In order to be successful, one must see that unrealistic dreams cannot be realized. If one consistently dreams about possibilities that are unlikely, one may miss the realistic opportunities that lay ahead. In the film What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Gilbert had many dreams for himself and his family, so much so that he didn’t see the opportunities that lay ahead of him. When Becky asked him what he wanted, his only wish was to be good. Most of his wishes for his family were unrealistic, so to not have anything of his own was a waste of opportunity. Similarly, in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, when George finds that Lennie has killed Curley’s wife, he relinquishes his dream for himself and Lennie, of how “[they’ll] have a big vegetable …show more content…
In What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Gilbert realizes he and Becky have a nice relationship, and that it’s one he wants to build. However, while building this relationship he ultimately neglects the needs of his family, abandoning Arnie and eventually putting his mother in an embarrassing situation. This put a strain on the family simply because Gilbert failed to put his family and reality first and friendships and dreams second. An event much the same occurs in Of Mice And Men, where George tries to make Lennie happy and puts Lennie's dreams before his own. However, George’s kindness does not stay surfaced for long. George blows a fuse, yelling at Lennie about how “whatever [they] ain’t got, that’s what [he wants]” and how “[he does] bad things and [George] got to get [him] out” (Steinbeck 11). This ends up making Lennie upset, which requires George to bring Lennie back to the same dream. Throughout the novel, George covers Lennie with every mistake the larger man makes, putting a burden on George that leaves him feeling empty. Later, when George isn't looking out for his friend, Lennie kills someone, an accident unfortunately too large to excuse. Both of these examples show how the absence of self-center in dreams can lead to carelessness and