Impossibility Of The American Dream In 'Of Mice And Men'

Carter Spaulding

Vande Guchte

Honors English 10 A

3/7/23

Of Mice and Men Essay Everyone has their own American Dream. Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is about two migrant workers, George Milton, and Lennie Smalls. This story follows the struggle that Lennie’s mental impairment brings to their lives, and their attempts to find employment. This novel was written during the Great Depression and served to be a reminder that the American Dream is not obtainable in a capitalist society. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows this theme of the impossibility of the American Dream through the characters of George, Curley, and Curley’s wife. To begin, Steinbeck uses George, arguably the story's main character, to show that the American Dream is not obtainable. George takes responsibility for his mentally impaired friend Lenny, once his Aunt Clara dies. George’s American dream is to have his own land and work for no one

Curley’s wife, a beautiful woman, dreamed of becoming an actress, as she confides in Lennie, while they sit alone together consumed by the beds of hay in the dimly lit barn. Curley’s wife nestles closer to Lennie, explaining, “Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes-all them nice clothes like they wear. An' I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took of me… this guy says I was a natural.” (Steinbeck 89) Curley’s wife clearly wants nothing more than to be a famous movie star, and she knows that she would be good at it. After she admits this to Lennie, she goes a step further, admitting, “...I couldn’t get nowhere or make something or myself… So I married Curley… I don’t like Curley” (Steinbeck 89). Curley’s wife’s American Dream comes to a halting stop, despite having what it takes, and being a Natural, she was still unable to succeed. She had to settle for unhappiness, as all people have to, due to the unattainability of the American Dream in this capitalist