According to Gene Smiley, an economics professor at Marquette University, during the Great Depression, the unemployment rate in 1933 was at an all-time high of 25%. In the book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the main characters, George and Lennie, face tough times during the Great Depression as they try to find work. It’s even more difficult for them to find work because Lennie always creates trouble for himself, which causes them to repeatedly lose their jobs. Throughout the book, Steinbeck shows how the characters evolve as they encounter challenges at their new job. George is motivated by his goal to own land in the beginning, but by the end, he knows it will never be a reality, which shows that dreams can fade because of unequal access
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First, George fantasizes about owning land. For example, when talking with Lennie, George says, “‘’O.K. Someday--we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and---’ ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’,’ Lennie shouted” (14). George and Lennie have a dream to own land. Steinbeck uses the symbol “live off the fatta the lan’” to represent the idea of living comfortably and having a surplus of resources. This is a symbol because the phrase “live off the fat of the land” does not make literal sense. When George fantasizes about the farm, he gives himself and Lennie hope that the American Dream can come true even for poor laborers. George suspects that he doesn’t have enough resources to put his plan into action, until he meets Candy. Next, George begins to believe that with Candy’s help, he may be able to achieve his goal by pooling his resources with Candy. Likewise, when George is planning with Candy, George exclaims, “‘We’ll do her,’ he said. ‘We’ll fix up that little old place an’ we’ll go live there.’ He sat down again. They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely
First, George fantasizes about owning land. For example, when talking with Lennie, George says, “‘’O.K. Someday--we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and---’ ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’,’ Lennie shouted” (14). George and Lennie have a dream to own land. Steinbeck uses the symbol “live off the fatta the lan’” to represent the idea of living comfortably and having a surplus of resources. This is a symbol because the phrase “live off the fat of the land” does not make literal sense. When George fantasizes about the farm, he gives himself and Lennie hope that the American Dream can come true even for poor laborers. George suspects that he doesn’t have enough resources to put his plan into action, until he meets Candy. Next, George begins to believe that with Candy’s help, he may be able to achieve his goal by pooling his resources with Candy. Likewise, when George is planning with Candy, George exclaims, “‘We’ll do her,’ he said. ‘We’ll fix up that little old place an’ we’ll go live there.’ He sat down again. They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely