How Does Steinbeck Present Dreams In Of Mice And Men

In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses symbolism to emphasize the importance of dreams and how George and Lennie’s dream provides the motivation for everything that happens in the story. This is evident in the passage that begins with “Lennie spoke craftily, ‘Tell me’” and ends with “to the rain comin’ down on the roof” (Steinbeck 13-15). During this part of the novella, Lennie asks George to repeat the dream that they have together, and George does, giving numerous details about their future farm. Everybody needs a goal in life, even if it seems unachievable, because it gives them something to work for. When George is talking to Lennie about other, he conveys them as “They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go into town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to” (Steinbeck 14). In this novella, George and Lennie have the dream of owning their own farm, and specifically for Lennie, tending the rabbits. This is their source of motivation as they go from town to town, looking for new jobs for money. He expresses this

During this time period, many people had very little money without a proper home. They wandered aimlessly from job to job, trying to make any money they could. George and Lennie’s future farm represents a happy place where George, Lennie, and anyone else can be safe from the troubles of the rest of the world. John Steinbeck develops this symbol through his vocabulary and diction. When George is comparing himself and Lennie to other ranchers, he exclaims “We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit-in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go” (Steinbeck 14). He is saying that once they get this farm, they don’t need to worry about anyone else because they have got each