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

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Hard Work Will Pay Off
The American Dream is the dream to be rich and wealthy. Jeff Bezos is one example of a person living the American dream with his ownership of amazon. People pursue the American Dream because they have to go all or nothing. People might also pursue the American Dream because they have a sense of urgency to try and never give up. Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks are characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men whose struggles with mental disability, rough childhood, and racial discrimination lead to broken dreams that negatively impacted their lives.
To begin, Lennie’s experience with his mental disability ruined his dream and drastically changed his life due to his poor choices.According to Lennie Steinbeck’s story “Mice and Men” during the time they were in weed he said “ they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead--because they was so little” ( Steinbeck 10). This shows that Lennie struggled to realize the difference between right and wrong. Lennie killed the mice and did not believe that it was a bad thing; this shows that he does not understand his strength. The narrator …show more content…

Crooks emphasizes that “ They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). This explains that black people back then were not able to do some things that the whites were allowed to do because of Jim Crow Laws. Curley’s wife shows how Crooks is treated on a daily basis by “ You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” ( Steinbeck 80). This shows that because of the color of Crook’s skin he had to walk on shells around all the people because he is in a worse situation then the rest of them since he is a slave. Finally, Crooks is treated unfairly because of the color of his skin and not by the way he acts which is

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Crooks is a character that is very overlooked in the novella. The book took place a little after the American Civil War, and lots of these vets are still alive and well. So, the basis of racism is still prominent around the nation and especially in the vast regions of the farming lands. Which keeps Crooks contempt from reaching his dreams in life because of his race. For example he says, "S'pose you didn't have nobody.

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This shows Crooks is treated unfairly since he is the only African American man working in a ranch full of white men. When Crooks tells Curley’s Wife to leave his room and that she doesn’t have a right to be in there, she gets angry and threatens him by saying, “Well, you keep your place then,

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This is an example of racism. Looking up to the positive side, more than likely the actions would backfire on those who have been very disrespectful to Crooks. Closing Sentence: It is unfortunate how Crooks isn’t treated the correct way because he is

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adding to that, Crooks didn't have any friends. Moreover, Crooks had no friends, no one to play with, Crooks did his work around the farm and once he was finished he would go back into his room, racism was towards him since he was the only black person at the Bunk. In addition, Lennie and Crooks become friends, when most of the guys were out to town, Lennie went into crooks is room uninvited, Crooks thought about kicking him out but the didn’t because he hadn't had any company for a long time now(). Crooks is lonely and he is the only black men at the Bunkhouse he is totally an

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Although Crooks is the only one that has his place the way he complains about not being able to play cards suggests that he would prefer being with the other guys. Also, another form of discrimination Crooks suffered was being called racial slurs. Throughout the book, he is called multiple times racial slurs. " Ya see the stable buck's a nigger."

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Pursuing the Unattainable ¨Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.¨ An unalienable right, provided by the Constitutions Declaration of Independence, a right in which our government is expected to secure. The idea of a ¨happiness¨ that could be, allows us to hope, hope for a better and more fulfilling life. Something that we can not only reach for and attain but maintain as well. The life we fantasize about, our ¨white picket fence,” and American Dream.

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He is like all of the other workers except he has a different skin color. “This is just a nigger talkin’ , an’ a busted black nigger” (71). Crooks knows that the other workers call him a “nigger” or “black” and they do not see him as a regular human. He is all alone out in his barn because the others have prejudice against African-Americans. Crooks is very lonely because he has no one that is compassionate for

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American Dream is the idea that everyone should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination. George is important to the story because he teaches and helps Lennie do the right thing, due to his mental disability, Lennie doesn’t know right from wrong. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George expresses to Lennie throughout the story that you can get anything you want, with the hard work you put toward it. The author, John Steinbeck, does a really good job expressing the process George takes to develop the theme that it is human nature to want our dreams to come true because of the hard work we put toward it. George and Lennie have been traveling place to place, trying to find a job, so that they can get the money they need to be able to purchase their own land, “You jus’ stand there and don’t say nothing…

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Achieving the American Dream "The ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved" (Oxford Languages) is the idea of the American Dream. This idea is exhibited through all walks of life and in many books throughout the height of the 20th century. " Of Mice an Men" by John Steinbeck conveys this very well through the goals of the migrant American worker. In the book George and Lennie must work as ranch hands in the hope of saving up enough money to buy a small farm and work on their own. As the American Dream says itself, achieving it is possible for anyone no matter their mental deficiencies that somebody has or the job they do to achieve it.

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The reader is led to believe this through the author's quotes when Lennie asks, "Why ain't you wanted?”, and Crooks responds, "Because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.” (P. 68). The reader understands that Crooks is not accepted by the other workers on the ranch because of his race.

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Next, Curley’s wife has just called Crooks the N-word and called him nothing but a colored man. “Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself” (Steinbeck, 80). Crooks was starting to feel accepted by Candy and Lennie because they were not judging him on the color of his skin, and Crooks began to feel somewhat equal. Crooks was put right back into his isolation when Curley’s wife called him the N-word making him feel discriminated against. Crooks is isolated from the rest of the characters in Of Mice and Men due to discrimination and

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1091 Words | 5 Pages

American Dream American Dream has many different definitions in this day and age. For some it 's starting from little and making their way up to a successful prosperous life. For others it 's reaching happiness and a family. And for some the American dream is freedom but however the American dream is portrayed they all have something in common and that is happiness.

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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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Crook’s character is being discriminated due to his skin color which soon caused him to be disregarded. Although at a certain point, Crooks stood up but no good has come to him. Challenging discrimination is strenuous, however it is necessary in order for an individual to advance. One of the most lousy assumption made during the novel’s time period is the hierarchy between the color of men.

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282 Words | 2 Pages

Another example of Crooks getting discriminated because he is black is when he and Curley’s wife are arguing. She completely shuts him down by saying how she could get anyone to lynch him at any time. Crooks can say nothing but “Yes, ma’am”. Even Curley’s wife, who is considered weak, can pick on even weaker people, like Crooks.

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