Establish A Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Promised Joy “Dreams are alluring because they can act as beacons of hope and, at times, offer escape from reality. However, the dreams that are harmful are those that become obsessions and are implausible”(Perchik). Desires and ambitions can be beneficial to those who dedicatedly work towards their intent, but when a fixation of an aspiration is present, happiness and morality can be threatened. In John Steinback’s novella, Of Mice and Men, the main character is driven to great extents in order to accomplish a dream that acts as a motivator, but ultimately, serves as the downfall for the character. Lennie, a mentally disabled man, has an ambition to own a farm and pet rabbits, but when his eagerness grows into an obsession, Lennie faces the

Both men aspire to own a “little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs … An’ live off the fatta the lan’” and this wish provides a purpose for them to go on with any difficulties they might face during their journeys(14). Lennie, in particular, looks forward to live on a farm with rabbits and he dreams of a future where he can pet as many rabbits as he craves for; the thought of working toward his goal and satisfying his wish adds meaning to his life and yields a reason for him to listen to his companion and behave. George and Lennie believe that they have a future, and the optimism their yearning brings them differentiates them from the rest of their peers. At a different time in the story, this dream of Lennie’s helps him get through the ultimate consequence. After killing a lady, Lennie flees from the ranch he works on, but is found by George. George utilizes the aspiration both men are longing for, to mercifully kill Lennie and save him from the torture he would face otherwise. With his back towards George, Lennie pleads George to talk about their shared dream and “how it’s gonna be”(105). George makes use of their aspiration and rambles on about how “[they’re] gonna get a little place,” to distract Lennie, while he gets ready to kill his friend. George employs his and Lennie’s shared ambition to distract Lennie and help him get through life’s ultimate consequence, death. Lennie’s death is inevitable, and to soften the killing, George uses the

Lennie’s compulsion to roughly stroke soft and delicate objects proves to be deleterious when he begins to trouble Curley’s wife. His strange actions cause Curley’s wife to begin screaming, which Lennie tries stopping at once. He pleads the wife to stop screaming because “[George] ain’t gonna let [him] tend no rabbits”(91). Lennie is so caught up in his dream to pet rabbits on his farm that he forgets to think about what he’s doing to Curley’s wife and the consequences that he will face for doing what he does. His obsession over rabbits and the farm causes him to unknowingly kill Curley’s wife. This is a direct form of Lennie’s preoccupation affecting those around him and in this scenario, Lennie will have to and eventually does face the consequences for his obliviousness. After killing Curley’s wife, Lennie flees from the ranch he works at and hides next to a river where George had once instructed him to hide at; there, his conscience, portrayed as his aunt, begins to rant about how Lennie is a liability to George. Lennie says to himself, “I might jus’ as well go away. George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits now”(101). Even after killing Curley’s wife and realizing his mistake, Lennie is still thinking about his future with rabbits and how this event will affect his dream. His