The Power Of Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

877 Words4 Pages

Dreams can be very persuasive and uplifting as well as discouraging, in the right moments. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck introduces the readers to a story of dreams and how those dreams can affect you and others. Steinbeck explains through his novel how dreams can give reasons for people to succeed in life, how they can draw others in and encourage others or how dreams can stray away from reality and how the dreamer can get lost in their own fantasies and never accomplish their dreams at all. Dreams have the power to change lives by giving hope. Curley’s wife has lost her dream and she lives an unhappy life. Curley’s wife had a dream but that dream turned out as hopeless as her fate in the end of the book. She could have made something of herself but she quickly gave up on her dream as soon as something discouraging happened. Now she has to live regretting giving up so quickly. "’I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this. I coulda made somethin' of myself.’ She said darkly, ‘Maybe I will yet.’"(Steinbeck 88). She tells Lennie and Crooks about how she almost got a job as an actress. "’I lived right in Salinas,’ she said. ‘Come there when I …show more content…

Candy is drawn in first. "’ Candy interrupted him, ‘I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives or nothing…’"(59). Even Crooks is drawn in to this dream. “Crooks hesitated. ‘… If you … guys would want a hand to work for nothing—just his keep, why I'd come an' lend a hand. I ain't so crippled I can't work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.’" (76). This dream that Lennie and George have has the power to change others’ lives. Candy believes in this dream so much that he even defends it against Curley’s wife and her insults. "’Maybe you just better go along an' roll your hoop. We ain't got nothing to say to you at all. We know what we got, and we don't care whether you know it or