Of Mice And Men American Dream Essay

Improved Essays
American Dream Essay

What is the American dream? Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to look at famous literature to see what is the American dream and if it’s real. Some extensive literature says that it is a thought and nothing more. However, other literature says it exists and it can be achieved in life. Now lets see what is the American dream. The 1930’s was a rough time in America as it is stated in the infamous book Of Mice & Men. This book is stating that the American dream is an illusion and it is not real nor achievable. In Of Mice & Men, Lennie and George Milton set out a journey for their American dream which is to own a ranch. This journey became quite difficult with obstacles in their path for example 4Lennie’s unfortunate mental
…show more content…
Walt Whitman was a white man living through the time of slavery and showed us how real the American dream was during his time period of the mid to late 1800’s. The white men were happy during this time of slavery because they had everything to themselves whether it was food, jobs, freedom, and he shows it in his famous poem “I Hear America Singing”. Whitman states, “I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear…” which he is saying no matter how rough the job is or how tired everyone is, they still go home happy knowing they are providing for their families and had a hard day full of plentiful work. Whitman also states, “Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs,” which is saying that even after every man who worked from dawn to dusk, they still go home with cheerful attitude because he knows that he succeeded day in and day out. Throughout this poem, Whitman describes how each man gets ready for work from the carpenter to the boatman, each man had their own special way of always getting prepared for work while he is still having a cheerful attitude. And this shows that the American dream is alive and is inside all of us in the perspective of

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    America is known as the country full and abundant of opportunity and freedom, where anybody can come and have a fair chance at achieving the desired goal commonly referred to as “The American Dream.” James Truslow Adams describes The American Dream as a “Dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Certain people however, more easily achieve this Dream over others even though America prides itself on being the land of “freedom” and “equality.” The truth about how American society is as diverse and wonderful as many others see it is false. According to the United States census Bureau, people of color are twice as likely to be poor compared to…

    • 1187 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The theme of a story is an idea the author wishes to convey to the readers. It can be expressed directly in the work or revealed through the details of the story, such as plot, characters, and setting. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, one of the most important themes is dreams. The harsh truth that the American Dream-the idea that anyone can achieve goals through hard work and personal sacrifice is only granted to few, is represented in the book. The characters in the novel all dream of a better life, but are unable to achieve it due to various obstacles.…

    • 1006 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The American Dream as it is presented in twentieth century American literature is unreachable and unrealistic in the literature itself and in history, unless one creates one 's own meaning of the American Dream. The ownership of a house can be the first and foremost symbol of wealth, which is the major goal of the American Dream. “Over the course of the…

    • 2198 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Throughout the United States, people, different as they may be, have one goal and desire that is the same. For lots of those people, that goal is just to get around the challenges that one day brings upon them. For many, they will do whatever it takes to provide financially for themselves and or their family, in an attempt to build supportable and desirable lives. This concept is known as the American Dream. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s, Nickled and Dimed and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is an ever lasting concept that is perceived differently by both of the book’s main characters.…

    • 1772 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Lifes dreams may never be as easy to obtain as one might think. Through the characters of Curley's Wife, Lennie, and George, they show how a dream can be unreachable because of obstacles outside of your control. Just working hard and persevering won't always help you achieve your greatest dream. Through the characters of Curley's Wife, Lennie, and George Steinbeck shows that issues outside the control of an individual often limit the achievement of an individual’s dreams.…

    • 1412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Obstacles to The American Dream The American Dreams is the idea that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosper through hard work, determination, and initiative. Mental disabilities is one among one of the many issues that prevent people from reaching their dream. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck tells a story of two partners, Lennie Small and George Milton, who dream of owning a home with a bit of land to start a ranch and live off the land. However, all the social issues and obstacles stand in their way of achieving the American Dream of a ranch.…

    • 1580 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We learned our American Dream; however, I am not alone in my beliefs when it comes to believing the American Dream is still alive. In Brandon King’s essay “ The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold?,” he defines his personal representation of the American Dream and how it is still alive. He chose to redefine the modern day American Dream by turning it into a work ethic, he stated: “work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future." Eventually, he discusses the Great Depression, the time when the term American Dream was created.…

    • 940 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Achieving the American Dream In 1930s the Great Depression effected people in many different ways, but the most signifigant was finalcal saftey. People had to do everything in their power to earn money. The book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression. In the book there is a man named George Milton, who is a migrant worker trying to acheive the American Dream.…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The American Dream varies between each individual. Everyone has a different goal that they would strive to achieve. Some may think the American dream is accomplishing great actions or events, such as obtaining a countless amount of money or living in a mansion. Another perspective is that others would want to get more out of life then what they have previously, such as not being homeless or being financially stable. The American dream can become a reality if the person can motivate themselves to keep going even with one or multiple obstacles in their way.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Of Mice and Men: Unaccomplished American Dreams The book Of Mice and Men really hits on the idea of the American dream and in this case the main characters, George and Lennie’, dream. The dream consisted of George and Lennie owning their own ranch with rabbits for Lennie and extra acres of land for others who wanted to share it with them. Characters like Candy and Crooks dream of having their own farms too. Many can argue that death is the main reason that the dream failed and that is not totally true.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The American Dream is a term used to express the idea that in America, through hard work, someone can attain success and prosperity. The ideas of the American dream have been around for centuries. Everyone has their own version of the American Dream. Some believe the American dream is simply a myth, and some believe it is real. In “The Pursuit of Happyness” by Gabriele Muccino and “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, the authors have different views on the American Dream; Steinbeck believes the American Dream is unachievable while Muccino believes the American dream is attainable but only with hard work and enough ambition.…

    • 1046 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Requiem for the American Dream, Noam Chomsky describes the vicious cycle of how concentration of wealth supplies concentration of power, and the political power turns into legislation which concentrates more wealth, and so on, and so on. Chomsky talks about how people will never be able to reach the American Dream. People will never reach the American Dream because of what Chomsky stated in his documentary, which is because of the wealth of nations, the attack on solidarity, and marginalize the population. In the beginning of the documentary Chomsky agrees with one of Adam Smith’s idea in his book the wealth of nations, when Adam Smith states that the manufactures and merchants are the principle architects in England’s society, and they…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Unfulfilled American Dream “We may come from different places and have different stories, but we share common hopes, and one very American dream,” Barack Obama once stated. This quote agrees particularly to Of Mice and Men in the sense of the workers on the ranch wishing for their own place to call home. George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks all have different backgrounds and past experiences, but share the same dream to buy a farmhouse with the money they earn. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck insinuates dreams give people the hope and strength to survive the struggles in life; however they do not always end in ultimate happiness.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Walt Whitman’s idea of the American Dream cannot be summarized into one sentence. It in its entirety is more complicated than that. Although complicated, Whitman’s American Dream still exists in today’s society. Whitman views the American Dream as a call to arms, a mandatory action that Americans must take.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Of Mice and Men, each character has their own American Dream and the desire to fulfill it. However, the novel depicts the notion of an American Dream as something unattainable. The story takes place during the Great Depression and shows the life of two middle aged men, what their individual American Dreams are, and how they were unsuccessful at attaining them. Of Mice and Men depicts the harsh reality of life during the Great Depression and how it affected people’s dreams and aspirations. In Of Mice and Men, George, Lennie, and Curley’s wife were individuals who suffered during the time of the Great Depression, yet persisted on their American Dream, that unfortunately was unattainable.…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays