Theme Of Goals In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

One of the joys of being alive every day is the ability to reach our goals, and during that process, to learn many life lessons. Our entire lives are based on accomplishing goals, so that we can move on to the next one, and it becomes a continuous cycle. The journey between these goals is what makes us individuals. One of the major themes of John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is that having a goal can create unexpected friendships and optimistic views of the world, which allow one to move forward in life. For example, this statement can be proven through George and Lennie's dream of owning their own place. For a large part of George's life, he has watched over Lennie and tried to prevent him from getting into any trouble. This aspiration is

Crooks explains to Lennie that the “white kids [came] to play at our place, an' sometimes [he] went to play with them, and some of them were pretty nice” (70). In this passage, Crooks references his dream, which is to be able to communicate with others and form relationships regardless of their race. He tells Lennie that his “'ol man didn't like" the white kids playing with Crooks, and that “[he] never knew till long later why he didn't like that. But [he knows] now" (70). At the time this book was written, racism and segregation a was still very much alive in everyday life. As an African American growing up in those times, it must have been very difficult for Crooks to live how he wanted to live, not how everyone else told him to. Crooks has been isolated and discriminated against his entire life, and his sadness and desperation stems from that. In conclusion, a major theme in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men is that the importance of having a goal to create optimism and relationships is great. Throughout the entire story, Steinbeck seems to emphasize the significance