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Theme Of The Unrealized Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

1110 Words5 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. Lastly Curley's wife is shown as a typical pretty woman who yearns to be a famous movie star. Steinbeck uses each of these layered characters to depict the theme of the American Dream. The first instance in the book where the unrealized dream is depicted is when Lennie and George are in the brush after coming from the previous ranch. They are fairly poor so they need to keep finding new jobs on various ranches. George is telling Lennie what their future will look like and that …show more content…

Characters George and Lennie share the unrealized dream to own a small farm. This does not happen because Lennie’s incompetence to listen to George and his compulsion to touch soft things. Candy’s dream of gaining something tangible after working hard is crushed when Lennie ruins the farm-plan by killing Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife wishes she was an actress away from the grasp of Curley and the ranch. This however, is foolish because as a child she was called a fantastic actor. We see that all of these characters and their situations depict that a dream of an American is not always possible. Steinbeck shows that the unrealized dream was a major part of life in the 1930s and in the book Of Mice and

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In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the author uses the motif of barriers to show that causes that lead into the failure of these character hopes and dreams. The ability to own your own land is the main dream held by four of the characters in the book. The idea of owning your own land is a simile for a life of happiness. There are two other unattainable dreams which are held by Curley's wife, and Crooks. Curley's wife once had an offer to become an actress in Hollywood, however the person never bequeathed the job to her.

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How Does Steinbeck Use Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

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On the one hand, George and Lennie’s wish of having their own farm, Cnady and Crook’s will of joining them, and Curley’s wife’s dream of being a movie star, were all unfulfilled in the end. These all symbolize the impossibility of American dreams On the other hand, almost all characters contained his or her own weakness, such as Lennie’s mental problems, Candy’s disability and old age, Crook’s color, women for Curley, and Curley wife’s gender and dissatisfaction. These characteristics make the story on the farm a symbol of predatory nature of human existence. Plus, racial and gender discrimination was recognized as a signify problem in this

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How Does Steinbeck Present Hope In Of Mice And Men

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Lennie and George find themselves becoming more hopeful after Candy successfully manages to turn a dream that was originally meant for two men into a dream for three. He tries to help George and Lennie attain their dream, and convince them that, “S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some” (59). He also shows the two friends of the possibility towards failed outcomes- symbolized through Candy’s inability to kill his own dog.

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How Does Steinbeck Show The Failing Dreams In Of Mice And Men

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How does Steinbeck show the failing dreams of all the main characters, and how easy their goals are shattered throughout the book? Throughout the book, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie, two labor workers that are run out of their previous employment in Weed, find a ranch to work on in Salinas Valley California to fulfill their dreams of being rich and having their own farm. Salinas Valley is where they plan to stay until they have saved enough money to have their own ranch and move on. Besides the dreams George and Lennie have, many other people on the ranch have ones as well. While Steinbeck illustrates the journey the characters go through to achieve their dreams, their failed attempt occurs for numerous reasons.

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How Does Steinbeck Use Of Foreshadowing In Of Mice And Men

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In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the dreams and fates of Lennie, Crook, and Curley’s Wife, in order to illustrate that the American dream is not possible for all social classes. When talking to Lennie, Crooks says “I ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room.” P.65. This is the dream that Crooks wants.

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Dreams Lost, Never Found To quote a translation of Robert Burns’s poem, “To a Mouse”, “The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men often go awry and leave us nothing but grief an' pain for promised joy” (Shoomp). This quote well compliments John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, which has a universal theme of dreams being predestined to failure. Among the most prominent examples of unrealized dreams are George and Lennie’s shared dream of owning a farm to call home, Crook’s dream of being accepted as an equal to the other white men, and Curley’s wife’s dream of becoming an actress and making something out of herself. From the very beginning of the novel, George and Lennie share a dream of buying a farm on which they could belong and live harmoniously on.

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Of Mice and Men Dreams help motivate people to keep moving forward with a goal in their life. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie travel together as migrant workers through California looking for a job. Their dream is to own their own ranch after finding a job that pays well. But impossible from the challenges that they gain along the way. The dreams in the novel affects the characters lives on how they feel towards one another, and themselves.

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In this novel, the idea of male companionship is paramount in each character’s life, except Curly, who uses his wife in place of a male companion. Being one of the two unnamed characters in the novel, Curley’s wife proves to serve as a mere alternative to loneliness in his life. Comparatively, Candy’s ownership of his dog represents an alternative to loneliness. When the dog’s depleting health compels the workers on the ranch to shoot it, Candy assumes a weak pathos approach to persuading the ranchers otherwise, stating, “‘Well—hell! I had him so long.

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The misunderstanding and mistreatment the outcast characters, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks, have to endure in order to have the possibility of partaking in buying the farm, far exceeds that of all the other workers. Yet, the chance of achieving the American Dream, or in the case of Of Mice and Men, a plot of land and small farm, was a much more likely possibility for the men who fell into the norms of society. The depiction of the American Dream creates the idea that everyone stands an equal chance at being successful, but with societal roadblocks for people with mental disorders, crippling injuries, or who belong to a racial minority, there are minimal opportunities for these groups to achieve the American

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Dreams Vs. Reality In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In the novella Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck incorporates many thematic ideas into his text. He includes the ideas of dreams and reality, the nature of home, and he difference of right and wrong. He develops these ideas throughout the story. The first theme incorporated is the idea if dreams versus reality. Lennie and George have a plan.

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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.

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The idea of the American Dream is indicated through out the novel, especially through the characters Lennie and George. They talk about their dream so much that it becomes a ritual between them and often they can finish each other’s thoughts and sentences. This is quite amazing, because Lennie is mentally challenged and has trouble thinking for himself. The dream gives both men purpose in a time when life is harsh and cruel.

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