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The American Dream In Of Mice And Men

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Rokas Baliukonis Mr. Magdalenski English I - Period 5 17 November 2022 The American Dream In Steinbeck’s Writing What truly is the American Dream? In Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men, there are two migrant workers named George and Lennie who are polar opposites: Lennie is a big guy who has a mental impairment whereas George is a small wise man. They arrive on a new farm in hopes of achieving their dream of having their own home. This leads to Lennie unintentionally harming Curley’s wife because he does not know how to control his own strengths. This causes George to kill Lennie by shooting him in the head. After Lennie is killed, George realizes that his dream is over. Steinbeck demonstrates that George’s dream is similar to the classic …show more content…

Lennie's mental state causes him to do weird things such as petting pets and furs as if he were a little kid. These childish actions lead to George and Lennie losing their jobs, so they must start from scratch when trying to achieve their dream. As George and Lennie escape from Weed. In a town where Lennie gets in trouble with the law. George gets irritated with him and chews him out. As George chews out Lennie he says “‘Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easily. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess ' all” ...“If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time.” “No - look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ’Cause'. I want you to stay with me.’”(Steinbeck 11-13). George is always the one most greatly affected by Lennie’s troublemaking, but his close relationship with Lennie causes him to be soft on him. This causes Lennie to never seem to learn his lesson and he continues to cause trouble making it harder for George and Lennie to achieve their dream. As George and Lennie travel on their journey it shows that Lennie is a liability to George making it harder for him to achieve his …show more content…

Due to Lennie’s troubles and a failing economy, they are bound to fail their dream, and George knows this. They continue to persevere, but George knows that he and Lennie are in a cycle of Lennie continuing to cause trouble and them losing their jobs. After they lose their jobs George tries to keep Lennie in line by telling him “(Before they get to the new job George tells Lennie not to speak when they meet the boss)” George and Lennie have just lost both of their jobs because of Lennie’s trouble actions, but this does not stop Lennie from continuing to believe that this dream is possible to achieve. George knows that one way or another Lennie will continue to accidentally cause trouble. George tries to keep Lennie in line in hope of achieving the dream, but he knows that it simply isn’t possible. Even though Lennie deeply cares about the dream he still continues to not be able to control his actions. George and Lennie may seem simple and humble but it is so much harder to achieve than most would

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This also shows the overpowering control George has over Lennie’s conscience, and the consequence that Lennie can’t remember his own actions, only the stories George repeats. He is never truly angry with Lennie for his petty mistakes, he is simply thinking of the limitations of their dreams because of Lennie’s unpredictable actions. It seems George can only control Lennie by threatening him with the thing he cares about most which is the farm, “But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits” he threatens, trying to make Lennie remember the importance of his actions (36). George is constantly complaining that he could have a better life and even have a farm without Lennie to look after, but he also wants a companion. Lennie is often simple minded and easily influenced, but intuitive enough to manipulate George’s loneliness, “If you don’t want me George I can go up in that cave over there and leave,” George quickly denies this saying “No, look I was just foolin’ Lennie, ‘cause I want you to stay with me” (20).

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George and Lennie’s future was not determined by their own efforts but was instead determined by society. Society deemed their dreams unrealistic and therefore impossible. Society made Lennie a burden, in turn killing George’s spirit and rendering him a man of loneliness. After George came to know that Lennie killed Curley's wife, both he and Lennie share a heartfelt last moment together that encompasses George’s true acceptance of the matter: “Lennie said, ‘I thought you was mad at me,

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“God a’mighty, if i was alone i could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work and make my own money.” George is just stating that he could live easier by himself and keep a job, but with lennie that was always a

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After accidentally killing Curley’s wife, Lennie runs to hide in a brush, out of distress he starts to hallucinate and talk to himself. For instance, "George gonna give me hell," he said. "George gonna wish he was alone an' not have me botherin' him." He turned his head and looked at the bright mountain tops. "I can go right off there an' find a cave," he said.

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Afterward, George instructs Lennie to “‘Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place.’” (106). By doing so, George lets Lennie live his dream before he dies, a dream that Lennie would not be able to attain if kept alive. George allows Lennie to die blissfully ignorant and free from guilt, spending his last moments living his dream alongside his best

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George, obviously the leader of the group, is always watching over Lennie making sure that everything he says and does will hopefully put them in a better position to get them to their dream. Though Lennie is not the brightest person, he doesn't fully understand why George wants so much out of him, resulting in George getting mad at him very easily... George states, “He’s so god damn dumb. Like what happened in weed.”

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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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The initial paragraphs of John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men introduces Lennie and George, two men living on the road, in search of a job. Both men have dreams of their own and depend on each other in order to achieve them. George takes care of Lennie, who is mentally incapable, while Lennie provides company to George. These men wander around hoping to achieve the American Dream. They continue to go after it, without realizing that they will never be able to obtain it.

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“-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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