Throughout the Great Depression unemployment was at an all time high. Around 13 to 15 million men were without work. This left workers to hop from city to city in hopes of finding a job. Only optimism could make men move forward, especially in the face of such dark times. Of Mice and Men is a touching story written by John Steinbeck. In this book, there are many characters that are living through the Great Depression. When people think about living back then, it makes them wonder how those men got by. Of Mice and Men shows in many ways that having dreams will give hope and meaning to life. Aspiration plays a large role in this book, It teaches the characters not to dwell on their current situation.
One character whose new found hope changes him is Candy. Before he meets Lennie and George, he is hopeless about his situation. The older man works as a swamper ie; a janitor. He only has one hand, which makes him the least useful on the ranch and the most likely to be fired.
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Him and Lennie's friendship is essentially based off of plans for their future. The two are constantly trying to find a steady job with a good pay. Once that is achieved, they hope to someday live a prosperous life on their own. One example of George talking about his aspirations is when he is with Lennie, "Sure," said George. "All kin's a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. We'd jus' live there. We'd belong there.”( Steinbeck 57). Having to work exhausting jobs one after the other is a tiresome job in itself. Envisioning that all that hard work will lead to something great gives George motivation to keep on trying. Lennie can also be a burden to George, but the truth is they need each other to keep their dreams alive. If George did not have his friend’s wishful thinking, he would be like most other ranch men that waste all their money on booze and whore