Essay On Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Dreams give individuals a purpose so that progress is attainable. During the Great Depression, the American Dream inspired hope for a better life. Dreams are unattainable, however, they inspire work ethic and faith. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Crooks sheds light on his feelings on the validity of dreams and their effects on migrant workers. Throughout his life, Crooks has seen many people with dreams that are never achieved. “‘Nobody ever gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land… They’re all the time talking about it, but it’s jus’ in their head’” (Steinbeck 72). Crooks believes that dreams never come true, no matter how often they are discussed or how much work goes towards them. As a child, Crooks played with white children that came to his family’s ranch. Crooks dreams of being equal to everyone like he was then, but he knows it is unlikely to happen. Despite this, he makes efforts to have the equality he yearns for by reading and trying to learn. Steinbeck displays how George’s vigorous desire to own a ranch inspires him to work harder. George has a similar dream to Lennie and concludes that they can work together. He excitingly realizes, “‘Look, if me an’ Lennie work a month an’ don’t spend nothing, we’ll have a hundred bucks’” (58-59). Instead of spending his money for his

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. Even though she is married, she uses her power as a white woman on the ranch to flirt with ranch workers and feel like she is living the drama-filled life of a movie