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Reality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

741 Words3 Pages

Dreams are impossible realities fabricated to shadow the actuality of our imperfections however ironically, dreams tend to be made impossible on the consequence of our imperfections. This is one of the harsh realities that Steinbeck expresses in this novel. “ The best laid schemes of mice an men, gang af agley, an lea us nought but grief and pain, for promised joy.” - ‘To a mouse’, Robert Burns. Inspired by the poem, Steinbeck 's novel explores the idea that even the best laid plans, with relevance to our dreams , often go astray due to our imperfections and leave us with nothing but grief in the repercussions from the unfulfilled promises for joy. This theme has been expressed in a myriad of different characters and their circumstances. However, …show more content…

Representing Lennie’s dreams is the quote, “It ain’t no lie. We’re gonna do it. Gonna get a little place an’live on the fatta the lan!” , and in contrast, the quote explaining his reality states, “ George, I done another bad thing..”. The first quote indicates the dream that Lennie desires while the reality quote, explains that Lennie’s trait of doing ‘bad things’ is the main factor that causes the impossibility of the dream. “ Someday - we’re gonna have a little house together and a couple of acres.” and, “ I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”, are the quotes from George that represents his dreams and reality. His first quote explains his aspirations for independence and freedom to enjoy an unrestricted lifestyle but his reality reveals the impossibility of the dream as in his quote, he acknowledges the impossibility of his dreams and negligence of his reality as a result of his …show more content…

Although this theme is seldom expressed openly, it does not invalidate its impact on our lives. This portrayal of the theme takes a critical view of the actuality of these dreams in relevance to our imperfections. Dreams however remain an innate yet unpredictable source of our imagination with the ability to alter and influence one’s perception and perspective to life and so although restricted and limited, the pursuit and strive for dreams no matter the impossibility will continue

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In the novel, ¨Of Mice and Men,¨ the author, John Steinbeck, develops complex characters which opens the story up for interpretation. Steinbeck uses both direct and indirect characterization, which forces the reader to infer important traits about each characters. An example of a character is Crooks, a colored man working on a ranch during the Great Depression. Being the only black man on the ranch, Crooks is often looked down on as a stable bunk, and is not respected as the other men are. Because of this, Crooks is perceived as powerless.

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George is the leader of the two, he looks after Lennie, but Lennie always gets them into trouble because of his mental condition, he acts like a child. They both keep getting new jobs because of Lennie’s mistakes. But everyone makes critial decsion’s and some descion’s are hard to make. They both get new jobs as migrant workers at a farm where many conflicts happen and willl change the two of them for good. In this story the author John Steinbeck claims that one’s dreams may require a dramatic change or decsion, to get to your dream.

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Lennie has a big heart, yet not a lot of knowledge. Even though they are an unlikely pair, George still sticks with Lennie through everything.. Their dream is to live on their own ranch where they can farm and Lennie can tend his rabbits like George always said. “...Go on George! Tell about we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it.

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811 Words | 4 Pages

[Lennie] jes’ like a kid” (page 43). Lennie being compared to children and called nice by an all-knowing character can help the reader understand he is innocent in the beginning of the story. His “dream ranch” can also be compared to the paradise of the

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637 Words | 3 Pages

Steinbeck once again returns to his biological perception of the human. “The attack on us set in motion the most powerful species drive we know - that of survival” (Steinbeck). “By attacking us, they destroyed their greatest ally, our sluggishness, our selfishness, and our disunity” (Steinbeck). Steinbeck alludes self-critically to the American maneuvering and indifference during the first two years of WWII.

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George realized Lennie wouldn’t change, and their dream or getting their own plot of land would never come true. He says “I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would”.

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974 Words | 4 Pages

In chapter one, George and Lennie are camped out in a forest clearing. They’re sitting around a campfire, cooking beans and Lennie requests George speak about the duo’s grand goal. “‘O.K. Someday-we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and-’... An’ live off the fatta lan’,’ Lennie shouted. ‘An’ have rabbits.

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144 Words | 1 Pages

George truly loves Lennie through thick and thin. He protects him, he guides him, and ultimately saves him from misery. George has sacrificed a better life for himself in the name of loyalty for a friend. In spite of not achieving their american dream of “A’ live off the fatta the lan” (14). George knows he did his best, and all to help Lennie live the most

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942 Words | 4 Pages

Lennie and George’s relationship and their development throughout the story is shown through these ideas: dreams and reality, the nature of home, and the difference between right and

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443 Words | 2 Pages

“-I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would” (Steinbeck 78). George wanted a better life someday for himself and for Lennie, but deep down he knew Lennie’s limitations and accepted that the dream was never meant to be.

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1324 Words | 6 Pages

For example, he assures both the boss and the other workers that Lennie is a good worker and therefore deserves the job “...he’s sure a hell of a good worker. Strong as a bull” (Steinbeck 24). Lastly, George considers himself and Lennie lucky to have each other and thinks that they are not as lonely as the other workers because they have each other. They also have their dream of having their own place together, a dream

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1110 Words | 5 Pages

George is telling Lennie what their future will look like and that

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981 Words | 4 Pages

This Second quote is one of the most important quotes because its clearly shows how hes trying to save his good friend as the topic sentence says. In the next quote i will show you guys is a really powerful quote it shows how george always has Lennie 's back and teaches him and tells him to fight back”if the son of a bitch socks you you sock him back”{Steinbeck 96]In this quote he 's saying

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573 Words | 3 Pages

The book Of Mice and Men is full of puzzling examples of the human condition, from Lennie and his mental disability to Curley only caring about his social appearance. With characters like these two, the book exploits the human condition that concerns circumstances life has given you. John Steinbeck brings to life what being a laborer in the American depression meant to the men and one woman who had enough personality to stand out. Steinbeck shows the human condition of men while they survive in the American depression.

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982 Words | 4 Pages

Their dreams give them purpose, hope and the passion to want to work hard. Their dreams become connected to save them from their loneliness, and give them all control over their own destiny, in a time when most people were at the mercy of happenstance and serendipity. Despite the mood in Of Mice and Men, which foreshadowed tragedy even in the most optimistic times, not one of the characters could have for seen that the loneliness of one person would to affect them all by being the demise of their dreams, both collective and

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