Theme Of Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

The quote “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” by Eleanor Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of one’s life goals. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men focuses on the significance of dreams as well as the problems with solitariness and helplessness. Lennie and George, the two main characters of the book, are migrant workers who recently arrive at a ranch in Soledad, California to work. Their experiences at the ranch show how hard it is to live in 1930’s society, and how they are different from the other migrant workers. Loneliness, powerlessness, and the nature of dreams are major themes in Of Mice and Men.
Loneliness is a big theme in the novel, and helps shape how some of the characters are or act.
To begin, Lennie goes into Crooks’ room, not knowing that he is not supposed to since Crooks is black. Lennie wants to talk to Crooks because George and the other workers are out in town, and he gets lonely. Crooks pretends to be mad at first, but lets Lennie in, because Crooks himself is also lonely. Crooks starts to tell Lennie about his early life, and how he is never allowed in the bunk room to socialize with the workers. He explains, “ ‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick’ ” (Steinbeck 73-74). Crooks is saying that he has never had any real friends because of his skin color. He is the only black man at the ranch, and since it is the 1930’s, white people think they are better to black people. Crooks also gets threatened by some of the superior people at the ranch, and instantly backs away because he knows the power that they have over him. All he has to occupy himself with are books and tending to the horses; other than that, he only has himself to spend free time with. This shows how loneliness affects a person; they get grumpy and can even become sick. They are willing to socialize or hang out with anyone, just so they will not be alone. Next, Curley’s wife is always left alone while Curley is working. Since she is the only woman at the ranch, and she is not allowed to work, she is expected to stay in Curley’s house all day and do chores. However, she gets tired of not doing anything and staying by herself. So, she talks and flirts with the workers who come in and out of the ranch. She comes into Crooks’ room while Lennie and Candy are in there talking to him. Candy gets mad at her and says she does not belong here, and she says, “ “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?’ ” (Steinbeck 77). This shows that even though Curley’s wife has a good amount of money and has a husband, she is still lonely. Curley is always ignoring her and looking for fights to try and seem tough, and the reason Curley’s wife married him was to get away from her mother, not out of love. No one at the ranch truly cares about her, since she is the only female. If she were to try and make friends with the guys, everyone would see it as her flirting and wanting to use them for her pleasure. These examples show how loneliness affects how characters in the book act, and how they feel about society.
Powerlessness is another theme in Of Mice and Men; although a character may be physically strong, they may not be mentally strong, or the other way around.
When Lennie and George first arrive at the ranch, George does all the speaking for the both of them. He wants to make sure that Lennie does not say anything that could make them lose the job, since he can be childish a lot. The boss, checking them in, gets mad at George for not letting Lennie speak. George insists “I ain’t saying he’s bright. He ain’t. But I say he’s a damn good worker” (Steinbeck 22). This shows that Lennie is powerless; although he is big and strong, he is very behind in his mental abilities because of how his brain is. Lennie can not usually be trusted by himself because he has very childlike urges, and does not understand how strong he can sometimes be. He kills small mice and his puppy because he gets mad at them easily, and he is accidentally too rough with them. He also can say silly things at the wrong times, and others interpret as something else. Because of this, he must rely on George to say and remember that right things around others. Later, after Candy gets mad at Curley’s wife for coming into Crooks’ room, Crooks starts yelling at her and telling her she has no right to be in his room, and stands up for himself. However, Curley’s wife is not scared of Crooks and reminds him that she can have him hung very quickly. Crooks backs away and “reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality,
no ego - nothing to arouse either like or dislike” (Steinbeck 81). This shows how powerless black people are in the 1930’s, and how they are viewed by society. They are so looked down on in the society of the book that superior people can have them killed in a second, and not have another thought about it later. Although Crooks is the most wise, and probably most smart person at the ranch, he is handicapped because of his back and his skin color. However, Lennie, Candy, and him get along well because of their similarities. It is then that they all decide to team up with Lennie and George to make their dream happen.
The nature of dreams is a huge theme in the book, and keeps the plot moving forward and determines what choices the characters make.
At the beginning of the book, George is re-explaining to Lennie their dream to calm him down, as if it is a bedtime story. Lennie always insists George to tell the story whenever he is feeling anxious or guilty, and truly believes in it George says, “ ‘O.K. Someday - we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and---’ ‘An’ have rabbits’ ” (Steinbeck 14). Because Lennie truly believes in the dream, George begins saving his money. George would enjoy having their own plot of land and animals, but he knows it is a long time away. He wants to make Lennie happy, so he always agree to tell the story and starts to believe in it too. It is also the reason why George never gives up on Lennie or gives up on losing jobs. He makes sure that they always find new jobs to do so that they can earn money to save up for the little farm. Lennie, on the other hand, cares more importantly about the rabbits. Lennie has a fascination for rabbits, and is his symbol for freedom and peace. He always reminds George that he is going to be the one to tend to the rabbits and pet them if he needs to calm down. This dream gives George and Lennie something to look forward to, even if it seems unrealistic at the others. They also stand up about it if others tell them that they are being ridiculous and that
it will never happen. It also creates a sense of independence for them; someday, they will not need to rely on anyone else, or a boss, in order to make a living. As Lennie states many times, they can “ ‘live off the fatta the lan.’ ’ ” However, towards the end of the book, Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife when she tell him to feel her hair. He does not let go, which makes her scream. Lennie gets scared when she screams, so he clamps his hand over her mouth and twists her neck, breaking it without realizing it. This makes Curley and the other men hunt down Lennie, who has fled to the brush, coming to kill him brutally. George tells Candy, “ ‘I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would’ ” (Steinbeck 94). George knows that this is the end for Lennie and that no one will forgive him. George ends up being the one to kill Lennie, but he does it quickly and shoots him in the back of the neck while saying the dream to Lennie. George does it in a peaceful way, while Lennie is happy. George explains that he knew from the start that it would be very difficult for him and Lennie to get their own land, even if others chipped in. However, Lennie was so hopeful that it got George to believe in it too. It gave something for both of them to live for, but now it is out of the picture. George refuses to buy the land with anyone else because it was his and Lennie’s dream, and was important to them.