ipl-logo

The American Dream Is For Fools Analysis

475 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Character essay of mice and men

The American Dream is For Fools

“We know what we got, and we don't care whether you know it or not” (79). The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about a group of men who are constantly aspiring for the American Dream. Since they are just ranchers, making hardly any money, it is obvious that this wish will never be able to come true for them. John Steinbeck uses the characters in Of Mice and Men to show that believing in the American Dream is only for fools.

George, one of the main characters of the novel, is way too optimistic on the idea of achieving the American Dream. “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” (15). What George does not realize after saying this line is that he will never be able to acquire the ideal American life with the lifestyle that he lives now. If he wants a fair chance at the American Dream, George needs to understand that success does not come easy. He is crazy for thinking that this dream is a possibility to be his future because he is just a rancher with a great lack of knowledge and skill. …show more content…

“How long’s it gonna be till we get the little place an’ live off the fatta the lan’ –an tend the rabbits?” (56). Through this question, Lennie is making it evident that although he does not understand everything clearly, this is the one idea that stands out in his head. It is wrong of George to promise this huge dream, that will never be accomplished, over someone who is mentally handicapped. Lennie also does not have the right conception of the American Dream - there is more to it than land and rabbits. There is no way he could achieve the dream for him and George because he has no clue where to even begin on the course for

Show More
Related
669 Words | 3 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Paradox and Dream” by John Steinbeck are perfect examples to prove that the American dream is unattainable. This is shown in many different ways throughout both. The Great Gatsby shows it in more of a made up way. “Paradox and Dream” shows it in a more realistic way. No matter how the unattainability is portrayed, it is all meant to have the same meaning.

Read More
592 Words | 3 Pages

The American dream is something that we all strive for in one way or another. Whether it’s being equal to the people around you, or having freedom to be successful in whatever you want in life. But for the characters in Of Mice and Men it is the dream of owning land and being independent from everyone else. But the American Dream is not something that is given to you, it includes work ethic, knowing that the dream may be impossible and the sacrifice that may have to be made. These are all things that George and Lennie and other characters in the book have to do to eventually reach the American dream.

Read More
505 Words | 3 Pages

The importance of dreams help motivate certain characters to chase after them. For example, George and Lennie have a dream of owning their own ranch. In the novel it states “Tell about that place, George…”(56).In which Lennie wants to be reminded about.

Read More
808 Words | 4 Pages

Since the beginning of time in the United States, the idea of the American Dream has had a heavy influence on society. According to Document C, American Dream is defined as earning enough money to be happy, obtaining a worry-free lifestyle, and running in a high social circle. While working Americans still hold on to the hope of the American Dream, individuals from other countries often move to the United States with the hope that they too may have a piece of the pie. Despite the novelty and allure of the American Dream, it is nothing more than false hope.

Read More
598 Words | 3 Pages

Even by working hard, people don’t always get what they want. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Lennie and George are two friends who are traveling to find a job, so they can finally earn money and live their dream life. They find the farm, and they had a hard path in the future to get their dream. Whether they will reach it is the real question. John Steinbeck developed the impossibility of the American dream in the 1930s by showing that people worked hard for their dreams, if they can’t physically do work they aren’t interesting to people, and people following their dreams become selfish.

Read More
974 Words | 4 Pages

All people have goals, but some have no chance of achieving them. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Candy, Crooks and Lennie all live on the same farm, but are faced with different circumstances holding them back from achieving what they desire. Through the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Lennie, Steinbeck shows that issues outside the control of an individual often limit the achievement of an individual’s dream. Throughout the novel, Lennie is faced with obstacles that are in the way of him attaining his ultimate goal.

Read More
1801 Words | 8 Pages

The American Dream is only attainable to those who are privileged and considered truly American. Though many immigrants believe that they can grasp the American Dream, it is always out of reach and can never be achieved. The American Dream can never be accomplished through working hard and determination. Often, people chase the American Dream with high expectations for a new life, and they are often disappointed when failure strikes. Because of this, many of the characters in Of Mice and Men struggle to achieve the dreams they’ve been longing for.

Read More
1723 Words | 7 Pages

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.

Read More
834 Words | 4 Pages

Everyone aspires to achieve the American Dream: an opportunity to be successful by working hard. Throughout the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the American Dream brings hope for a better life for those who hold onto it. George Milton and Lennie Smalls, traveling ranch workers called bindle stiffs, dream of owning their own piece of land where they create the rules. They are not the only characters with hopes and dreams. But Steinbeck shows the American Dream is, in fact, sometimes just a dream through the hopes and actions of Lennie, Candy, and Curley’s wife.

Read More
491 Words | 2 Pages

The American Dream The American dream is the desire of all most all the characters in the novella Of Mice and Men. This is shown in many ways in many kinds of dreams whether it be becoming Rich and famous or just having the means to survive on their own each character has their own American dream. The first example of the american dream would be George 's dream. George wanted nothing more than to own his own farm and survive off of the land with Lennie which is shown in this quote “we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof ...”

Read More
1262 Words | 6 Pages

Some people have to work twice as hard as others, but that does not mean they will never earn what they deserve. Just because the American Dream seems impossible does not mean that it is. Of Mice and Men is a cruel reminder of the fact that the American Dream is a difficult goal, but it also shows readers that they should never stop working toward their goals, no matter what challenges they

Read More
1391 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the novel, Lennie and George discuss the luxuries available to them living on their own farm. During their conversations, George imagines and explains, “We'd jus' live there. We'd belong there. There wouldn't be no more runnin' round the country and gettin' fed by a Jap cook. No, sir, we'd have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunk house” (Steinbeck 57).

Read More
1074 Words | 5 Pages

The American Dream was created for all to be equal with the right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A dream is a series of thoughts on possibilities one can attain, hence, only one can choose to believe in the American Dream and if it’s achievable. In particular, Steve Tobak’s article called The American Dream is Alive and Well focuses on the opportunity Americans have unlike others and that the dream is attainable by all who work for it. A book by John Winthrop called City Upon a Hill implies that all men are capable of anything if they put God first. The American dream should make life fuller for all, provide happiness, and lead every American to believe they can do anything.

Read More
1110 Words | 5 Pages

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.

Read More
921 Words | 4 Pages

Are you struggling with Stress –You can Fight it in 7 simple Ways We often use the word ‘stress’ to describe an experience of being overwhelmed by things around us. Everybody-children, adults and older ones-may be affected by stress. This is because common life demands such as work, school, relationships, examinations and money problems cause stress. If these problems fail to go away, chronic stress sets in, interfering with other activities.

Read More

More about The American Dream Is For Fools Analysis

Related Topics

Open Document