The American Dream In Of Mice And Men

The American Dream What is the definition of the American Dream? There are many different answers to this question, but the most common answer is “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American” (Dictionary). The American Dream has changed dramatically, now its’ meaning has been interpreted differently. For many people, it has brought them to America in search for a better life. Unfortunately, the dream has not been as promising for everyone. The American Dream has not yet been fulfilled completely, but three novels that contain certain elements of the dream are The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, and Of Mice and Men. Each novel has proven this by teaching their readers that not everyone
“The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty.” (Fitzgerald __). The statement provides an example of the type of prosperity and success that occurred in the Roaring Twenties. Back then, the dream focused on being a wealthy and happy man in order to gain notoriety within the society. Gatsby was a prosperous man who used his “dream” of being a wealthy man with no worries and regrets. “So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end."Her voice is full of money," he said suddenly. That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it.” (Fitzgerald ___). The quotation greatly exemplifies the idea of having a wealthy and God like figure during the 1920’s. The dream during the 20’s was not only to live happily, but to gain popularity and to be successful in times of growth and jubilation, which is what occurred in the novel as well as in the time period. However, certain elements of society would drastically change the idea of an
The theme is particularly expressed through and around the characters of George and Lennie. Both of these men believed in owning their own little place to call their own, or as George would say, “We’re gonna have a little place and a couple of acres an’ some cows and some pigs...”(Steinbeck 14). Out of the two, Lennie was the most dedicated to the dream. This dedication is shown when he said “An’ live off the fatta the lan.”(Steinbeck 14). Lennie was committed to this "Well," said George, "we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof."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'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land” (Steinbeck 74). The 1930’s provided a more ambitious as well as simple dream for all those affected by the Depression. George and Lennie are happy with one another, and both have goals and ambitions to thrive on a farm and live in happiness once they get their way. Their sense of life