Throughout the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the theme of the unrealized dream is displayed through characters such as Lennie, George, Candy, and Curley’s wife. The unrealized dream, also known as the American Dream, is portrayed differently for a few different characters in the book. Best friends George and Lennie have a shared dream which is to have a serene farm ranch, even if it is small, with a mediocre house, a rabbit pen, and a garden where they can grow their own vegetables and herbs. They long to live independently away from rude bosses and harsh ranches. This is seen differently for a character such as Candy who only wants to keep his job even though he is disabled.
Have you ever had a friend that just became someone you used to know? The American Dream has been a great motivator for many people. In the book of “Mice and Men,”Lennie and George's dream keeps them going while at the same time, George is forced to make the biggest decision of his friendship. George is like a father like brother too Lennie. George was a friend to Lennie and a mentor for Lennie after Lennie’s Aunt Clara died.
“For many, the American Dream has become a nightmare,” these all too real words from Bernie Sanders reflect negatively upon the idea of the American Dream. While this quote is about modern-day America, the same idea was used in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. There are numerous points in the story where this idea is stated. Steinbeck promotes the negatives of the American dream heavily in his story Of Mice and Men. There are various points where Steinbeck uses his character's dialogue and actions to show the impossible truth of the American Dream.
The American Dream The Webster dictionary defines the word dream as “A succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations”. Many people have different perspectives about dreams. In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie set out to achieve their dream of owning a ranch while demonstrating the importance of friendship/companionship, while explaining the power of dreams and the impact they have. Steinbeck has shown throughout the story the bond of friendship is a double-edged sword, because while it can strengthen relationships it can also weaken and destroy them. Steinbeck shows this in the story when George ends Lennie’s life because he looked out for him.
In Of Mice and Men, the American dream is shown to be unattainable for George and Lennie through the obstacles they face and harsh realities hinder their pursuit for a better life. Just like heaven in the sky. Everybody wants a little piece of land. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land”(74)
I am discussing how in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie focus on the false reality of the American Dream rather than realizing the importance of companionship. The relationship between the two men is unusual because most farmers were lonely while George and Lennie have each other George thinks that his life would be easier without Lennie but Lennie is obsessed with an idea of comraderie. Whoever seems to achieve success, associated with the American Dream, is scrutinized, it is usually found that even though it portrays as if they have obtained so much, something still feels unaccomplished.
Throughout the story “Of Mice and Men” author John Steinbeck repeatedly portrayed the strange ways of how each and every one of the characters dealt with their personal challenges in order to live their dream life. Characters that were heavily focused on by Steinbeck were Lennie and George. The characters are the symbols for what obstacles lies behind the American Dream. What became the end product for most readers when looking upon the four of these characters was the idea of change. That without change and independence, American Dream may never become a possibility for those who desire it.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression had run rampant on many Americans and left them on the side of the road. Think of coming home one day and both your parents sitting on the ground saying they have lost their jobs and you couldn't go to school anymore. Many families had to clean out of their homes because they could not pay the rent. With the Great Depression came the failure of the American Dream. In the novella, “Of Mice And Men”, John Steinbeck presents the idea everyone had goals and aspirations that meet the criteria of the American Dream but dreams are dreams for a reason and they are not always achieved.
Steinbeck suggest that the American dream is unachievable to people who are discriminated because of their skin color through racism. Steinbeck portrays this through Crooks, a
Since 1931 when James Truslow Adams first created the phrase “the American Dream”, people believed that America continuously offered everyone an equal opportunity to be successful. John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, was set during the Great Depression. Farms were struck hard during the Depression, and the two main characters George and Lennie were farm hands during this time. They had experienced the misunderstandings of other farm hands in terms of Lennie’s mental disability, but they were trying to earn enough money to buy their own farm. The idea of this farm drove Lennie and George to keep working, and like many others during this time they hoped to achieve this dream.
Steinbeck portrays the american dream through motif and irony to show that chasing the american dream leads to poor judgement of reality. Steinbeck
The American Dream is every US citizen having an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination. Many authors use the american dream to be a central point or idea to reflect on their story. In the novel Of Mice and Men author, Steinbeck, uses the American Dream to show the journey of two men, George and Lennie traveling to find what they call happiness, but they face conflicts that get in the way of their version of the American Dream. Steinbeck uses Lennie, the ranch, and the gun as symbols to develop the theme that the American Dream can be attained but there will be hardships along the road.
The American Dream in Of Mice and Men The American Dream, this is what most Americans dream of or achieving in America. Back then it was really hard to fulfill the American Dream, but nowadays it is easier to accomplish. It also requires hard work and effort to be achieved. In John Steinbeck’s fictional tale, Of Mice and Men, he shows how two best friends, Lennie and George, who are both migrant farmers, go through life at a ranch.
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.
In Judith Shklar’s well known 1989 essay, The Liberalism of Fear, Shklar analyzes her view on political liberalism. In other words, Judith believes that liberalism has only one potential purpose/goal. Judith Shklar mentions how the goal for liberalism is to ultimately fix the political conditions which is significant for personal freedom. Using this idea, Judith Shklar further demonstrates her views on liberalism by comparing liberalism of fear and other types of liberalism in her essay ( such as John Locked John Stuart Mill) . Judith Shklar believes that John Locke’s liberalism of natural rights is simply an attempt to fulfill an determined standard order “The liberalism of natural rights envisages a just society composed of politically sturdy citizens, each able and willing to stand up for himself and others” (26-27).
