Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In 1930’s minorities were found lonely and many people could not fulfill the American Dream. John Steinbeck faced hard times during the Great Depression, and he also saw many minorities treated bad while he was growing up. Many people at the farm he worked at were treated with disrespect. John Steinbeck took the struggles he faced in his life and turned it into a book. John Steinbeck was inspired to write Of Mice and Men due to not being able to fulfil the American Dream, the lack of respect of minorities, and the problems of isolation and loneliness of the farm workers. Although being a successful writer, John Steinbeck suffered from not being able to complete his American Dream. John Steinbeck had two unsuccessful marriages, and he

John Steinbeck lived in a time where any people were out of jobs and living conditions were not adequate. To relate, Curley’s wife can not fulfill her American Dream of pursuing acting in life (Steinbeck 89). She tried very hard, but her parents held her back. She could have had the lifestyle of her dreams, but she ended up just living on a farm with a husband who she does not love. In the same fashion, George and Lennie had the American Dream of owning land and having to live of the fat of the land (Steinbeck 58). They could not do this because of low wages, which John Steinbeck also faced. In addition, George and Lennie could not complete their American Dream because Lennie killed Curley’s wife (Steinbeck 91). If this did not happen, they could have lived on the land of their dreams, but John Steinbeck had to show how the dream is nearly impossible due to something interfering with it. Not to mention, Candy wanted to live on the land with George and Lennie, but due to Lennie’s mistake he could not fufil a better lifestyle. In some cases, you cannot control the actions of others affecting your dreams, which is shown in this example. To complete most American Dreams, you most likely need money. In the era of the book, the money made on the farm is not enough for sustainability and for entertainment, which some spend it on (Steinbeck 52). The men and

John Steinbeck had his first experience with minorities treated bad at Stanford (Schultz 1). To relate, Lennie could not get job without having George talk for him because he had a mental disability (Steinbeck 21). John Steinbeck was inspired to write about this because of the time he had to care for his mother when she was ill (Evans 1). During this time period, the disabled need care that they cannot always get from other than family members, this is why Lennie needs George (Shultz 1). If he did not have George, he would have to go to an asylum. The disabled were not the only people treated with impertinence, African Americans were treated horrible in the aspect of respect and living conditions. This is shown by Crooks in Of Mice and Men. Crooks was not treated the same as the others in the book, he has to live in a stable with just animals and no people. He often finds himself lonely because there is no one to talk to. This is just because of his skin color, which John Steinbeck saw many times during his time at Stanford.(Schultz 2). In addition to the discrimination of the minorities, Curley’s wife is portrayed as a lustful person because she is always going around looking for people. She is actually just looking for people to talk to (Steinbeck 28). The women are not treated the same in the book as in John Steinbeck’s life. This is the reason he did not give