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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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