Most people have some kind of hopes or dreams. Hopes are “desires accompanied by expectations of fulfillment, they are one that give promises to the future.” ( The Merriam Webster Dictionary, page 367).
Dreams are “notable for their beauty, excellence, and/or enjoyable quality.” ( The Merriam Webster Dictionary, pages 234-235). However, these dreams are many times thwarted by many obstacles along the way, as happens to George and Lennie’s in John Steinback’s novel, Of Mice and Men. George promises Lennie’s aunt Clara, right before she dies, that he will take care of Lennie, and that they will always be together.
During the 1930’s, people like Lennie, who has a mental handicap, and black’s, such as Crooks, the stable man, are discriminated. During this time, also known as the Great Depression, barn workers like George and Lennie would go around looking for work at
a ranch. Very few Americans owned land, and only rarely did they have any freedom.
George and Lennie want to buy a piece of land. To George this symbolizes his freedom, he will then be able to control his destiny, yet to Lennie, it means he will be able to tend the rabbits, and therefor pet them as much as he likes. Steinback expresses some of man’s hopes and dreams through the main characters actions.
George and Lennie live in hope that their own, very particular dream, will one day come true. They hope they will work enough to earn the sufficient amount of money needed for their piece of land. The land is important to them because it symbolizes their liberty,
their independence. From the moment they buy the land and on, they become independent human beings. They stop depending on whether they have a job, on whether they have enough food amongst other things. They dream of building a small house on this land, and on having a small farm with chickens and rabbits and cows. Lennie’s greatest dream is being able to tend the rabbits. Whenever Lennie does anything wrong, instead of thinking of the consequences that may follow, he only thinks of not being able to tend the
rabbits when they acquire their new home. Lennie tries not upset George, because when he does, George threatens not to let him tend the rabbits. George, on the other hand, dreams on living a self sufficient life off the money and food they can make off the land and the animals.
To paraphrase Robert Burns-"The best laid plans of mice and men go awry". This is a bleak statement and it is at the centre of the novel's action. George and Lennie have the dream of owning their own ranch and living a free independent life; they would be self-reliant and most of all they would be safe from a harsh and hostile world. Other characters in the book also try to buy into their dream ie, Candy and Crooks. Ultimately, the dream unravels and like a Greek Tragedy, the ending is terrible but also predictable.
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)."
George and Lennie need each other to achieve their dream of their own farm with rabbits to tend. Lennie could not take care of his rabbits or even survive without George.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, she offers an intoxicating account of two souls awakened by a storm. The story was composed on July 19, 1898. At this time in history women were considered objects, their sole purpose in life was to serve their husbands. In addition, social stratification was an important aspect of society that determined who they married. Calixta’s marriage could have been a product of an arrangement, making it of unnatural origin. Chopin points out singular characteristics of the storm to shed light on the uncommon strength of a marriage when it is not determined by social norms. Consequently, Chopin brings Calixta and Alceé together to embellish their passion, in which Calixta plays an active role rather than a submissive one.
In literature, symbolism is used to give meaning to certain things throughout a story that are different than their literal sense. Symbolism also gives the writer freedom to add a deeper meaning to their work. The storm that took place in Kate Chopin’s story, The Storm, is used to symbolize getting Alcee and Calixta back together, the passion between the two of them, and to keep Bobinot and Bibi from returning to the gallery to find Alcee and Calixta.
In Kate Chopin’s “The Storm”, sin happens to make a bond stronger than before. The story illustrates a couple who seems to be similar to the nature surrounding them. Both Calixta and Bobinôt happen to be going through a stormy period in their marriage. Although they are going through this turbulent period, Bobinôt’s actions display his imperfect but unconditional love for his wife. Bobinôt may not be the husband Calixta dreams of but throughout the story he illustrates that it does not matter what happens, the storm will pass and he will love her no matter what.
