Life isn't Perfect

539 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Of mice and men symbolism analysis

Life isn’t perfect; not even close. Everyone knows it, yet no one can help but dream about that perfect life and tries their best to achieve it, even those of the fictional sort. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells of the uncertain journey two life-long friends embark on once their job in the town of Weed is compromised. These two friends, George and Lennie, go through many struggles on their new farm as well, which ultimately results in the crushing of their “dream plan” with no chance of it ever happening after years upon years of planning. Although most of the characters in Of Mice and Men dream of a better life, their journey sadly proves that the ideal of perfect freedom and contentment are not to be found in this world. For example, Lennie and George have been planning on their dream plan for many years. Their plan went like this: “we’re gonna have a little house and a couple a acres an’ a caw and some pigs…” (14), and to ultimately “live off the fatta the land” (14). George has put forth so much effort and dedication towards their future, while Lennie meanwhile continues ...

Show More
Related

  • The Blindness on John Stienbeck´s Of Mice and Men

    545 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.

    Read More

  • The Deceitful George In Of Mice And Men Essay

    657 Words  | 2 Pages

    George and Lennie's ultimate goal is to "get the jack together," buy a few acres of land they can call their own, "an' live off the fatta the lan' (pg. 14)."  George talks in great depth about how their dream house is going to have individual rooms, a kitchen with a fat iron stove, and an orchard.  But, George only recites this yarn when he wants to get Lennie calmed down.  Lennie has the mentality of an 8 year old, the memory of a senile 80 year old, and only desires to tend rabbits.  George fully understands that Lennie can easily be manipulated. Even though the dream to have a piece of land is shared, George knows that by himself he cannot amass a large enough "stake," to buy it himself (pg. 33)."  Just as the boss thought, George was "takin' his pay away from him (pg. 22)."

    Read More

  • Socioeconomic Status In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie have a goal to buy a farm with the money that they have saved up, but their plans fall through when Lennie kills the wife of the boss's son. This goal is motivation for all of Lennie's actions because he repeats “I can still tend the rabbits, George”(Steinbeck 65) many times throughout the story. Junior has a similar story in the book Absolute true story of a part time Indian. When his dog is sick Junior has to kill the dog because his family doesn’t have the money to take the dog to the vet. He later says “But we reservation Indians don't get to realize our dreams. We don't get those chances. Or choices. We're just poor. That's all we are” (Alexie 2.52) about dreams. This shows even in more modern times people still need money to be able to follow their

    Read More

  • The American Dream in Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, Two Kinds, and Sophistication

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    The theme of the American Dream is presented in Of Mice and Men. The theme is particularly expressed through and around the characters of George and Lennie. Both of these characters have a belief, a dream of owning their own little place to call their own, or as George would say “We’re gonna have a little place and a couple of acres an’ some cows and some pigs...”(Steinbeck,14) This dream is mostly expressed through Lennie but George is the one who supports Lennie. Lennie is the most dedicated to the dream. This dedication is shown when he said “An’ live off the fatta the lan.”(Steinbeck,14) This proven b critics like Kevin Attell who said ”This is the kind of life that George and Lennie dream of living.”(Attell)

    Read More

  • Handicaps, Hardships, and Friendships in Of Mice and Men

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    2021 Words  | 5 Pages

    When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Hopes and Dreams Help People to Survive, Even if they can Never. Become Real How is this true for George and Lennie/ the characters in ‘Of Mice and the.. Men’. An important theme in ‘Of Mice and Men’ is that of hope and dreams. The main dream is that of George and Lennie to own a smallholding and work self-sufficiently.

    Read More

  • Theme Of The American Dream In Of Mice And Men

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel Of Mice and Men, the theme of achieving the American Dream runs throughout the entire story. It is evident that all of the characters, especially George and Lennie, want to obtain some form of the American Dream. When other characters are introduced to their plan the dream seems to become easier to reach, but also involves including these characters in buying the land, which is not what George and Lennie really want because they originally imagined it being just the two of them. Multiple situations that occur throughout the story decrease the chances of most of the characters accomplishing the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ambition In Of Mice And Men

    969 Words  | 2 Pages

    The point of living is so that you can accomplish something by the time you die. Therefore hopes and dreams are the driving force of life. Hopes and dreams are exactly what kept the two migrant workers, George and Lennie, going on in life. Their ambition of one day having a farm of their own is what makes Lennie and George work as hard as they do. The theme of these ambitions being deleterious is what makes up the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Even though the ambitions that the characters of the story have could show to be better for them and be their fresh start if proven pointless, the theme of the book Of Mice and Men is that ambitions are deleterious because for Lennie and George their hopes of one

    Read More

  • Pursuing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby, By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    2290 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie dream of their farm, even when others tell them it is impossible. They believe the farm is obtainable despite their economic situation, much like Americans believe peace and total equality are possible, even though they seem out of reach. This idea appears again in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Tan’s Joy Luck Club. Jay Gatsby longs to break free from his poor family and live a life of luxury.

    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

  • sibr

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Obstacles In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • oF MICE AND MEN

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    Of Mice and Men is a novel of defeated hope and harsh reality of the American Dream. However, regardless of how much one may hope and strive to reach it, the American Dream does not always provide complete fulfillment.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men Utopia Analysis

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever wondered if all these dreams that you have will ever come true, or are they just to get our hopes up? In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the theme of utopia or an ideal place is spread upon the entire book. For instance, one of the main characters Lennie has always dreamed of a utopia with his best friend George that they would live in a barn and he would be able to tend the rabbits. Another main character in the book is Curley’s wife who always wanted to be an actress, but her utopia never came true. Overall, our dreams and personal Utopias are often nothing but unrealistic fairy tales we use to maintain some sense of hope in our lives.

    Read More

More about Life isn't Perfect

Open Document