mouse”. The theme of this poem is the greatest schemes of mice and men often go astray. Meaning that things do not always go as one plans it to. The novel is set in the Great Depression (1929-1939) in Southern California (near Soledad). Characters in the novel such as George and Crooks have obstacles that hold them back from achieving their own american dreams. George is held back from his by having to care of Lennie, who cannot take care of himself. Crooks is held back from his american dream because of his skin color.
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.
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.
Burns, Robert. “To A Mouse.” Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets, Inc., n.d. Web. 14
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage and to pursue them.”-Walt Disney. We often persevere to achieve our goals but are held back by the slightest of things. Sometimes there is a minor setback that causes your dream to shatter and forces you to do something that you will regret. Steinbeck disrupts many characters’ dreams that all relate to the American Dream of the idea of having an equal opportunity to achieve your goals and prosper through your hard work and determination. Dreams can give you false hope and be destroyed easily, such as the dreams of Curley’s wife, George’s & Lennie’s, and Crooks’ in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men.
Candy, Lennie, and George all have the dream to own land; they discuss gathering money together to save. Lennie meets Crooks and they talk a while as they wait for George to return from town with the other workers. The pair goes through all the trials and tribulations of owning land only to be stopped by personal conflict. John Steinbeck illustrates the theme of dreams and the affection on the decisions the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife make in Of Mice and Men.
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.
Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck is a story with many different meanings and themes. There are numerous themes, but there is one that describes the story the best. At one point or another, several characters in Of Mice And Men are dreaming of different life’s, but like the typical American dream it is made impossible.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows American dream as an unreachable goal for the characters. Of Mice and Men is a novel based on two childhood friends, Lennie and George, who travel together in search of work. Lennie, the gentle giant, has a mental disability and an obsession of petting soft objects. One day, while stroking a girl’s hair, Lennie accidently kills her. And eventually by the end of the novel, George is forced to shoot Lennie. Steinbeck shows American Dream as an unreachable goal because of a character’s standing in the society, their dreams to be unreal and their dependency on other characters.
"Stage and Screen." Of Mice and Men: A Kinship of Powerlessness. Charlotte Cook Hadella. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1995. 64-81. Twayne's Masterwork Studies 147. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 11 Jan. 2012.
a better way of life - but something always seems to get in the way of
Throughout the book there are four main dreams, which the characters have in ‘Of Mice and Men’. Firstly George and Lennie’s dream about owning their own land. This progresses when Candy makes the dream more realistic. Curley’s dream was about wanting himself to be physically bigger and to gain peoples respect. Curley’s wife’s dream was to go to Hollywood and be a big time actress.
In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck illustrates the dreams of George,Lennie, and other characters and how these dreams are unrealistic and unattainable .Their dreams were the reason that these characters kept moving forward but because of difficult circumstances the dreams of George,Lennie,Candy and Curley's wife are shattered , they knew that their dream was never really attainable but they still had hope but because they were so greatly impacted by Lennies actions their dreams are never accomplished.