The American Dream In Of Mice And Men
What is the American Dream? According to James Truslow 's book, The Epic of America (ironically written in the 1930s), the American Dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Truslow). In the 20th century, we have significantly warped that dream to suit a more selfish type of person. Citizens base the American Dream on something much more different then what it originally meant. Today, many Americans believe to achieve the American Dream means to be rich and famous or have a successful business. People get caught up in this "American Dream", that they forget the true meaning set by our Founding Fathers. Abraham Lincoln stated, "You can have anything you want - if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold to that desire with singleness of purpose.", agreeing with Mr. Truslow. Despite this, society became so distorted when discrimination played a role. Obviously, the Founding Father 's didn 't take the future 's problems into consideration when making the ideal dream for Americans. They were unaware of the hardships the discriminated would face, which made it hard to make the American dream more than just a dream. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck shows the death of the American Dream and why it was unattainable by many.
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The 1930’s was considered one of the toughest times in the history of the United States.
Americans felt hopeless, saddened, and depressed. After the Wall Street crashed, the economy became complete chaos and a great downfall after a already being in a steep hole, in result of the World War II. Close to 10 percent of the population were unemployed. The country soon became filled with jobless citizens, wanderers, and migrant workers. Owning a house was becoming something that was very rarely heard of. During this time, we see how humans struggled
to
survive. Not having a roof over your head seems bad enough, but imagine sleeping hungry, night after night. All the success, hopes, and dreams were lost and went down the drain. As people continued to suffer daily, they’re pursuit of happiness seemed farther and farther away from the grasp of their palm. However, this all has to do with the equal opportunity that everyone should have to fulfill this dream. Some could not achieve the American dream because of a disadvantage pertaining to that person. Because of this, the dream isn’t fully obtainable to all of those who wish to fulfill it. The Land of Opportunity was well on its way to being the Land of Misfortune.
In Of Mice and Men, to show ageism during this time, the author includes Candy in his novella. Candy dreams to own his own piece of land. It initially starts when Candy hears about George and Lennie 's dream to "live off the fatta the lan '" (Steinbeck, pg. 14). He wants to be a part of the plan and gives his savings to contribute to the investment of the property. Describing the dream land to Candy, George says, “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. We wouldn’t ask nobody if we could. Jus’ say, ‘We’ll go to her,’ an’ we would. Jus’ milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an’ go to her.” (Steinbeck, pg. 57). The idea of this land is their motivation to keep working hard, hoping to one day be able to own land. "You God damn tramp. You done it, di 'n 't you? I s 'pose you 're glad. Ever 'body knowed you 'd mess things up. You wasn 't no good. You ain 't no good now, you lousy tart.", Candy says viciously to the corpse (Steinbeck, pg. 95). Here, Candy 's voice shakes from expressing his true feelings. He blames Curley 's wife for ruining his dream since Lennie 's share of the money is gone. Candy told George and Lennie the possible dangers
of Curley 's wife, but Lennie just didn 't know any better. Steinbeck depicts how the aged could not attain this dream of having land and being pertinent to a society where everyone was equal.
Throughout the novella, Steinbeck depicts how the disabled could not fulfill their dream because they were discriminated against and treated differently. One would think that the mentally handicapped got special treatment, but that was not the case. During the Great Depression, everyone received equal treatment. Some were institutionalized. Other times, some couldn 't stand in line for rations due to their liability, which left them hungry and helpless, since everyone else already had someone to care for, whether it was for themselves or for their family. In the story, Steinbeck uses Lennie to publicize that the mentally handicapped could also dream like the rest. Lennie 's dream is to own land, but for one thing only; to tend rabbits. "The hell with the rabbits. That 's all you can ever remember is them rabbits.", George says as he explains the dream land to Lennie and all he hears out of it is the rabbits (Steinbeck, pg. 4-5). Even though Lennie 's dream is to tend rabbits, George also has a dream and Lennie slows the process down greatly. "God a 'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an ' work, an ' no trouble. No mess at all. An ' whatta I got. I got you! You can 't keep a job and you lose me ever ' job I get. Jus ' keep me shovin ' all over the country all the time.", George complains furiously (Steinbeck, pg. 11). After fleeing Weed (because of Lennie touching a girl 's dress), he says if it wasn 't for him, his life would be so much better. Later in the story, Lennie kills Curley 's wife by accident. "I done another bad thing", Lennie tells George, just as he is getting ready to kill Lennie. After George kills Lennie, Slim states, "You hadda, George. I swear, ya hadda." (Steinbeck, pg. 107). This quote illustrates the hard choice that George had to make. Even if George had not killed Lennie, Curley would have, along with George 's American Dream.
