The Importance of Dreams in Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck 'OK. Some day - we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and…' This is the dream of George and Lennie and the many other Americans sharing the same life style. In John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice and Men'it would seem the characters lives depend on them still believing in their dreams and that they will come true. In this essay I will describe the dreams that the different characters possess and how they effect their beliefs and their day to day lives. The 'American dream', which arose from the way America was first populated, was that of George and Lennie. By the end of the 1930s, due to the Wall Street Crash and the lack of virgin land still unclaimed by the American people, the dream was shattered. The economic depression in America that was triggered by the Wall Street crash of 1929 was the cause of the poor, laborious, and undeserved life that George, Lennie and many other Americans had to face. They would travel from farm to farm working for their food, their shelter and a small amount of money, which could, and often was, blown on a weekly night out at the local pub or whore house. In this nomadic life style people like George and Lennie owned only the essential and portable possessions, so in the case of George and Lennie were very grateful to have each other. Even though George often complains about having to take Lennie with him where he goes and having to take responsibility for some of his child like mistakes, it is obvious to the reader that George needs Lennie as his friend and work partner and he loves him dearly. Lennie is dependent on George as he has the mental age of a three-year-old child yet is stuck in the body of a huge and very strong grown man. He often makes mistakes and would not be able to
The structure of the american paradox is complex. The dreams set through decades upon decades of generations have consumed the americans way of living. this paradox and dream is what we have come to not just base our entire lives around but build are morals, standards, and expectations for overall existence. “Paradox and Dream “ isn't like Steinbecks normal pieces of literature. Steinbeck's “Paradox and Dreams” is a sarcastic and criticism filled outlook on the self made paradox created by americans and based on their way of living. Steinbeck is a credited author who is also known for writing Of Mice and Men and East of Eden. both well known pieces of literature. But unlike his more famous pieces of literature that are Fictional stories with specific lessons. “Paradox and Dreams” is based on a realistic outlook on american civilization and the fictional expectations people have for life. He criticises the perspective we have on normal living. and informs us of the true reality and reasoning behind what we look at as normal and realistic. he gives a new look and view on a flawed nation of unreasonable perfectionist. It’s believed Steinbecks criticism stems from The american ability to create false hopes and dreams. that ultimately fool themselves into believing that they are something they're not. leaving the outcome to only hurts the community and population.
2.George strives to own a couple acres of land with animals such as pigs and chickens. Lennie strives to tend the rabbits, as he loves soft things.
possessions whatsoever. He hadn’t any toys to play with, he didn’t even have a simple
When Lennie and George encounter Slim, another ranch hand, they automatically respect him and react positively towards him. “This was Slim, the jerkline skinner. His hatchet face was ageless. He might have been thirty-five or fifty. His ear heard more than was said to him, and his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought. His hands, large and lean, were as delicate in their action as those of a temple dancer.” (Steinbeck, 33-34) Slim is the noblest of the ranch as the only character who seems to be at peace with his circumstances and his life. The other characters view slim as wise and respectable man and often go to him for guidance, as the only person who has achieved what he wants in life.
The 3 themes in “Of Mice And Men” are loneliness, powerlessness, and dreams often fail.
The phrase `Of Mice and Men', was first used by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America in 1931.
'I see hundreds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches with
Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan states that, "in the state of nature mans life is nasty, brutish and short". In depression era America, no greater truth could be said. There were millions unemployed, largely unskilled and living on the margins of society. The lowest of the low were the migrant labourers travelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crime was rampant and despair was a fellow traveller. This is the setting of John Steinbeck's, 'Of Mice and Men'.
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
What is the role of dreams in John Steinbeck’s novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ In John Steinbeck’s novella, ‘Of Mice and Men,’ the role of dreams plays a very important part. The book was written during the ‘Great Depression,’ which occurred just after the well known ‘Wall Street Crash.’ The book Of Mice and Men was set in the depression of the 1930’s in California in a place called Soledad. Men travelled around looking for any work they could find, they had to leave families and their homes just to make money. Even firms and companies went bankrupt; these were depressing and desperate times, with no hope and definitely no future.
As a child I remember hearing stories about a lost family fortune from my father’s side of the family. I never put a lot of stock into those stories, but evidently they were true. My father’s side was comprised of farmers for many generations. The Owens family owned thousands of acres of land in Kentucky, on which they farmed tobacco and raised horses and cattle. My father, Leland, blames his grandfather’s generation for whittling away the family’s money. Even with the loss of prestige of owning such an abundance of land, the family continued to farm. I suppose it is all they knew. They became good, working class farmers and small business owners, working on their modest-sized farms. But they did own the land which separates them from the working poor. The sizes of the farms dwindled over the generations; my father’s father, Harlan, owned about 30 acres in northern Kentucky. Harlan’s brother Ralph has expanded his wealth over time and now owns about 600 acres of land in Kentucky.
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
Discuss the theme of the Dream in Of Mice and Men. “Everyone in the world has a dream he knows can’t Come off but he spends his life hoping it may. This is at once The sadness and greatness and the triumph of our species” John Steinbeck = ==
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.