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American dream in literature essay
American dream in literature essay
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Of Mice and Men
Essay Writing
In this essay I will be discussing the novel 'Of Mice and Men' and the importance of the American dream which is a main theme in the novel. I will also be mentioning some other themes which are present such as loneliness, racism, ageism, hardship, friendship and broken dreams.
The American dream states
?All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.?
America is supposed to be a land built on opportunity. It promised independence, land and a decent living throughout honest work. It also meant in theory that anyone can become successful. It is a great dream for the lucky few that succeed,
Throughout this novel the theme of the American dream plays a major role. The characters Lennie and George?s dream is to buy their own ranch together and be their own boss. Throughout the novel the dream is mentioned monotonously by Lennie and George and soon it becomes Candy?s dream, so it is very important throughout the novel because these characters rely on it and it is the only hope which they have left.
The dream is very important because it is what some of the characters rely on and what keeps them going, just the thought that one day they may actually achieve this dream and escape the loneliness and disappointment and peril which is their lives. The dream of the ranch keeps George and Lennie going through the tough times and it infects others like Candy and Crooks yet is just a bunch of words repeated over and over again. It starts off being said rhythmically but by the end they?re spoken monotonously. When George finally accepts that dreams don?t come true, the dream becomes a burden to him.
?Tell about that place George?.
Fragment (consider revising)
?Go on-tell again George!?
This is a bit of a comfort story for Lennie which you tell a child.
Lennie Small, a mentally impaired man, is first introduced to us traveling with George. George, however, is not related to Lennie. Lennie travels with George because no one else understands him like he does. Lennie says, “Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you…” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie believes if George ever left him that he could live in a cave by himself and not bother anyone again (Steinbeck 12). Lennie realizes he would be alone without George, but he never has known anyone else to depend on but George, and from that, they have a bond, a friendship. This shows Lennie’s need for his relationship with George.
The American Dream is a dream that everyone imagines to be picture perfect. The American Dream means having freedom, equality and opportunity’s to achieve the dream that you conceptualize to be right by you. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck did not want to just illustrate the American dream as being easy, but he wanted to point out the American Dream as being difficult too. Steinbeck made a work of art by composing a great novel to make the reader understand that life can be difficult and at times dreams are hard to achieve. Of Mice and Men was written and based on the settings of the Great Depression (Anderson). The Great Depression was a very dire time that left multiple of people despondent and the unavailing to move on with their lives. The Great Depression created a world where everyone had to seek and survive for themselves. In the novel Steinbeck wanted to explore and point out how powerless people where during the time of the Great Depression. Steinbeck purposely incorporated his characters to depict the life struggle of what people go through during grim times. In the novel, Steinbeck illustrated a great set of characters Lennie, George, Candy and Crooks. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck discusses handicaps, hardships, and friendships of the characters.
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.
The America Dream holds a greater significance than that of earning more money or owning and incredible car. It signifies the inner dream that all men aspire to regardless of how trivial it may seem.
... buy the land. This dream helps distract Candy throughout the novel of the harsh reality of his life. Like Crooks, Candy finds companionship and happiness in the other ranch workers. He also finds comfert in the dream that though unrealistic, helps him forget about his lonely life.
George envisions a dream causing Lennie to be manipulated by it. This leads into George believing in the American dream as well. Their dream is to own a farm on a piece of property, own animals, be safe, live in comfort, and find independence. While at the ranch, Lennie explains to George, "An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages...How I get to tend the rabbits" (14). This quote reveals that Lennie does not see the true American dream, his dream is to simply pet rabbits. While George starts to believe in this dream of theirs, he is not sure how both of them will acquire this American dream. This is why the American dream is put to the test. At...
The book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck may have many themes present in the book. However, I think that there is only two. Those two themes are friendship and human nature. These two subjects play a recurring role throughout the whole book to make it what it really is.
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.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
George and Lennie have a dream, even before they arrive at their new job on the ranch, to make enough money to live “off the fatta the land” and be their own bosses. Lennie will then be permitted to tend the rabbits. Candy, upon hearing about the dream, wants to join them so that he will not be left alone, especially after they killed his dog. From the 17th Century, when the first settlers arrived, immigrants dreamed of a better life in America. People went there to escape from persecution or poverty, and to make a new life for themselves.
The two friends George and Lennie dream of their own piece of land with a ranch, so they can "live off the fatta the lan'" and just enjoy a their life. Steinbeck shows how not everyone can achieve the American Dream, and how everyone is not given the same opportunity and rights as everyone else. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm would allow them to have a better life for themselves, and it would offer them protection from an inhospitable world, aka the American Dream. Throughout the book, George realizes the impossibility of this dream, sadly proves that the bitter Crooks is right. such paradises of freedom, contentment, and safety are not to be found in this world. With saying this, Steinbeck exposes to readers that the American Dream is just an idea, and that everyone is not given the same chances in
We also learn how the American Dream has changed for Perry, Dick and for everyone living in Kansas, throughout the book. The American Dream is very important, as we learn how it differed for each character depending on their portrayal of their families. The importance of the author using the portrayals of the characters families was to emphasize the American Dream for different types of people.
Steinbeck uses George and Lennie to support his idea of the American Dream not always being achievable. Through their shared dream and Lennie’s obsession with rabbits, Lennie and George show their passion in achieving their goals. George and Lennie’s planned American Dream proves their vigor to attain their goals, especially since Lennie has George continually retell it. George is coaxed into repeating their dream and says, “‘O.K. Someday ---- 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 ---- ’ ‘An’ live on the fatta the land.’”(14). Lennie interrupts George at the end of their dream and states the last part of it from memory. That shows their dedication because they have everything planned out. Despite their hard work, they don’t achieve their dream. Another instance of this is Lennie’s obsession with rabbits. Lennie loves rabbits and won’t stop talking about them. This is shown when George states, “‘An’ you get to tend the rabbits.’ ...
Although Lennie could not live like a normal adult, he still dreams of a better life filled with the things he desired. Lennie constantly badgers George about the story of the farm where they hope to eventually reside. Lennie sees a place where he faces no adversities, and Lennie dreams of tending the rabbits, stroking their fur and feeding them handfuls of alfalfa. “When they have their farm, as George tells him at the end, Lennie will not need to be scared of bad things any more, and he can tend the rabbits and pet them… Their farm is a place where they can live together, have animals and, in general, feel safe. Lennie has little memory, but the story of their dream is one he knows by heart” (Lennie). In a child- like vision, Lennie still sees the farm he and George often dream about and discuss. Lennie will never forget about the farm until they have achieved their goal. Lennie realizes the farm will be a place of leisure where he can simply tend the rabbits. Lennie always believes and chases after their nearly impossible American
Although there are many important passages in Of Mice and Men, this passage is particularly important to the novella as a whole for a number of reasons. Steinbeck uses this passage to describe, and build up hope for, the dream that George and Lennie have, displaying the hope and naivete hidden beneath George's rough-and-tumble countenance. One major point of information we can glean from this passage is a connection between the title and the events of the novella. This passage displays George acting as a protective guardian or parent figure, a recurring theme throughout the story. The simple, almost childlike, optimistic excitement about the “future” reveals a side of George he doesn't normally allow himself to show. The farm that George describes acts as a sort of catalyst for the rest of the action in the book.