Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck takes place during the tough times of the Great Depression. Those extremely challenging ten years in western civilization began after the stock market crash of October 1929. Companies losing business had no choice but to let of go workers which caused major unemployment throughout the United States. There were at least thirteen to fifteen million un-employed Americans! America’s thirty-second president, Franklin D. Roosevelt tried to get America back at the height it was before 1929 by helping improve the industries. It was during these harsh times that Americans said if it was the end of their dreams, their American Dreams. The Library of Congress explains the meaning of the American Dream by saying,…show more content…
She dreamed of being an actress, to be in the movies. In the book, it states, “Well, a show came through, an’ I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol’ lady wouldn’t let me. If I went, I wouldn’t be living like this. ‘Nother time I met a guy, an’ he was I pitchers. He says he was gonna put me in the movies. Says I was a natural. Soon’s he got back to Hollywood he was gonna write to me about it. I never got that letter” (Steinbeck 72). Curley’s wife could have been living the life, nice clothes, fancy dinners, lots of money, and she probably would have gotten a husband she likes. Her entire life would have been changed if she was an actress in movies. But all of those dreams were shattered for many reasons. First of all, her mother didn’t allow her to go with the traveling show because she was only fifteen. And second, her husband Curley wouldn’t allow her to do those things so she was stuck being the only disliked female on the ranch. And third, she never received a letter from the actor who said he would help her be in the movies. So therefore, her American Dream was…show more content…
I can sum up that the American Dream was shattered for all the unfortunate characters in Of Mice and Men. George, Lennie, and Candy’s shared dream of owning a farm was destroyed when Lennie got himself into some trouble which resulted in his death. Curley’s wife’s dream of being an actress was terminated when she had an unsuccessful marriage with Curley and when her mom denied her request to join the traveling show. You could say there was a 21st century great depression with the economy becoming worse, and money, being an issue. There has been a time where national attractions were closed because the country had to pay off debt to other countries. The American Dream and Great Depression can still be related to today because there are still Americans with harsh lives who hope for a better outcome in their future. Harsh lives occur for some of the same reasons as in 1929-1939. Society today faces difficult economic times as well as struggling industries. Not everyone in modern society has an abundant amount of money, a nice home or roof over their heads, or even a strong, sturdy family. If people were affected by a natural disaster, involved with drugs, or lost loved ones, they probably would have dreams of an improved life. Back then, it was because of the Great
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