Everyone has a dream, whether they acknowledge it or not; everyone has a longing deep down to do something or be something. Throughout John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, dreams are an play a quintessential part of the character’s lives and goals. They are able to give someone a purpose, but also affect them negatively, which can be seen in both works. Firstly, A Raisin in the Sun depends greatly on the presence of the Younger family’s dreams; each family member has distinct dreams and intend for them to come true. For instance, Walter is determined to be self-sufficient and run the liquor store, resulting in the ability to supply for his family. This is seen in Walter’s monologue about what will
…show more content…
For example, Lennie has the dream of living on the rabbit farm with George; within the first chapter, this is introduced to the reader. Lennie asks George to tell him about the farm to which he replies, “Well, we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work…”(Steinbeck 14). The idea of the rabbit farm for George is to no longer have to answer to anyone else; he wants to be free. Lennie, on the other hand, is more focused on playing with the rabbits. Throughout the novel and before the novel even begins, however, Lennie makes it nearly impossible for his dream to be achieved, ultimately leading to his death. Furthermore, it is seen that dreams can lead to a sense of false hope, though it is not a pleasant idea; Lennie is so set on living his dream that he fails to realize that the dream is impractical. Part of this could be caused by Lennie’s mental disability, but that still does not change the fact that Lennie’s dream never does come true. In addition, Curley’s wife tells Lennie that she always had a dream to become a movie star; she says, “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes… An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels an’ had pitchers took of me…” and that she “don’ like Curley”(Steinbeck 89). She blames her lack of success on both Curley and the man that promised …show more content…
In A Raisin in the Sun, both Beneatha and Walter have a sense of false hope that are attached to their dreams, while Mama’s dream comes true in the end. In Of Mice and Men, both Lennie and Curley’s wife’s dreams do not come true; their whole purpose for living was their dream. Lennie continues to work hard and tries to stay out of trouble in order to achieve his dream, which is his purpose. Curley’s wife continues to seek attention on the ranch because she feels trapped inside of her dream that will never become a reality. Clearly in both works, dreams do more harm to the characters than they do help, but they are still important. Each work makes a point to say that sometimes, dreams are all one has. Though it may be an unfortunate reality, both Steinbeck and Hansberry make it an important part of the characters’
For example, Lennie has the dream of living on the rabbit farm with George; within the first chapter, this is introduced to the reader. Lennie asks George to tell him about the farm to which he replies, “Well, we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work…”(Steinbeck 14). The idea of the rabbit farm for George is to no longer have to answer to anyone else; he wants to be free. Lennie, on the other hand, is more focused on playing with the rabbits. Throughout the novel and before the novel even begins, however, Lennie makes it nearly impossible for his dream to be achieved, ultimately leading to his death. Furthermore, it is seen that dreams can lead to a sense of false hope, though it is not a pleasant idea; Lennie is so set on living his dream that he fails to realize that the dream is impractical. Part of this could be caused by Lennie’s mental disability, but that still does not change the fact that Lennie’s dream never does come true. In addition, Curley’s wife tells Lennie that she always had a dream to become a movie star; she says, “Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes… An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels an’ had pitchers took of me…” and that she “don’ like Curley”(Steinbeck 89). She blames her lack of success on both Curley and the man that promised …show more content…
In A Raisin in the Sun, both Beneatha and Walter have a sense of false hope that are attached to their dreams, while Mama’s dream comes true in the end. In Of Mice and Men, both Lennie and Curley’s wife’s dreams do not come true; their whole purpose for living was their dream. Lennie continues to work hard and tries to stay out of trouble in order to achieve his dream, which is his purpose. Curley’s wife continues to seek attention on the ranch because she feels trapped inside of her dream that will never become a reality. Clearly in both works, dreams do more harm to the characters than they do help, but they are still important. Each work makes a point to say that sometimes, dreams are all one has. Though it may be an unfortunate reality, both Steinbeck and Hansberry make it an important part of the characters’