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

1423 Words6 Pages
Are all men created equal? Are they able to reach the same goals as their colleagues? Is anything ever equal? Of Mice and Men, a novella by John Steinbeck, is the story of George and Lennie, two men who are trying to make money to buy land in order to start a ranch. However, Lennie becomes an occasional obstruction because of his mental disability. He gets in trouble once in a while because he doesn’t know his own limits. In order to make money, they start working at a ranch and meet others who are working there as well: Candy, Crooks, Carlson, and Slim. While trying to reach towards their own dreams, they find out about the dreams of others as well. However, in the process of this all, difficulties arise and their dream ends. In Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is portrayed as either an obstacle or an objective. For George and Lennie, the American Dream is a goal for them to…show more content…
They strive for a happy and successful life in the “land of opportunity”. In Of Mice and Men, the American Dream plays two roles in the characters’ lives. It either serves as a goal or it acts as a burden for them to carry on their shoulders. Normally, the American Dream is shown as a positive idea and stands for hard work and determination. Unlike how it is portrayed in the story, the American Dream serves as a goal to achieve and is anything but a burden. However, the American Dream can also be negative. When people try to reach their own American Dream, at any cost, in any way they can, they become corrupt and the American Dream is no longer a concept that one would want to strive for. It has become a goal for the greedy. Also, not everyone can achieve the American Dream. Back then and even now, racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia and more issues made it impossible for people to achieve their life goals. Ultimately, the American Dream for the characters in Of Mice and Men is or at one point was their source of happiness in
Open Document