Of mice and men

C.F. Of Mice and Men The novella “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck teaches a lot about human behavior. We learn that each character’s past experiences, attitude, emotion, and their authority all have a great affect on the way they behave. The whole concept of human behavior is what ties together the themes of this short novel. Some of these themes include the impossibility of achieving the American dream, loneliness vs. companionship, and the predatory nature of human existence. Throughout the story these are reoccurring themes that are vital to comprehending the story. The theme of the impossibility of achieving the American dream is a huge part of the story. Many of the characters did not end up where they wanted to be in life. Some of them include Crooks, Curley’s wife, Lennie, and George. Crooks, the black ranch hand, is unable to reach his dreams because of his race. He is segregated from the other men and is viewed differently also because of his crooked back. He wants to be accepted by the others because he feels so alone that it drives him mad. Curley’s wife is also unable to reach her American dream because of her mother, along with her husband. She has dreamt of being an actress for a very long time and because of her mother is unable to move away in order to achieve her goals. Her husband holds her back because he could care less about her; he just wants to be able to show her off, to him she is just a trophy wife. Curley’s wife also tries to act as if she is educated but it is clear that is not the case. She tries to use large words but mixes them up or pronounces them wrong. Just as her husband does, she believes that the only thing that she has going for her is her looks so she tries to use them to her advantage. Lennie and George have the same dream to own their own ranch and to live off “the fat of the land”. Although George realizes that this dream is impossible to obtain a small part of him believes they will eventually