How Does Steinbach Use Realism In Of Mice And Men

In Of Mice and Men, Steinbach uses Realism to disprove the romanticized idea of the American Dream. Sheinbach shows this through the different characters on the ranch. The first example is with Candy, he is an old swamper with a missing hand who has been on the ranch for a long time. When he hears about George and Lennie’s dreams of moving onto their own farm, he immediately jumps at the chance to join them, "‘S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hunderd an' fifty bucks I'd put in. I ain't much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How'd that be?’" (Chapter 3, 58 - 61). Candy had been working and saving for almost his whole life, it is very similar to George and Lennie’s plans of working and saving to buy their

Another instance of this is shown through Curley. Curley is extremely insecure and the Boss’s son, which is a major reason George tells Lennie to stay away from him (Chapter 2, 29). Throughout the book, Curley is rarely shown working, rather he is mostly shown walking around the farm and trying to pick fights with Lennie. It’s like what George tells Lennie, “Curley don't take no chances. He always wins." (Chapter 2, 29). His character shows how it’s not about how hard one works or how skilled they are, if you weren’t already born into success you will never be able to reach it. Lastly, Sheinbach shows this through Lennie. Lennie is the embodiment of hope for a brighter future, throughout the story he is constantly asking George to tell him their dream of owning a ranch and raising rabbits. Lennie is constantly asking, "George, how long's it gonna be till we get that little place an' live on the fatta the lan-an' rabbits?" (Chapter 3, 56). He truly believes that he and George will reach their dream, which is all the more tragic when he is killed as George is telling him their dream (Chapter 6, 105). When Lennie died, the dream died alongside