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

1080 Words5 Pages
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two men, George and Lennie, who work hard to make enough money to buy their own land. They move from place to place, because Lennie is always getting in trouble. Lennie and George begin a new job where they meet others with dreams similar to their own. The American Dream was an aspiration of prosperity and a place to call home. Steinbeck uses the American Dream to demonstrate how dreams were one of the only elements that kept the men functioning. These ambitions gave the men something to look forward to and gave their life’s meaning, but could fall apart at any second. The American Dream was a common dream between many during the Great Depression and many would jump on the idea of their own land.…show more content…
The title, Of Mice and Men, is a quote from a poem written by Robert Burns, it states “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men / Gang aft agley, / An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, / For promis’d joy!” (38-41). Steinbeck uses this poem to create his title, because of it’s message, that even with the best planning, dreams are going to bring pain when they don’t go the way that they were meant to. In the novel, when George finds Curley’s wife dead, George knows that their dream to have their own land is over. Steinbeck is trying to show that these dreams or ambitions usually don’t turn out positive, because we sabotage ourselves. In chapter four, Crooks says “‘You guys is just kiddin’ yourself. You’ll talk about it a hell of a lot, but you won’t get no land”’ (Steinbeck 75). Steinbeck hints at his thoughts in this dialogue through Crooks. Here, Steinbeck is referring back to the title and giving another character's outlook on the American Dream. Crooks has many years of experience and knows how all the elaborate plans and dreams that men have when they are working at the job always end
Open Document