American Dream as a Myth in Of Mice and Men By John Steinbeck Works Cited Missing Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is set in Salinas, Californiain the 1930's at the time of The Great Depression. The book is about the lives of two working men and it covers topics such as industrialisation and racism, both important issues in the USAat the time. All the workers had their own personal dream to achieve (The American Dream), but none of them managed to achieve their dreams and in the end the American dream proves to be unachievable. The two main characters are George and Lennie and they dream of owning their own ranch. George is described as small with sharp features with, "a thin and bony nose" (p. 2). George quite often gets fed up with Lennie because he is so forgetful and he gets into trouble. When this happens, George is the one who always has to solve the problems and to get them out of trouble. George and Lennie share a dream. Really it is Lennie's dream, but George articulates it for the both of them. The dream is to own their own bit of land. He describes the plight of ranch workers, "Guys like us, that work on ranches are the loneliest guys in the world." (p. 14) "Some day … we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres . . . 'An' live off the fatta the lan" (p. 15). In contrast to George, Lennie is described as " . . . his opposite, a huge man . . . (p. 2). George looks after Lennie as the latter has a mental health condition or learning needs, which were not recognised in those days. At the time the book was written Lennie would have just been seen as dumb. Lennie got himself into all sorts of trouble, but ... ... middle of paper ... ...e's beans without ketchup is a metaphor of their lives, all work and function but no luxury and fun. The whole story is basically sad, because nobody is getting anywhere and their lives are not getting any better. They cannot earn enough money to save up a stake for their dreams. This is proof that their dreams are not coming true. The book portrays Americaduring the 1930's as a land with no equal opportunities or rights for ethnic minorities, poor or disabled people. The good American life was just a dream after all. The trouble with dreams is that they're not real. George and Lennie's dream was just a bunch of words repeated over and over. At the beginning these words were said "rhythmically", but by the end, they are spoken "monotonously", when George finally accepts his dreams will never come to fruition.
Lennie respects him a great deal. Lennie is huge, and very strong, but he has the mentality of a child. He relies heavily on George, as he cannot fend for himself. He always tries his best to imitate George's actions and an example of this is when the two men are at the beach. " George lay back on the sand and crossed his hands under
Lennie is big man with incredible strength but isn’t bright minded. He would listen to anyone who tells him to do something. This is why he follows a small man named George to stay out of trouble. The friendship between George and Lennie shows how Lennie may be physically strong, but can easily be
Lennie is broken and incomplete in many ways. He has a mental disability which differentiates him from the others. He depends on George for everything and cannot do things on his own even though he is a grown man.
The emotional symbiosis between George and Lennie helps each man. Lennie’s attachment to George is most strongly visible when Crooks suggests George is not coming back. Lennie is almost moved to hysterics and his fear does not quickly abate. George prefers to feign dislike for Lennie to Lennie’s face: “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail” (7). When pressed, George reveals his true feelings for Lennie. “I want you to stay with me Lennie” (13). They stay together because “It’s a lot easier to go around with a guy you know” (35). Both men need and value their strong emotional relationship.
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?
(GS1) Lennie is a man that doesn’t mean to do half of the things he does, because of his ableism; only it doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen, like Lennie murdering Candy’s wife. (DS1a) Lennie says, “I like to pet things. Once at a fair I seen some of them long-hair rabbits. An’ they were nice you bet” (90). (DS1b) Lennie loved soft things, though he was always brutal with them; which is what happened with Candy’s wife, her hair was soft and Lennie accidentally got brutal and killed her.(GS2)Lennie was almost like a force of energy for George, Candy, and his dream; though when he died all the hope once built up for the dream was lost because of what George said. (DS2a)“ -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” (94). (DS2b) Lennie was the centerpiece of the entire plan, he believed so much that he was able to convince George and Candy that it was actually possible for them to achieve.(GS3) George was Lennie’s best friend and he was the one who had to kill Lennie because he knew that all the others would have been cruel.(DS3a) Lennie and George talk for the last time, “‘No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s the thing I want ya to know.’ The voices
Furthermore, George is always trying to make Lennie happy in anyway possible. For example, George told Lennie that he’ll be
Unlike George, Lennie is a minion and is described in an undistinguished manner. His first appearance in the book (page 2, paragraph 3, 2nd last and last lines) emphasizes his childish and animal like behavior. He drags his feet and carries his sloped shoulders. His arms hang loosely to his sides. He wears a shapeless hat and carries a blanket roll while
Of Mice and Men is a story set during the 1930's America, this was a
Lennie has a tendency to forget things even if he was just told them. Without George, Lennie would not have any idea what to do, where to go, or what to say. George is like Lennie’s brain; he does most of the thinking and just repeatedly tells Lennie what to say/do. Without George Lennie would never have
The American dream ideally constitutes life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as stated by America's forefathers in the Declaration of Independence. This vision has been extremely warped in the 20th century to fit the new breed of Americans, which are greedy and self-centered. The main characters opinions in the novel Of Mice and Men of The American Dream substantially differs from each other, and from today's society.
Motivation is the will to do something. Life has many different levels of motivation; achieving something, attempting to achieve something, and not trying it achieve something. Motivation can be applied to the American Dream. In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the levels of motivation are clearly evident, this affects the process of how the characters achieve their dreams. Of Mice and Men is a story of two migrant workers, how they deal with their American Dream, and the troubles of working on a ranch during The Great Depression. The Characters of Of Mice and Men are going through these levels of motivation and achievement. Through the Characters George and Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and Crooks the stable buck, Steinbeck illustrates that the American Dream is achievable through hard work, dedication, and lots motivation.
George has sudden outbursts towards Lennie a lot, which is realistic, because it is hard living with a person who suffers from any form of mental illness. It’s a struggle, but George is willing to live with Lennie, and point him in the right direction, however, George does succumb to ...
John Steinbeck, in his essay America and Americans, uses many contradictions to explain his views on the American Dream. I have witnessed and experienced many of these contradictions in my life. Through my experiences, I have learned to believe that the American dream is no more than just a dream.
1.) George- A small man who travels with, and takes care of, Lennie. He frequently talks about how much better his life would be without having Lennie to take care of. George's behavior is motivated by the desire to protect Lennie and, eventually, he wants to lead them both to the farm of their dreams.