In “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck shows every character’s desire for some kind of achievement in life as an example of the American dream and how unattainable it really is for them. The American Dream is one of liberty, untarnished happiness and self-reliance. At the beginning of the novel George and Lennie immediately bond together building a close friendship that teaches them both new things. Crooks is willing to work for nothing, just to gain the independence for a life outside the stables and to leave his lonely little room. Candy is a beautiful, talented girl sick of the farm life and she’s willing to do anything in the world to attain the American dream. The starting of wanting to achieve the American dream begins as soon as we get to know Lennie and George.
George and Lennie, based their relationship over their dream. The dream was to ‘Someday, get the jack together..have a little house and a couple of acres….” (p.14) This displays George’s belief that one day, their dream will come true, if they saved up their money. Also, Lennie says that they should get many different coloured rabbits… George agrees saying “Sure we will… Red and green and blue rabbits. Millions of ’em” (p.16) These ideas show that the dream was unrealistic and thus unattainable. George and Lennie have a strong passion, and we can almost relate to them when George mentions, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to…With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place to go. If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us. Cause I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you, and that’s why” (p.13-14).
The Essay on Tending The Rabbits Dream George Lennie
Richard Reed strom Of Mice and Men Essay Have you ever had a dream? Dreaming is an important part of life. It gives man something to believe in, to hope for, and to strive for. In Steinbeck s Of Mice and Men, The characters George, Lennie, and Curly s Wife all have dreams that direct the course of their lives. George s dream is to own a piece of land with Lennie. He almost achieves this dream when ...
Crooks thought about George, Lennie and Candy’s dreams when he first heard of it from Lennie. While taken part in trying to attack Lennie and his ideal American dream, Crooks was surprised by the possibilities of the American Dream. Crooks claimed that “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads . . . every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’… Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” (p.75/76) But unfortunately, at the end of the novel, George and Lennie’s dream was shattered when George was forced to kill Lennie. Crooks alleged that, “I never really seen a guy do it… If you…guys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand.”(p.76) However, Crooks’ pride kept him from being part of their dream, saying that, “‘Member What I said about hoein’ and doin’ odd jobs? Well, just forget it.” (p.83) Despite having heard and believed that the American Dream was possible, he still refused to be convinced, so the American Dream would always be unattainable due to his ego.
Candy had always had walys dreamed of becoming something, but it appears that she had simply been trying to make an excuse for why she had not yet attained her dream of being free “all them nice clothes the like to wear, spoke in the radio, wouldn’ta cost me a cent” (p.89) We discover that she never had achieved her idea of the American dream, and never would. George suggests to Candy that “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing, We’d just go to her.” (p.60/61) This indicates that George knows that Candy is still searching for her dream and that Candy is capable of achieving it if she works hard. The American Dream that all the ranch workers wished to attain unfortunately became only something but a dream, even at the end.
The Essay on Hope George Lennie Dream
In both "Hope is the thing with feathers", by Emily Dickinson, and Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, hope is portrayed as keeping up one's spirit, and welcome when times are grueling, and sounding promising but not always making sense. Curley's wife dreams of being a movie star, and this keeps her married, if unhappily, to Curley, but her dream is actually a delusion, and while promising much, ...
Even though George and Lennie came close to their dream, they still fell short, as did Curley’s wife, Crooks’, and Candy. George and Lennie learned a great lesson from eachother and although things may not have worked out how it should’ve they still bonded together. No one really ever listened to Crooks’ and he was a smart man. Crooks’ is one who may actually achieve the American dream later on. Candy is also capable of achieving her goal because she has the talent and the looks, while she’s living their the chances are slim, but she could move at any time. It is in the commitment to each other that these characters touch us. Their dream becomes our dream while we read this novel. In the end, it is not the attainment that really matters, it’s the people bonding together.
