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Comparing The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

964 Words4 Pages

Sometimes the American Dream doesn’t come true, it’s an idea people hope for. Immigrants from all over the world have gone to the United States of America in hope of a better life for themselves and their children. This dream is fueled by the hope of one day leading a happy and prosperous life in a land that allows far more liberty and opportunities than any other. The American Dream is the idea of an individual overcoming all obstacles and beating all odds to one day be successful. This subject is the predominant theme in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, he explores how the American Dream and the desire of accomplishing it affects all human beings through the characters of Lennie,Candy,and Curley’s wife.

Of mice and men came from the saying “The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray and leave us nothing but pain for what might have been.” This is such a well-chosen name of the novel because it explains the factors leading to George and Lennie’s dream. In the following essay I will explain their dream. I will also show how they plan to fulfill this dream. Also I will clarify what finally happens to their dream.Lennie …show more content…

She begins speaking, “in a passion of communication,” to Lennie. This part of the novel demonstrates her humanity and shows the reader she has her own ambitions. We see an ignorant approach and attitude towards her dream,Curly's Wife’s “American dream” is to become a famous actress in Hollywood. "He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon's he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it." It is obvious that Curley’s wife is desperately lonely and her dream is to have many friends. Her dream is cannot be fulfilled unless she finds freedom from her controlling husband, Curley. She is dominated by fear and eventually gives up hope in achieving her American

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American Dream of Mice and Men. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, readers are shown the American Dream through different viewpoints. These different viewpoints are given by characters who give different insight into the American Dream. These characters mentioned previously are George, Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, and they all understand and/or pursue the American Dream in different ways.

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605 Words | 3 Pages

The idea of becoming a movie star one day helps her overlook her loneliness and have something to believe in. She dismally explains to Lennie, “‘He says he was gonna put me in the movies… He was gonna write me about it…’” (86). Despite the fact that she lives in a small town and is married to Curley, Curley’s wife still believes that one day she might be in a movie.

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290 Words | 2 Pages

“For many, the American Dream has become a nightmare,” these all too real words from Bernie Sanders reflect negatively upon the idea of the American Dream. While this quote is about modern-day America, the same idea was used in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. There are numerous points in the story where this idea is stated. Steinbeck promotes the negatives of the American dream heavily in his story Of Mice and Men. There are various points where Steinbeck uses his character's dialogue and actions to show the impossible truth of the American Dream.

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664 Words | 3 Pages

The American Dream The Webster dictionary defines the word dream as “A succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations”. Many people have different perspectives about dreams. In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie set out to achieve their dream of owning a ranch while demonstrating the importance of friendship/companionship, while explaining the power of dreams and the impact they have. Steinbeck has shown throughout the story the bond of friendship is a double-edged sword, because while it can strengthen relationships it can also weaken and destroy them. Steinbeck shows this in the story when George ends Lennie’s life because he looked out for him.

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810 Words | 4 Pages

It is the American Dream. But in the, realistic fiction, novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, no one, no matter how hard he or she tried, achieved their dream. The novella was full of people who tried/worked so hard only to crash and burn. The two main characters that worked the hardest, but never got their dream were George and Lennie.

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542 Words | 3 Pages

“The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.” ㅡ Azar Nafisi. Many Americans have tried to pursue their dream but have failed in doing so. Of Mice and Men is a book about two people, George and Lennie, trying to pursue their dream in Salinas, California. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the death of the American Dream is exemplified through George and Lennie’s obliviousness.

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456 Words | 2 Pages

The main characters(george and lennie) are really close friends and have been working for a long time to achieve their dream. Every day lennie mentions the dream because that's his motivation to work. Through the story, Steinbeck reveals that having a dream is a key aspect in life and can drive you even if the dream seems impossible.

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1801 Words | 8 Pages

The American Dream is only attainable to those who are privileged and considered truly American. Though many immigrants believe that they can grasp the American Dream, it is always out of reach and can never be achieved. The American Dream can never be accomplished through working hard and determination. Often, people chase the American Dream with high expectations for a new life, and they are often disappointed when failure strikes. Because of this, many of the characters in Of Mice and Men struggle to achieve the dreams they’ve been longing for.

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586 Words | 3 Pages

During the Great Depression, many unemployed workers moved to California to look for work on the ranches. This was because they had a dream to become successful, which is also called “the American dream”. In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie, the two main protagonists, worked on a ranch chasing the american dream just like many other americans who dreamt of becoming successful. They tried to save money to buy their own land and live a life where they were successful. However, they never accomplished that, and like many others, did not realize they would never accomplish it.

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947 Words | 4 Pages

In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, throughout the book, there is a recurring theme of characters having their “American Dreams” crushed. The book is set on a ranch in the 1930s, which is the time period of the Great Depression. During these hard times, many people had their dreams crushed and lost almost all progress. In Of Mice and Men, we see that the main characters - Lennie and George - both have an “American Dream”. As the story progresses, we meet more characters that also have dreams.

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1009 Words | 5 Pages

For exactly 240 years, America has been dependent upon a single concept that formulates its very foundation: The American Dream. Throughout generations of history, the validity of the American Dream constantly fluctuates, and every single fluctuation drastically affects American citizens, an effect that is crucial to the success of the United States. Without such a foundation, the qualities of America are eventually undermined and the American Dream dissipates for millions of hard workers attempting to earn the right of egalitarianism, such as George and Lennie during the Great Depression. In John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men", the American Dream is effectively portrayed through dynamic characterization, character relationships, and symbolism.

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1723 Words | 7 Pages

Since 1931 when James Truslow Adams first created the phrase “the American Dream”, people believed that America continuously offered everyone an equal opportunity to be successful. John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, was set during the Great Depression. Farms were struck hard during the Depression, and the two main characters George and Lennie were farm hands during this time. They had experienced the misunderstandings of other farm hands in terms of Lennie’s mental disability, but they were trying to earn enough money to buy their own farm. The idea of this farm drove Lennie and George to keep working, and like many others during this time they hoped to achieve this dream.

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799 Words | 4 Pages

The characters in Of Mice and Men all have original and unique characteristics inside of them, but no matter how different, they all have the same reactions of giving up when thinking about dreams. The main characters George and Lennie, recently unemployed migrant workers, move to a new ranch for work. Thrown into a cruel, misshapen life that doesn’t end well for the majority of characters, George and Lennie find themselves in a dilemma that seems all too familiar. John Steinbeck uses the characters in Of Mice and Men to show that dreams are fragile and they need friends to support them.

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674 Words | 3 Pages

In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the protagonists, George and Lennie have an ambitious dream that leads them through ups and downs. Of Mice and Men was written from inspiration from a poem by Robert Burns named “To a Mouse” which was about how the best dreams often go wrong. Throughout his novella, Steinbeck attempts to tell readers that the American Dream is impossible to achieve and it is not worth setting their mind solely to that dream, as other people will discourage them and it will fall apart. Throughout the novella, George and Lennie encounter many people who tell them that they should give up on their dreams as they are impossible to achieve.

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834 Words | 4 Pages

Everyone aspires to achieve the American Dream: an opportunity to be successful by working hard. Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the American Dream brings hope for a better life for those who hold onto it. George Milton and Lennie Smalls, traveling ranch workers called bindle stiffs, dream of owning their own piece of land where they create the rules. They are not the only characters with hopes and dreams. But Steinbeck shows the American Dream is, in fact, sometimes just a dream through the hopes and actions of Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife.

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