Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men is an American literary classic. It is a novel set in the 1930s Great Depression era, and was written by John Steinbeck in 1937. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two migrant farmers named George and Lennie. George is a short man - both in temper and height. He is traveling with his longtime friend, Lennie. In many ways, Lennie is the opposite of George. While George is small of stature, his companion is big. Lennie also has a mental disability, which causes many characters in Of Mice and Men to comment on his childlike actions and chatter - which has gotten him in trouble with the law and coworkers in the past. Throughout the novel, they meet many people on the farm they find work on. Among these people are the son of the

One thing that connects all of these unlike people is their collective dream to belong somewhere, and be more self-reliant - and more specifically, for George and Lennie to own their own home and “live off the fatta’ the lan’”. This is because it is an ambition echoed by the majority of people living on the farm. Thus, Steinbeck develops the theme that dreams have the ability to connect, inspire, and motivate people of all backgrounds. He does this through the major and minor characters in Of Mice and Men conversing about their dreams.

George and Lennie, the major characters in Of Mice and Men, share their dreams with each other, and the people they meet on the farm. Their dream inspires and motivates them to keep moving forward and working hard for a better tomorrow. On page 14, George is talking to Lennie about their dream: “Someday - we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs.” Even though George and Lennie are not on the farm yet, they’re already contemplating their future. This is an instance of their dream of owning a house

This connects, inspires, and motivates them, even through all of their differences. On page 60, George is speaking to Lennie about the the logistics of their dream. Candy joins in, disclosing his own dream in the process: “Maybe if I give you guys my money, you’ll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain’t no good at it… But I’ll be on our own place, an’ I’ll be let to work on our own place.” Candy clearly wants to get off the farm as much as George and Lennie do. However, he could not stop working there because he thought of his dream as unachievable, and as such was not able to be inspired and motivated by it. But afterwards, when George and Lennie come along with their dream and a goal to attain it, Candy became hopeful again about achieving his dreams since they now seem much more attainable. This demonstrates how dreams can inspire and connect people of all ages. Crooks also joins in about his dream when Lennie tells him about his and George’s on page 76: “...If you… guys would want a hand to work for nothing - just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.” Keep in mind that Crooks has a different skin color than the rest of the workers on the farm, and is treated poorly in society because of that. Nevertheless, his dream of being self-dependent is the same as George, Lennie, and Candy.