Hope In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

368 Words2 Pages
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck reveals that the presence of hope ensures success in life, but also that the lack of hope can lead to downwards spiral. Steinbeck demonstrates this in the final chapters of the book, as more is learned about the individual backstories of each character. The first character that’s revealed was Crooks, who explains his history at the ranch to Lennie, saying, “‘I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches,.... An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it.’”(74). Overtime, by seeing countless examples of men having dreams that they never achieved, Crooks begins to believe that there is no hope or chance for anybody’s success, especially him. He continues to believe this, staying at