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

The implications of the American Dream in the United States during the 1930s affected society’s mindset towards hopes and dreams due to the Great Depression at the time. Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck (1937) and follows Lennie and George. The novella conveys the importance of hopes and dreams in terms of the necessity of them to survive through characterisation and personal experiences. This concept is explored through the protagonist’s dream, which communicates the positives of believing and by the negative side effects of the absence of any dreams and hopes. Steinbeck utilises the positive perspective Lennie and George have towards life, portrayed through the beacon of hope that stems from their dream. George’s reaction

Personification is used to create an emotional connection between the audience and the reader, as well as to emphasise the value of the “little old place” to the characters by comparing it to a human life. This phrase convinces the audience of the magnetic quality of the dream by giving it a realistic, if not visceral, feeling. Succeeding in fulfilling the American Dream was a far-fetched fantasy for most, especially during the Great Depression, which is why those owning it were revered and explains George’s ecstasy after hearing Candy’s input. Lennie constantly refers to the dream through the expression, “An’ live off the fatta lan’.an’ have rabbits”(16). This line is an idiom, representing the similar ideals towards the American Dream and Lennie’s dream as it depicts the freedom and the improvement in quality of life that comes with the dream. Symbolism is also used, rabbits, which are a recurring motif which symbolise the American Dream in Lennie’s interpretation. The italics used highlight the significance of the dream and creates the initial connection between the phrase and the rabbit. Allusion to the dream by this phrase is

Curley’s wife admits to Lennie that she once had a dream. “Coulda been in the movies an’ had nice clothes.an’ I coulda sat in the big hotels, an’ had pitchers. I coulda went to them an’ spoke on the radio an’.”(87). Repetition of an’ lets the audience grasp to the extent of desperation and yearning to fulfil her dream experienced by Curley’s wife. Moreover, it signifies the bitterness she is encased in as a result of scrapping the dream. Diction is in past tense, highlighting that she has given up and no longer thinks she could “be in the movies”. Her broken dreams and the complete relinquishment are portrayed in anaphora through the reiteration of “coulda”. In the 1930s women were expected to stay at home, with most not succeeding when working, so after Curley’s wife abandoned her dreams, she took on the stereotypical role, trying to forget and start a clean slate. Crooks, who has observed a variety of people over his lifetime, explains to Lennie after hearing about his dream, ““I see hundreds of men. with their bindles on their back and’ that same damn thing in their heads. hundreds of them. and every damn one of em’s got a little piece of land in his head. never a God damn one of em gets it. It’s just in their head.” (73). The repetition of the phrase, “hundreds of them” conveys the rarity of the fulfillment of the dream and how it