The American Dream In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

As America was gaining footing in the world, its leaders founded the new county on the belief that all people are created equal. They built America upon the hope that anyone could reach their full potential and success regardless of circumstances. In this modern world, people still hold this belief to be evident. Although some may suggest that the American Dream is attainable for everyone, they fail to recognize wealth inequality, stagnant social values, racism, and the fact that some dreams will not be achieved due to outside forces.
It is frequently argued that the American Dream is up to the believer. The belief stems from the ideology that anyone can become or do anything, but throughout life, that cannot always be the plan. A person could

Author John Steinbeck remarkably demonstrates this issue in his fictional book Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck introduces the audience to a pair of traveling farmhands from the 1940s, George and Lenny. The friends dream of being free to work for themselves and own their farm together. After a series of unfortunate events, George was forced to take Lenny’s life. When George took his life, he looked down, “Lenny jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand and he lay without quivering. Gorge shivered and looked at the gun, and then he threw it from him, back up on the bank near the pile of old ashes'' (Steinbeck.) Alongside Lenny’s death was the death of their dream to share a life. George could never go back or change the situation. It makes people realize life is cruel and that no matter how hard a person works to accomplish a dream, sometimes it cannot be done. Today many Americans face the same fate of being forced into poor positions. As a result of similar

People hate to acknowledge that in today’s world, racism still exists and can be an uncomfortable topic to address. Some turn a blind eye to it, while others have to face discrimination each day. LaShyra, a college student, shared her insight as to what the American dream means to her and the reality some black people meet. She explained, “While I wish I could believe in the Constitution and the illustrious “American Dream,” my experiences as a Black woman are poignant reminders that such luxuries were and continue to be reserved for a select few”(Nolen.) LaShyra points out the past that America was built upon and how it has continued to affect life many years later. The past was not designed for people of color due to that, it hinders people’s dreams from coming true and had lasting effects. Some black people have been simply denied to pursue their dreams because they “were not good enough” or they did not deserve to. For countless generations, they had to fight for the same rights as their peers. Within the same breath, the Declaration of Independence discusses that all men are created equal and have unalienable rights like Liberty, Life, and the Pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence.) This statement was hypocritical to an entire race then and even now to some black people like LaShyra. The declaration of independence is believed to be the beginning of