Of Mice And Men Essay: The American Dream Or Dreamt?

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The American Dream or Dreamt?
In the realistic novella Of Mice and Men, author John Steinbeck paints a vivid picture of poverty stricken men struggling to make it by and pursuing their american dream. Steinbeck relates this American dream to two main characters, Lennie and George, as they travel in search of jobs, and chase their own american dream. The book takes place during the greatest economic depression ever to hit the states, the Great Depression. During this time many workers migrated to find work in minimum paying jobs, and horrible working conditions. Workers were in dire of hope and a feeling of importance in life, often they built a perception of economic prosperity, called the American dream. The american dream is a natural ethos
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Many barriers prevent working men from gaining economic advantages. Whether it’s their financial state doesn’t allow them to get a head start, or the whole system is at fault for their shackled poverty-bearing status. In the book, many characters display this theme. Candy, wanting a meaning of life, a sense of importance, and ownership. George and lennie want to own their own piece of land and value not having anyone boss them around. This dream however will never be attained due to the hard times and events that come to face George and Lennie in the depression of the 1930’s. “Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”(Steinbeck 3) In this quote Steinbeck describes vividly that the american dream is unachievable for most men in the 1930’s due to circumstances. Steinbeck creates this illusion to draw contrast between the haves, and the have nots. In the book there are very specific identifiers as to why their dream is unattainable. George and Lennie have a recurring problem of Lennie always causing trouble in every town they go to work in. Lennie ends up murdering curley's wife, son of the ranch owner, setting George and Lennie off on foot to escape from being killed. …show more content…
For Lennie and George, they wish to own their own farm, live off the land, be their own boss, and sustain themselves; this represents the ideal American western civilization lifestyle. Curley’s wife explains her internal desire to be a movie star before suffering a premature death. Even Crooks, with his ethnic and societal set backs, fantasizes of hoeing one of lennie’s gardens one day. Also, Candy attaches onto George and Lennie’s dream and gives them a light at the end of the tunnel with his offer to help fund their own ranch. “This isn’t me ya’ know, I could’ve made something of myself”(Steinbeck 81). In this quote Curley’s wife mourns over her American dream being tarnished by Curley, and the fact that it’s too late to be prosperous and she already missed her chance at the american

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