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Application of the american dream in popular literature
Application of the american dream in popular literature
Application of the american dream in popular literature
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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. A situation that minimizes the chances of the characters accomplishing the American Dream is when Lennie crushes Curley’s
Most of the characters in Of Mice and Men have their own version of the “American Dream” and in all their dreams they are happy ,and have finally reached their goal. Before her tragic death at the hands of Lennie ,Curley’s wife tells Lennie she wanted to be in the movies. “Her words tumbled out in a passion of communication...I met one of the actors... he says ‘i could go with that show’… If i’d went i wouldn't be living like this,you bet”(pg 88). Curley’s wife is not satisfied and reminiscences about the dreams of her past, and she wished she had gone to live her life and been an actress instead of marrying Curley and being isolated. She talked passionately about it because she wishes that was her life at the moment.Curley’s wife also could have been in the”pitchers”, “i met a guy… says he was gonna put me in the pitchers. .. He was gonna write me about it.. i never got that letter.. Thought my old lady stole it… I couldn’t make anything of myself.. So i married Curley”(pg88). Curley’s wife's dream was never obtained and there never was hope. The men that promised to make her dreams come true were never
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 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 American Dream is what everyone so desperately desired for in the 1930’s. Many come to America for the American Dream, to be successful, have freedom, and support their families by the better opportunities given. In Of Mice and Men the movie the setting sets in the 1930’s where Lennie and George become farm workers for Curley’s dad. Working in these conditions in the 1930’s must of been difficult as shown in the movie when Lennie and George face problems in their journey together. What’s your American Dream?
George and Lennie live in a hopeless present but they somehow try to keep a foot in an idealized future. They dream of one day running their own ranch, safe and answerable to no one. Others such as Curley's wife dreams of being a movie star, Crooks, of hoeing his own patch and Candy's couple of acres'.The dream ends with the death of Lennie.
Every person has an American dream, no matter how big or small, everyone has one. Their dreams however, vary from person to person, based on past experiences. While some people will chose to try to own a small farm in California, others will want to go to Hollywood and become an actress. Though American dreams are commonly found in living people they are also able to be within fictional characters as well; such as in Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Only American dreams can go astray due to problems that were not foreseen. In Of Mice and y Men, Lennie was the unforeseen problem with George, Candy, and his American dream because of his ableism. His mental ableism made him love to touch soft things such as hair, even though he could end
The book shows how different characters are striving for their version of the American Dream and have natural obstacles in their way that they have to overcome to achieve their dreams. Three main characters that have American Dreams, but do not achieve them do to obstacles are Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Candy. All three of these characters worked super hard and did their best, but sometimes the best dreams lead to
George and Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks the stable buck all have an American Dream and through them and their dreams, Steinbeck shows that the American Dream can or cannot be achieved with the amount of dedication and motivation you put into the dream. Even though George and Lennie, Curley’s wife and Crooks all have dreams they are all at different points of achieving that dream, if they are even trying.
The American dream was about being self-sufficient, owning private land and given a chance to start a business with no limitations to success as the migrants lived in a prosperous country. In Of Mice and Men and A Death of a Salesman, Steinbeck and Miller explore the principles of what the American dream actually was. In Of Mice and Men, most of the characters, including George Milton and Lennie Small, have the dream of making themselves become something in the “land of opportunity” and “to have a little land”. In my opinion, George and Lennie have the most ordinary, stock American dream which is what many people who travelled to America in the 1920s were dreaming of. Whereas in A Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman has already achieved beyond the ordinary American dream by having a car, house, loving family and a well-respected job with decent wages but he does not believe he has achieved his version of the American dream, that of his two sons to start a great business together, “The Loman Brothers”. However, both Biff and Linda are more realistic and appreciate that that dream is beyond impossible. Whereas Happy has inherited Willy’s attitude and hopes to accomplish his father’s dream. In the requiem, Happy says, “I’m going to beat this racket!” and this shows that he has not realised that the cause of
The thesis of Kimberley Hearne’s essay “Fitzgerald’s Rendering of a Dream” is at the end of the first paragraph and reads “It is through the language itself, and the recurrent romantic imagery, that Fitzgerald offers up his critique and presents the dream for what it truly is: a mirage that entices us to keep moving forward even as we are ceaselessly borne back into the past (Fitzgerald 189).” Hearne’s essay provides information on the misconception of The American Dream that Fitzgerald conveys through “The Great Gatsby”. She provides countless evidence that expresses Fitzgerald’s view of The American Dream, and explains that Fitzgerald’s writing of the novel is to express to Americans what The American Dream truly is.
American Dream is unreachable because of the different levels created in the society leading to discrimination. Firstly, Curley’s wife goes through gender discrimination that stands as an obstacle in front of her from living her American Dream. After her marriage with Curley, her dream is shattered into pieces. We come to know how her life is horrible when she admits that she “(does not) like Curley” (100) because he “ain’t a nice fella” (100). And Curley being overprotective over her, he wants her “to talk to nobody but (him)” (98) or else “he gets mad” (98). But getting “awful lonely” (98), she tries to start a conversation with the people in the bunkhouse. And in return, all she ever gets is being called a “tart” (31) or a “tramp” (35). So if Curley forbids his wife to talk to anyone, there is no way he would let her pursue her dream. Therefore due to all the discrimination that Curley’s wife suffers, she is unable to reach her American Dream. Secondly, Crooks goes through racial discrimination. Crooks’ American Dream is to be treated equally by everyone. But he “ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse” (77) because ...
Richard Nixon once said, “The American Dream does not come to those who fall asleep,” and he could not be more right. In the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie try to do what any man does and that is to live the American Dream. In this article, the point argued is that George and Lennie could have achieved their goal.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, the theme of reaching for 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. As they come in contact with other people at the ranch, their thoughts and ideas shift from what they originally set out to do. Multiple situations that occur throughout the story decrease the chances of most of the characters accomplishing the American Dream.
Of Mice and Men introduces multiple major themes throughout the story of Lennie and George. One of these is the topic of the American dream amongst all of the characters. The American dream is defined as, “a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the US,”. The American dream is shown in the story through George’s want to be his own boss, Lennie’s constant want to tend the rabbits, and Candy’s want to be nondisposable as he approaches old age.
In contrast, Elder envisioned monetary possessions to satisfy people’s desires, but after earning the yearned goal of money, people want to flaunt their new status and adjust their lifestyle. In “America and Americans” by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck describes the many paradoxes that are associated with that change of status. In the process of pretentiously displaying their wealth, people might donate their money to charity or squander their money through other practices, contrasting their initial motive to earn money. Money essentially becomes just another material possession and happiness is found through other actions. The American Dream is not only limited to the money and success, but the actions associated with attaining true happiness.