Of Mice and Men: The Failure of the American Dream
“Everybody wants a bit of land, not much. Jus’ som’thin’ that was his. Somethin’ he could live on and there couldn’t nobody throw him off of it.” (Steinbeck 74) The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells the story of two companions, Lennie and George, as they navigate the lonely life of the migrant farm worker in California in the late 1800s. Throughout the story Lennie and George are motivated by the idea of having their own farm one day. This dream is shared by many others on the farm, yet each variation of the American Dream fails to be achieved. Steinbeck maintains the reality of the American Dream for the underpriviledged by showing its fragility yet its power as a motivation.
As Lennie and George are the protagonists of the story, their dream is most frequently mentioned and is often reflected on during times of hardship. Lennie and George believe that their …show more content…
She reveals to Lennie that she could have become a movie star and that she never meant to fall into her current living situation on the farm. She tells of a director she met once, “He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.”(Steinbeck 86) On a bitter note, she also tells Lennie, “‘I coulda made somethin’ of myself’ She said darkly ‘Maybe I will yet’” (Steinbeck 85). The quote shows her resentment at being on the farm when she could have been in Hollywood living her dream. She even tells Lennie that she left home to pursue her dreams. “Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make somethin’ of myself” (Steinbeck 86). Curley’s wife hastily married herself into unhappiness, and her dreams of becoming famous were never realized. However, her dream kept her happy on the farm, since she was able to escape to the idea of a better
“Everybody wants a bit of land, not much. Jus’ som’thin’ that was his. Somethin’ he could live on and there couldn’t nobody throw him off of it.” (Steinbeck 74) The novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells the story of two companions, Lennie and George, as they navigate the lonely life of the migrant farm worker in California in the late 1800s. Throughout the story Lennie and George are motivated by the idea of having their own farm one day. This dream is shared by many others on the farm, yet each variation of the American Dream fails to be achieved. Steinbeck maintains the reality of the American Dream for the underpriviledged by showing its fragility yet its power as a motivation.
As Lennie and George are the protagonists of the story, their dream is most frequently mentioned and is often reflected on during times of hardship. Lennie and George believe that their …show more content…
She reveals to Lennie that she could have become a movie star and that she never meant to fall into her current living situation on the farm. She tells of a director she met once, “He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural.”(Steinbeck 86) On a bitter note, she also tells Lennie, “‘I coulda made somethin’ of myself’ She said darkly ‘Maybe I will yet’” (Steinbeck 85). The quote shows her resentment at being on the farm when she could have been in Hollywood living her dream. She even tells Lennie that she left home to pursue her dreams. “Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make somethin’ of myself” (Steinbeck 86). Curley’s wife hastily married herself into unhappiness, and her dreams of becoming famous were never realized. However, her dream kept her happy on the farm, since she was able to escape to the idea of a better