Chris Young
Ms. Clancy
American Literature A4
29 September 2014
A Glimmer of Hope An important theme in Of Mice and Men is that of hopes and dreams. The main dream is that of George and Lennie to own a small farm and work self-sufficiently. The story both begins and ends with George telling the dream to Lennie. As the story goes on, George and Lennie’s dream draws in both Crooks and Candy. All of these hopes and dreams affect the way the characters behave throughout the novel. The time period this novel is set in is during the American Depression of the 1930s. During this time period, many Americans were struggling to make ends meet. Many of them left their homes in the East and traveled West to work on ranches and farms., and eventually save …show more content…
At first Crooks feels intruded when Lennie walks in, “You have no right to come in my room. Nobody got any right in here but me” (68). However, Lennie’s innocence and happy curiosity wins him over. Crooks tells Lennie about the difficulties of being the only black man on the ranch, “‘S’pose you didn 't have nobody. S 'pose you couldn 't go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you was black. How 'd you like that?’” (72). Crooks feels isolated from the other men, and knows that the color of his skin is the main reason that he is discriminated against. When Candy enters Crooks’ room, and tells that they have the money to buy the ranch, he then sees his chance to be a part of their dream. He offers, “ ‘If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing- just keep, why I’d come and lend a hand’ ” (76). He wants a chance to escape his lonely and boring ranch life, in which he has to read books to compensate for having no one to talk to. The perfect world for Crooks is one that reminds him of his childhood. His father owned a chicken ranch with plenty of chickens, alfalfa, and a berry patch. Companionship and ample food are part of Crook’s …show more content…
However, this “American Dream” was very difficult to attain. Crooks and Candy each have their own disabilities, and never had the chance fulfill their dreams. When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch, their dream gives Candy and Crooks hope again for a better future. Before Lennie’s imminent death, George talks to Lennie one last time. “Look acrost the river, Lennie, an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it” (105). As George tells Lennie to look across the river and imagine their farm, he is leaving Lennie with happy thoughts and a bright future in his mind. But for George, he must go on knowing the failure of his dream, as well as deal with the guilt of having killed his best friend. Without Lennie to take care of, George is now free to pursue other dreams or stay at the ranch and only hope for a better
Ms. Clancy
American Literature A4
29 September 2014
A Glimmer of Hope An important theme in Of Mice and Men is that of hopes and dreams. The main dream is that of George and Lennie to own a small farm and work self-sufficiently. The story both begins and ends with George telling the dream to Lennie. As the story goes on, George and Lennie’s dream draws in both Crooks and Candy. All of these hopes and dreams affect the way the characters behave throughout the novel. The time period this novel is set in is during the American Depression of the 1930s. During this time period, many Americans were struggling to make ends meet. Many of them left their homes in the East and traveled West to work on ranches and farms., and eventually save …show more content…
At first Crooks feels intruded when Lennie walks in, “You have no right to come in my room. Nobody got any right in here but me” (68). However, Lennie’s innocence and happy curiosity wins him over. Crooks tells Lennie about the difficulties of being the only black man on the ranch, “‘S’pose you didn 't have nobody. S 'pose you couldn 't go into the bunk house and play rummy 'cause you was black. How 'd you like that?’” (72). Crooks feels isolated from the other men, and knows that the color of his skin is the main reason that he is discriminated against. When Candy enters Crooks’ room, and tells that they have the money to buy the ranch, he then sees his chance to be a part of their dream. He offers, “ ‘If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing- just keep, why I’d come and lend a hand’ ” (76). He wants a chance to escape his lonely and boring ranch life, in which he has to read books to compensate for having no one to talk to. The perfect world for Crooks is one that reminds him of his childhood. His father owned a chicken ranch with plenty of chickens, alfalfa, and a berry patch. Companionship and ample food are part of Crook’s …show more content…
However, this “American Dream” was very difficult to attain. Crooks and Candy each have their own disabilities, and never had the chance fulfill their dreams. When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch, their dream gives Candy and Crooks hope again for a better future. Before Lennie’s imminent death, George talks to Lennie one last time. “Look acrost the river, Lennie, an’ I’ll tell you so you can almost see it” (105). As George tells Lennie to look across the river and imagine their farm, he is leaving Lennie with happy thoughts and a bright future in his mind. But for George, he must go on knowing the failure of his dream, as well as deal with the guilt of having killed his best friend. Without Lennie to take care of, George is now free to pursue other dreams or stay at the ranch and only hope for a better