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

960 Words4 Pages
People often argue that dreams do come true, but how come many do not? In the engaging and evocative novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the characters as examples to demonstrate that the American Dream does not always prevail, as shown by the failure of multiple dreams in the plot. To the characters in the story, imagination serves as a place to take refuge from reality. At times, people may become so obsessed with their dreams that they believe with certainty that it will happen. Steinbeck illustrates that dreams often result in both positive and negative attitudes, despite the unattainability of certain ones, such as the “American Dream.” To Lennie and Candy, their dreams of contentedness seem achievable. “‘Someday. we’re gonna get…show more content…
Living a carefree life greatly appeals to them. With his full confidence in their dream, Lennie believes that it lies within a reachable distance. Occasionally, he orders George to say it out loud. Although mentally impaired, he recognizes that hearing it will give them hope to help aid himself out of their predicament. Both of the times George delivers the motivational speech about their hopes and wishes occur after one of Lennie’s wrongdoings. Not only does Lennie ask for George to recount their dream but also justifies himself and begs for forgiveness, under the impression that their dream can still happen despite all that he has done. However, this tends to leave Lennie unsatisfied with what he has. Impatient for his dream to come true, he inquires, “How long’s it gonna be till we get that little place an’ live off the fatta’ the lan’-and rabbits?” (56). At this point, he recognizes that their plans are declining and works desperately to pull them back up. Overhearing George and Lennie’s plans for the…show more content…
Unsatisfied with what she has, Curley’s wife does not cherish her blessings. In fact, she longs to start afresh and regrets her marriage to Curley. Understandably, she despairs about the way the men on the ranch neglect her because of her gender. Multiple times, she hears about Lennie and Candy’s hopes for the future and points out to them that it would never work out. While Lennie has a consistently optimistic behavior, Curley’s wife sees the world and its people in a negative way, and she understands she cannot escape a tunnel that she has crawled too far into. Black-skinned Crooks, another insecure individual on the ranch, feels neglected by the others. To Lennie, he says, “I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room” (68). While the other characters wish for concrete objects such as money and land, Crooks simply longs for companionship and respect. Candy’s description of the life he will soon have with George and Lennie inspires Crooks: “...If you guys would want a hand to work for nothing...why, I’d come an’ lend a hand” (76). Crooks sees contributing himself to the dream as an opportunity to gain dignity- he does not even care about the money. Just a while later, he changes his mind and decides to not become involved. At the same time, he acknowledges the unattainability of his dream, which results also in his pessimism. Held below societal standards, Crooks
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