"Of Mice and Men" Dbq

Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men portrays the American Dream through the journey of two close friends, Lennie and George, as they seek to achieve their personal aspirations. Along the way, they encounter a number of hardships that challenge their ability to reach their dreams. Steinbeck further introduces to the world the idea of the “American Dream” by utilizing Lennie and George’s life experiences traveling throughout the United States in their pursuit of happiness to enlighten others of the hardships of the Great Depression.
Steinbeck presents a picture of an optimistic dream that was sought after by many during the Great Depression. This dream was to enjoy a life that was “better and richer and fuller for everyone...” (Document C). Lennie and George’s dream of “owning a farm, which would enable them to sustain themselves and offer them protection,’ (Document D), represents their desire to be self sufficient and secure lacking the struggles and hardships that the typical person who lived during the Great Depression experienced. For example, Lennie, who is mentally challenged, repeatedly begs George to describe their dream to him. This dream encompasses their ability to own their very own home. It would be their choice to leave or stay, dependent of how they felt at the time. This seemed to be a luxury that Lennie and George viewed as for the privileged. This is supported by the quote “What bothers us travelin’ people most is we can’t get no place to stay still,” (Document A) by showing that it was difficult to find a decent place to settle with a secure job.
Aside from the struggle to find a decent location to own a home, a number of factors delayed the pursuit of Lennie and George’s dream. For example, when Candy overhears Lennie and George speaking of their dreams, he wants in. Candy has a sum of money he is willing to contribute towards a down payment on a home. It is then revealed to the reader that one of the factors to the delay of the progression