Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
In chapter one, while they are sitting on a river bank, Lennie encourages George to tell him the story of how they plan to live their American dream. George reluctantly replies, “We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. [When] it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with [going] to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and [sit] around it [and] listen to the rain [coming] down on the roof. . . .” (Steinbeck 14). They simply want a permanent place of their own to call home. They do not want to worry about

Although George is angry with Lennie, he reassures Lennie all is well and retells him the story of their farm. George relinquishes the American dream of owning a farm and the chance of a better life with Lennie. He is now fully aware that all of his plans and dreams amount to nothing. George also realizes he is just a lowly migrant worker with no future; he will never own a little piece of land to call home sweet home. Lennie gives George a sense of meaning and purpose in life. The death of Lennie gives way to the death of their American dream