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How Does Steinbeck Present The Delusions In Of Mice And Men

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The delusion of the American dream is a major theme explored throughout the novella, ‘Of Mice and Men’, written by John Steinbeck in 1938. In the novel, the American Dream is a belief that nearly every character has which embodies everything great in life. It means hope that happiness and security are truly possible. George and Lennie have a dream to one day have their own land. Curley’s wife has a dream of being an actress and Crooks wishes he could be treated as an equal. Each of their dreams are revealed as simply being delusions and the characters who counted on them the most are the ones left the most devastated. George and Lennie’s belief that they have something to look forward to exemplifies the delusion of the American dream. The American Dream is portrayed in George and Lennie’s aspirations of having their own land and then ultimately being able to gain full control over their lives. The dream is constantly repeated throughout the novella and is described in the quote, “we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof…” (Steinbeck, p14-15). Steinbeck foreshadows trouble throughout the novel, suggesting that such dreams are simply delusions and that merely having a dream is not enough. Starting …show more content…

Steinbeck presents the characters, George and Lenny, driven by a single dream, which acts as a sense of hope. Curley’s wife dreams of being an actress, instead of being tied to her husband. Marginalised characters like Crooks dream of being treated equally but have already come to see that all such ideals are simply delusions. Through each of these character’s dreams, Steinbeck outlines that such idealisations are impractical and that they do not accurately reflect the human

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Dreaming Through the Hardships During the hard times of the Great Depression, many people were out of work or losing their jobs. Many worked as farm hands on ranches for some extra cash and usually a few free meals. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, there are a few men working on a farm in Soledad, California doing just this.

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Steinbeck uses dialogue and conflict to project his belief that dreams

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In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the dreams and fates of Lennie, Crook, and Curley’s Wife, in order to illustrate that the American dream is not possible for all social classes. When talking to Lennie, Crooks says “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” P.65. This is the dream that Crooks wants.

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Paper jams happen every day, and what happens to paper? The paper is crumbled, gutted, and cast away as if it has no purpose. While a piece of paper and a human are different; both are still neglected once they longer fit in line. John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice And Men" illustrates the real life problem of people in America and Africa who mistreatment the mentally disable in favor of spending less money and time.

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The importance of dreams help motivate certain characters to chase after them. For example, George and Lennie have a dream of owning their own ranch. In the novel it states “Tell about that place, George…”(56).In which Lennie wants to be reminded about.

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In a recent poll conducted by PBS, results showed that nearly half of Americans who once believed in the American dream thought that it didn’t exist anymore. This portrayal that the American dream no longer exists or is not easily attained is shown in the novel “Of Mice and Men,” written by John Steinbeck. The book focuses on a dependent relationship between two characters. George is a very smart man, but struggles with companionship. Whereas Lennie is a very dumb man, that thrives with making friends.

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Explore how Steinbeck presents dreams in Of Mice and Men and what it reveals about life in 1930s America Steinbeck presents the idea of dreams through his presentation of George and Lennie’s aspiration - a fairly typical version of an American Dream, which is very simple, yet somehow unattainable. This is the first dream Steinbeck introduces to the reader; they want to own a patch of land and work for themselves. Lennie, in particular, wants some rabbits he can tend to. This is a fairly classic dream in the 1930s - owning land, and being your own boss so you’re able to take days off for yourself was highly sought after in 1930s America. Their dream, however, is almost presented as a pipe dream, or a delusion to keep Lennie happy.

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As people tried to carry out the American Dream, different people just like George and Lennie, imagined their life filled with power and money. Throughout the book, described how a new beginning will assist them towards their dream. Unfortunately, many conflicts between Lennie and George caused delayed events. Lennie is a caring soul, but unknowledgeable of his own strength and his mental differences compared to George. On the other hand, George is a more knowledgeable person, with the exception of an inpatient personality.

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Steinbeck may also be using the word “fire” to foreshadow that George and Lennie’s American Dream might not come true and will die away just like the fire . When Curley’s wife is blocking the sunlight from entering, by standing in front of the doorway, Steinbeck is using darkness to foreshadow that she is ominous and dangerous for George, Lennie and their dreams. The sun streaks were high up on the wall now, the light was growing soft now”, this symbolizes that Curley’s wife’s soul was rising up and away from the Earth, taking George, Lennie and Candy’s dreams with it. “ Sun streaks” represents Curley’s wife’s soul and their dreams. “Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan Mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun.”, gives the impression that something malicious was going to take place.

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Dreams, a major motif in the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is defined as wishing for a better place, future, situation, etc.; Idealized life. The motif of dreams contributes to the development of Character vs. Self-conflict because it involves the protagonist Lennie battling his own disability, relating to theme: happiness is an elusive state that people are constantly searching for and often miss from trying too hard. The motif, dreams, strengthens the improvement of the theme by molding Lennie’s actions towards finding his dream so it displays the meaning of the theme. An example of this is when Lennie is killed by George.

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Achieving the American Dream "The ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved" (Oxford Languages) is the idea of the American Dream. This idea is exhibited through all walks of life and in many books throughout the height of the 20th century. " Of Mice an Men" by John Steinbeck conveys this very well through the goals of the migrant American worker. In the book George and Lennie must work as ranch hands in the hope of saving up enough money to buy a small farm and work on their own. As the American Dream says itself, achieving it is possible for anyone no matter their mental deficiencies that somebody has or the job they do to achieve it.

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In conclusion, to express that the american dream is impossible Steinbeck used conversation, conflicts, and events. Throughout of mice and men George and Lennie got into many situations where they felt scared , worried, and angry. Together the plan was to get the money to live in a small place, tend to the rabbits and alpha so they are happy. But things happen such as George killing Lennie that make the american dream impossible to achieve.

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“No matter how much sometimes you dare to dream, send happy thoughts into the universe, no matter what you do some of your dreams will never come true” (Unknown). In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, at the time of the Great Depression, two men, George and Lennie, venture to California in hopes to find work. Because Lennie is wanted for raping a woman, George and Lennie must escape the “law” by fleeing to the next town. Through the character of Lennie, Steinbeck shows that issues outside the control of an individual often limit the achievement of his dreams. “‘But he never hurt her.

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The idea of the American Dream is indicated through out the novel, especially through the characters Lennie and George. They talk about their dream so much that it becomes a ritual between them and often they can finish each other’s thoughts and sentences. This is quite amazing, because Lennie is mentally challenged and has trouble thinking for himself. The dream gives both men purpose in a time when life is harsh and cruel.

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