How Does Steinbeck Use Dreams In Of Mice And Men

Dreams play a significant role in life by shaping our experiences and who we are. Having dreams can give people a sense of purpose and can make them want to work hard to achieve that dream. Not only can dreams help people envision a better future, they can also be used as an escape from reality. This idea is strongly portrayed in John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” through the characters on the ranch. George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife are characters who use dreams as an escape from their harsh lives. Especially in the 1930s during the great depression, these characters needed a purpose to keep them going, and their dreams gave them this.

George uses the dream of owning a farm to distract Lennie when he is upset and to remind him

He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before.” After George tells Lennie the story of the ranch, Steinbeck includes “Lennie was delighted” and “Lennie broke in…He laughed delightedly.” Steinbeck says that George “repeated his words rhythmically” to tell the readers that George has told Lennie this story many times before. This tells the reader that George tells Lennie this story repeatedly to calm him down. Throughout the novel, George keeps telling the story, and Lennie gets excited about it every time. Lennie has a mental disability, so he doesn’t understand the importance of having a purpose at the ranch. He constantly gets in trouble and scolded by George, but he doesn't understand why. His dream of taking care of bunnies gives him an escape. After meeting Curley’s wife for the first time, he is allured to her, but George yells at him immediately to leave her alone. Afterwards, Lennie says “I don’t like this place, George. This ain’t no good place. I wanna get outta here.” This shows how

Throughout the book, there was constant discrimination from the workers. Candy is very similar to Crooks because he was also an outcast. He isn’t as useful as the rest of the workers since he only has one arm. Both Candy and Crooks have these things that are stopping them from being happy and successful. This is why they both wanted to get in with George and Lennie’s plan of opening a farm. On page 60, it says “They fell into a silence. They looked at one another amazed. This thing they never really believed in was coming true. George said reverently, ‘Jesus Christ Christ!’ I bet we could swing her.’ His eyes were full of wonder.” In this moment, Steinbeck describes the newfound hope the men have found with this dream. The author also makes the readers have a sense of hope by saying the men “fell into silence” and “looked at one another amazed.” Even though the dream does not end up being successful, it represents freedom and control for the men. Candy and Crooks want to escape the discrimination and isolation they face, and the dream gives them hope of this. However, the dream does not come true, which proves how it is a fantasy and just gives people false