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The Myth Of The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The Myth of the American Dream Success is a fantasy for many people in life. Success is frequently represented in the American Dream. In the book Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, many of the characters believe in the myth of the American Dream. There are many characters in Of Mice and Men that portray that the American Dream is a myth, but the characters that best depict this struggle for success are George, Curley’s wife, and Candy. George is a big believer of the American Dream. George travels around with a friend of his, Lennie. George was originally mean to Lennie, but George realizes that Lennie will always care for him; “We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 13). Many people are very …show more content…

It is said from the beginning to stay away from her because only bad circumstances will come out of it. Curley’s wife was talking to Lennie how her life could have been a lot better; “I tell ya I could of went with shows” (Steinbeck 78). Not much before she married Lennie, Curley’s wife could have been an actress and lived a very rich and successful life. There was a guy in the shows that told Curley’s wife that she is an amazing actress and could be in the shows. She never gets a letter from the guy in the shows so she ends up marrying Curley; “I couldn’t get nowhere or make nothin of myself… so I married Curley” (Steinbeck 88). This point in her life is when she realizes that she no longer has a chance to live the American Dream. Curley’s wife goes from almost being in the shows to being a woman that doesn’t even have her own name. All of the guys at the ranch refer to her as Curley’s wife. This is like saying that she is not human, but rather somebody’s object. George tells Lennie to stay away from Curley’s wife and to not talk to her because Curley is very protective. This is foreshadowing because Lennie kills Curley’s wife. She tells Lennie to feel her hair and Lennie won’t let go so she starts screaming. In an attempt to calm her down, he snaps her neck and she dies. That was the end of the American Dream for George, Lennie, and

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She was the only woman on the ranch, and being beautiful, she was in the eyes of all the men working there. Of course they all knew if they did anything about it, Curley would probably kill them. At first we didn’t feel very sympathetic for Curley’s wife because she seemed like she didn’t have any interest in being married. She was flirting with the other guys when she went into the bunkhouse, it didn't seem like she cared that

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While petting Curley’s wife's hair he accidently killed her. George shot lennie so it would be less painful. George should not have killed lennie because they had plans for the future, and Lennie did not know any better as to what he was doing. One reason George should not have shot Lennie is George and Lennie had plans for the future.

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Steinbeck describes Curley’s wife as followed: “...wide-spaced eyes, heavily made up... she wore a cotton dress and red mules... She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the doorframe so that her body was thrown forward... Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body, and though she did not seem to be looking at Lennie she bridled a little” (31). Curley’s wife knows that her power, her only power, lies in her beauty and her position of actually being Curley’s wife.

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Aside from Hollywood, she cannot even have a social life on the ranch let alone becoming an actress. “He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it…I always thought my ol’ lady stole it” (Steinbeck 88). Curley’s wife is expressing the opportunity she had in life that was tarnished, and brought her to marrying Curley.

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To begin, Steinbeck introduces George and Lennie with an obligation to protect each other. Lennie reaffirms his bond with George by exclaiming, “But not us! An’ why? Because… because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you” (14). This dialogue illustrates

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Throughout the story, Lennie is not beneficial in attaining their American dream. Curley’s wife was accused of ruining their American dream; she is known to be troublesome by being flirtatious around the men. She told Lennie to touch her hair, which started the chaos. It is Lennie’s fault because George specifically told him to stay away from that rat trap.

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Furthermore, as Curley's wife tells her story to Lennie, she recounts, “coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes... coulda sat in them big hotels...because this guy said I am a natural”(89). Curley's wife had planned to be an actor, which would let her make something out of herself. However, by rashly choosing to marry, she is stuck with Curley, who doesn't care about her and whom she hates. Even with her optimistic plans and ideas, by marrying Curley, she sealed her fate as a

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635 Words | 3 Pages

Curley’s wife is telling Lennie how she could've made something of

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This scene shows that Curley’s wife never wanted to be on the farm, she wanted to go be a star and get out of her small town. This dream ended when she married Curley, who moved her to an even smaller town. In addition, during this time period it was practically impossible for women to divorce their husbands. This meant she couldn’t leave Curley, even in the name of the law.

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A Dime in the Rough What does it mean to be an American? Having freedom, being a patriot, your own way of life? Being an American is all of this and much more. America and the American Dream have been very controversial topics for the last hundred years, they are key elements that give people within and outside America the feeling of hope and positivity in their day to day lives. Elie Wiesel, a famed article writer and a survivor of the holocaust, is a perfect example of what a positive and hopeful view of America on the outside looks like.

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Both Lennie and George have a similar idea of what they want for their American dream and that is to someday owning a farm. If they achieve this it would offer protection and financial care. Crooks tells them that they won’t be able to achieve their American dream and this ends up being true for them. Lennie explains their dream and says " 'Well, ' said George, '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 going ' to work, and we 'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an ' listen to the rain coming ' down on the roof... '"

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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.

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Lennie and George’s relationship and their development throughout the story is shown through these ideas: dreams and reality, the nature of home, and the difference between right and

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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.

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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.

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