Steinbeck thoroughly shows how women during this period of time couldn 't achieve their goals because they issued less rights than men. To show this in the book, the author exploits Curley 's wife. She states, "Ever 'body! An ' what am I doin '? Standin ' here talkin ' to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an ' a dum-dum and a lousy ol ' sheep—an ' likin ' it because they ain 't nobody else." (Steinbeck, pg. 79). This quote demonstrates how Curley 's wife 's right were constricted; even more than the ranchhands. She can 't even have fun or do anything without Curley, which goes to show why her name isn 't even said. She Curley 's belonging. However, before Curley, there was some hope in her life. "I tell you I ain 't used to livin ' like this. I coulda made somethin ' of myself. Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an ' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol ' lady wouldn ' let me. She says because I was on 'y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I 'd went, I wouldn 't be livin ' like this, you bet.", she explains (Steinbeck, pg.88). Curley 's wife had a chance to become a star, but her mother ruined it. She killed her dream by keeping her from being in the pictures since she was too young. If it wasn 't for her "ol ' lady" she would 've been living her dream.
From beginning to end of the novella, John Steinbeck exudes how African Americans during this time also had an American Dream, but could not make it a reality because of segregation. Crooks was the only African American on the ranch. Therefore, he was seperated and put in a bunk next to the horses. Crooks dream was to be accepted and for everyone to be equal. "I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an ' he gets sick.", exclaims Crooks to Lennie to try and explain to him his loneliness. Steinbeck shows how Crooks has his dream snatched away from him through racism. Even though the reader may see that the American Dream for these characters is way beyond reach and just an illusion, I don 't think it 's clear if they see that.
However, when Crooks states, "Nobody ever gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It 's just in their head.", he is facing the harsh, bitter reality (Steinbeck, pg. 74). Crooks knows that such comfort and happiness are not to be formed in that ambience. In Of Mice and Men, an American Dream was evident for all characters, but they were beyond the bounds of possibility because of their skin color, gender, disability, age, or even a friend. Everyone was getting treated the same and prejudices during this time. Very little justice lingered in the air. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays the impossibility of the American Dream to the disfavored, discriminated people of the 1930s.
Works Cited
Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America,. Boston: Little, Brown, and, 1931. Print.
American dream in Of Mice and Men." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed.Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011.Bloom 's Literary Reference
McClinton, Jennifer. "Infobase Learning - Login." Infobase Learning - Login. Bloom 's Literary Reference, n.d. Web. 16 June 2013.
"Quotes From Abraham Lincoln." About.com Quotations. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2013.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.
The 1930’s was considered one of the toughest times in the history of the United States.
Americans felt hopeless, saddened, and depressed. After the Wall Street crashed, the economy became complete chaos and a great downfall after a already being in a steep hole, in result of the World War II. Close to 10 percent of the population were unemployed. The country soon became filled with jobless citizens, wanderers, and migrant workers. Owning a house was becoming something that was very rarely heard of. During this time, we see how humans struggled
to
survive. Not having a roof over your head seems bad enough, but imagine sleeping hungry, night after night. All the success, hopes, and dreams were lost and went down the drain. As people continued to suffer daily, they’re pursuit of happiness seemed farther and farther away from the grasp of their palm. However, this all has to do with the equal opportunity that everyone should have to fulfill this dream. Some could not achieve the American dream because of a disadvantage pertaining to that person. Because of this, the dream isn’t fully obtainable to all of those who wish to fulfill it. The Land of Opportunity was well on its way to being the Land of Misfortune.
In Of Mice and Men, to show ageism during this time, the author includes Candy in his novella. Candy dreams to own his own piece of land. It initially starts when Candy hears about George and Lennie 's dream to "live off the fatta the lan '" (Steinbeck, pg. 14). He wants to be a part of the plan and gives his savings to contribute to the investment of the property. Describing the dream land to Candy, George says, “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. We wouldn’t ask nobody if we could. Jus’ say, ‘We’ll go to her,’ an’ we would. Jus’ milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an’ go to her.” (Steinbeck, pg. 57). The idea of this land is their motivation to keep working hard, hoping to one day be able to own land. "You God damn tramp. You done it, di 'n 't you? I s 'pose you 're glad. Ever 'body knowed you 'd mess things up. You wasn 't no good. You ain 't no good now, you lousy tart.", Candy says viciously to the corpse (Steinbeck, pg. 95). Here, Candy 's voice shakes from expressing his true feelings. He blames Curley 's wife for ruining his dream since Lennie 's share of the money is gone. Candy told George and Lennie the possible dangers
of Curley 's wife, but Lennie just didn 't know any better. Steinbeck depicts how the aged could not attain this dream of having land and being pertinent to a society where everyone was equal.