George and Lennie depended on their dream as motivation to live on and work. They've been working all their life to accomplish their dream. While taking a break by a pond on the way to another ranch, Lennie asked George to tell him why they are working and saving money. "Guys like us got nothing; they work up a stack and blow it in the town. But we're different, we got a future " (14). Most workers back then just live on day by day, without a goal. But George and Lennie are different, they got a dream to work and live for. Lennie kept on wanting to be told about their dream a few times in the story, indicating that it's really important to them. George depends on the dream to save up money and take care of Lennie instead of using all the money like all the other workers. While staying in the cabin, Lennie asked George about their dream. "George, how long's it gonna be till we get that little place an' live on the fatta the land and rabbits" (56). George and Lennie's dream has been repeated several times in the story. Each time they describe it, it gives them more will to work and try to accomplish the dream. The dream keeps George and Lennie together so they can work toward their dream. Without the dream, George and Lennie would be different from what they are now. George would be like the other workers, spending all the money right after getting them. And Lennie might be in jail for accused of rape or get bullied by other workers.
Lennie, a main character, had a dream to tend rabbits on a ranch as he had an obsession with soft objects/animals. Lennie tries to achieve his dream by sticking with his friend George, and finding work to save up money. He is not successful, because he is killed at the end of the story, Lennie says, “It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on...George. How I get to tend the rabbits.”(Steinbeck 14). Lennie is asking George to tell him what the
These two themes are built upon two main characters. Even the smallest details of these characters bring out the themes in a way that can only give the story a happy ending. Calixta still has a place in her heart for Alce, her prince charming, which gives the affair a chance to happen. The overall story is symbolized through the color white and the passing storm which intensifies all of the emotions in the story. “The Storm” was a controversial story that many did not approve of when it was first written. Today it is appreciated, along with most of Chopin’s work, as an important part of the feminine
Dreams in the book Of Mice and Men Is the main purpose of the story. George and Lennie have dreams of owning their own farm. When George gets angry with Lennie or one of the two men just need an uplifting George tells the repeating story of how he and Lennie will own their own farm. George tells Lennie that being a ranch hand is a lonely career path but since George and Lennie had each other that they would not be lonely. George also tells him that as soon as they can save enough money they will buy this farm. At the farm they will grow their own food and raise livestock. Lennie would be the rabbit tenet so he can pet them because Lennie loves to pet soft things. George also has dream or maybe it is mor...
George and Lennie have to continue to move around the country looking for work until Lennie screws up again. The instability of work only makes it that much harder for them to complete their dream of a farm of their own. Candy’s participation in the dream of the farm upgrades the dream into a possible reality. As the tending of rabbits comes closer to happening fate curses them with the accidental death of Curley’s wife. The end of their wishful thinking is summed up by Candy’s question on page 104, “Then-it’s all off?”
The story begins on a very sad note especially in the eyes of a reader. Mrs. Mallard is said to have a “heart
Lennie dreamed about tending the rabbits on the farm with George, but Lennie doesn’t have a chance to do that anymore. Curly’s wife wanted to be an actress in Hollywood for a show, but she never got the call that she’s in. Crooks never got to be a free slave. But this story at least talked about the characters trying to reach those dreams, which shows they have dignity and pride within themselves. But in reality, dreams are something we stride for, dreams will never be perfectly perfect nor perfectly
Most women in Mrs Mallard’s situation were expected to be upset at the news of her husbands death, and they would worry more about her heart trouble, since the news could worsen her condition. However, her reaction is very different. At first she gets emotional and cries in front of her sister and her husbands friend, Richard. A little after, Mrs. Mallard finally sees an opportunity of freedom from her husbands death. She is crying in her bedroom, but then she starts to think of the freedom that she now has in her hands. “When she abandoned herse...
Mrs. Mallard’s repressed married life is a secret that she keeps to herself. She is not open and honest with her sister Josephine who has shown nothing but concern. This is clearly evident in the great care that her sister and husband’s friend Richard show to break the news of her husband’s tragic death as gently as they can. They think that she is so much in love with him that hearing the news of his death would aggravate her poor heart condition and lead to death. Little do they know that she did not love him dearly at all and in fact took the news in a very positive way, opening her arms to welcome a new life without her husband. This can be seen in the fact that when she storms into her room and her focus shifts drastically from that of her husband’s death to nature that is symbolic of new life and possibilities awaiting her. Her senses came to life; they come alive to the beauty in the nature. Her eyes could reach the vastness of the sky; she could smell the delicious breath of rain in the air; and ears became attentive to a song f...