How Does Steinbeck Create Conflict In Of Mice And Men

Dreams allow people to express hope in their daily lives and motivate them to navigate their life. All characters within Steinbeck's novel have dreams, and they use their dreams as the power to keep working. However, dreams can also cause conflict because some characters may try anything to accomplish their goals. The entire novella of Mice and Men portrays the importance of dreams, and characters seek to achieve their dreams differently.
For example, one of the multiple dreamers found in Of Mice and Men include Lennie. Even though his dream came from the idea of George, Lennie still believes the idea of living on their own ranch would be wonderful: "The rabbits we're gonna get, and I get to tend 'em, cut grass an' give 'em water, an' like that." Lennie obsesses with behaving properly for George so he can take care of rabbits: "If I get in any trouble, you ain't gonna let me tend the rabbits." Unfortunately, this dream of Lennie's causes conflict for him due to his killing of animals, including Curley's wife, trying to reach his dream. …show more content…
Curley's wife mentions in the novella that she had dreams of becoming an actress before she met Curley: "'I coulda made somethin' of myself.' She said darkly, 'Maybe I will yet.'" Similar to Lennie's, Curley's wife's dreams also caused conflict, but to herself. She implies to the reader that she settled for marrying Curley because her mother made her believe that she could not fulfill her dreams. The unwanted idea filled Curley's wife's mind and she decided she could not pursue her desires. Her insecurities cause her to act out while living on the ranch because she wants attention from other men, which Curley does not give