In the novel Of Mice and Men, one of the most important themes displayed are dreams. The dreams the characters possess bring them hope during the time of the great depression. Some dreams are metaphors for bigger fulfillments that the characters have and some dreams represent feelings, opinions and outlooks on life. Though as this is during the great depression, not all of the dreams the characters have, are accomplished causing catastrophic impacts towards themselves and others. Dreams signify goals and hopes for characters such as Lennie and George to strive towards and to never lose optimism or give up.
Characters in Of Mice and Men create big dreams that will aid them to have a better future. Before Curley’s wife settled down and married Curley, she had vast dreams and desires for herself in the world. Though Curley’s wife never reached her dream, at the time it was a representation of her place
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Majority of the characters in the novel face the struggles of having their dreams crushed. The significance of dreams during the period of the great depression was monumental, because dreams signified hope. However, if your dreams and hopes were subdued, it had a considerable impact on your life. Crooks pessimistic views stem from his unachieved dream of being viewed as an equal on the farm. This causes Crook’s to believe that “every damn” person who has “a little piece of land in [their] head” never achieves what they aim for and constantly doubts Lennie and George about their dream of the farm. Curley’s wife has also experienced the pain of losing dreams. When she never got the letter about her acting career back, she panicked and married into a miserable household constantly reminiscing about what could have been. She confides in Lennie that she didn’t “used to [live] like this” and how she “coulda made somethin’ of
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.
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.
Curley’s Curley’s wife represents her broken dreams of becoming an actress. Lennie and George represent a dream in progress, it is uncertain if their plans will work out as intended or plummet before takeoff, even Crooks and Candy see the appeal in Lennie and George’s fantasy and join them. The dream in progress gives hope to Lennie and George and continued to even after losing previous jobs. Curley’s wife is constantly restricted, she married Curley so that she would no longer be alone but now is in the same state as before, just on a ranch of men.
Candy and George have just found Curley’s wife's body. Candy asks George if their farm dream can still happen, but George says that the dream was going to fail anyways. Steinbeck writes, “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” (Steinbeck 94). The farm dream means quite a bit to everyone considering it means security from the harsh world they live in. for Crooks it means respect and equality, for Candy it means security for his age, and for George and Lennie it means security from Lennie getting in trouble, and financial stability. Even though all these people are rooting for this dream, it still ends up failing. Curley’s wife is also an example of dreams failing. She could have been in the movies, but sadly her overbearing mother forces her to stay home. She then makes her situation worse by marrying Curley. Even though she works for that dream, it still fails. The reasoning behind both of these dreams failing is completely due to circumstance, which makes it even more tragic. None of the characters can stop the dreams from falling, which means it's more likely that other dreams in the future can end the same way. Every dream that a main character has in “Of Mice And Men” ends up failing, making “dreams often fail” a major
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
Curly and Lennie, two men that traveled together everywhere they went. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck describes friendship, dreams, and personality to describe Lennie and Curly adventures.
a better way of life - but something always seems to get in the way of
In Of Mice And Men, The American dream provides hope for a variety of characters throughout the book. One example is one of the main characters, Lennie. Lennie’s dream is to “tend to the rabbits” on the farm that his friend, George, and him were going to buy. Lennie’s dream influences him to be on his best behavior. “Oh!
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.
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.
Consequently, Lennie’s end goal of a secure home with financial freedom only leads down a grim path. His dream is to have sustainability for himself and George, which is the ultimate dream in American society. “The dream of the farm originates with Lennie and it is only through Lennie, who also makes the dream impossible, that the dream has any meaning for George” (Lisca 1). Lennie cannot help but to pursue this goal due to his innocence. He believes that this dream of attaining his and
While the dream may have never been achieved, Of Mice and Men suggests that life is meaningful and that it contains dreams.
Dreams and the nature of them is a prominent theme within Steinbeck's novel 'Of Mice and Men’. The theme is constantly expressed throughout the novel and clearly presented through the Characters George and Lennie, Curly’s wife and Crooks who all share versions the 'American Dream'. The 'American Dream' is presented as being unattainable and the forces that work against the aspirations are explored. Many of these concepts within the content can be adapted and applied as they are true to real life experiences. George and Lennie George and Lennie share a dream of their preferred life, a life separate from the trap of ranch work.
In the meantime, while the fantasy may never be acknowledged, Of Mice and Men recommend that with the end goal for life to be full and important, it must contain dreams. George and Lennie never accomplish their fantasy, yet the dream holds their exceptional companionship together. Their dream is genuine because it is genuine in their creative energies. The American dream keeps Lennie upbeat and prevents George from getting to be "signify" and lonely like most farm members. The fantasy gives them life, regardless of whether life never enables them to accomplish their
...ars for the fidelity of his wife as he believes there is a chance that Slim could be with her, despite his good nature. This makes the audience believe that Curley knows his wife is capable of anything, and that he would rather have her under his control. However, the poignant side to Curley’s Wife’s victimisation is when she is victimised due to the stereotypical image of women, either mother or prostitute. This adds a dark shadow over her complicated character, because the way she dresses, and the shoes she wears, especially at the ranch of all places, is unnatural. Also, her manipulative ways ironically cost her life, as she was probably toying with Lennie being mentally handicapped. Overall, I believe that the way that Curley’s Wife has cast her impression upon everyone, has eventually made her a victim of society, the ranch workers, and most importantly, herself.