Throughout the novella, Steinbeck depicts how the disabled could not fulfill their dream because they were discriminated against and treated differently. One would think that the mentally handicapped got special treatment, but that was not the case. During the Great Depression, everyone received equal treatment. Some were institutionalized. Other times, some couldn 't stand in line for rations due to their liability, which left them hungry and helpless, since everyone else already had someone to care for, whether it was for themselves or for their family. In the story, Steinbeck uses Lennie to publicize that the mentally handicapped could also dream like the rest. Lennie 's dream is to own land, but for one thing only; to tend rabbits. "The hell with the rabbits. That 's all you can ever remember is them rabbits.", George says as he explains the dream land to Lennie and all he hears out of it is the rabbits (Steinbeck, pg. 4-5). Even though Lennie 's dream is to tend rabbits, George also has a dream and Lennie slows the process down greatly. "God a 'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an ' work, an ' no trouble. No mess at all. An ' whatta I got. I got you! You can 't keep a job and you lose me ever ' job I get. Jus ' keep me shovin ' all over the country all the time.", George complains furiously (Steinbeck, pg. 11). After fleeing Weed (because of Lennie touching a girl 's dress), he says if it wasn 't for him, his life would be so much better. Later in the story, Lennie kills Curley 's wife by accident. "I done another bad thing", Lennie tells George, just as he is getting ready to kill Lennie. After George kills Lennie, Slim states, "You hadda, George. I swear, ya hadda." (Steinbeck, pg. 107). This quote illustrates the hard choice that George had to make. Even if George had not killed Lennie, Curley would have, along with George 's American Dream.
Steinbeck thoroughly shows how women during this period of time couldn 't achieve their goals because they issued less rights than men. To show this in the book, the author exploits Curley 's wife. She states, "Ever 'body! An ' what am I doin '? Standin ' here talkin ' to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an ' a dum-dum and a lousy ol ' sheep—an ' likin ' it because they ain 't nobody else." (Steinbeck, pg. 79). This quote demonstrates how Curley 's wife 's right were constricted; even more than the ranchhands. She can 't even have fun or do anything without Curley, which goes to show why her name isn 't even said. She Curley 's belonging. However, before Curley, there was some hope in her life. "I tell you I ain 't used to livin ' like this. I coulda made somethin ' of myself. Come there when I was a kid. Well, a show come through, an ' I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. But my ol ' lady wouldn ' let me. She says because I was on 'y fifteen. But the guy says I coulda. If I 'd went, I wouldn 't be livin ' like this, you bet.", she explains (Steinbeck, pg.88). Curley 's wife had a chance to become a star, but her mother ruined it. She killed her dream by keeping her from being in the pictures since she was too young. If it wasn 't for her "ol ' lady" she would 've been living her dream.
From beginning to end of the novella, John Steinbeck exudes how African Americans during this time also had an American Dream, but could not make it a reality because of segregation. Crooks was the only African American on the ranch. Therefore, he was seperated and put in a bunk next to the horses. Crooks dream was to be accepted and for everyone to be equal. "I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an ' he gets sick.", exclaims Crooks to Lennie to try and explain to him his loneliness. Steinbeck shows how Crooks has his dream snatched away from him through racism. Even though the reader may see that the American Dream for these characters is way beyond reach and just an illusion, I don 't think it 's clear if they see that.
However, when Crooks states, "Nobody ever gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It 's just in their head.", he is facing the harsh, bitter reality (Steinbeck, pg. 74). Crooks knows that such comfort and happiness are not to be formed in that ambience. In Of Mice and Men, an American Dream was evident for all characters, but they were beyond the bounds of possibility because of their skin color, gender, disability, age, or even a friend. Everyone was getting treated the same and prejudices during this time. Very little justice lingered in the air. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays the impossibility of the American Dream to the disfavored, discriminated people of the 1930s.
Works Cited
Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America,. Boston: Little, Brown, and, 1931. Print.
American dream in Of Mice and Men." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed.Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011.Bloom 's Literary Reference
McClinton, Jennifer. "Infobase Learning - Login." Infobase Learning - Login. Bloom 's Literary Reference, n.d. Web. 16 June 2013.
"Quotes From Abraham Lincoln." About.com Quotations. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2013.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.