Preview

How Dreams and Dreamings Affect Individual Characters in of Mice and Men Essay Example

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
705 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Dreams and Dreamings Affect Individual Characters in of Mice and Men Essay Example
The American dream ideally complements life and the pursuit of happiness. This vision has been extremely distorted within the 20th century to fit the new variety of Americans whom were greedy and selfish. Of Mice and Men was set during the Great Depression. The American Dream was no more; the land of opportunity was now the land of failure. George and Lennie, the two are best friends, however different they may seem both share a common goal. Their main ambition is to purchase land they can call their own; to work for themselves, and live a simple life. Candy also is intrigued in the pair's vision. Curley's wife longs for is to experience the world for herself, she feels she is a prisoner within he own home. In this essay, I will explore how dreams and dreaming affects individual characters in the novel.
George's life revolves around Lennie. George may sometimes seem as if he detests Lennie's company, we actually see George's devotion to Lennie is eternal. Their goal is to "get the jack together," and buy a few acres of land they can call their own, " an' live off the fatta the lan'". To own a content home, where they can work for themselves and be free of the scrutiny of society. Lennie is amused by the dream, whenever George speaks of it; Lennie goes into a blissful sort of day dream. After Lennie kills Curley’s wife and runs away to the brush where George told him to meet him if he were ever to be in trouble, George reminds Lennie of their dream and how happy they will be when he has to shoot him. George knows how excited Lennie gets about their future plans. He wants Lennie to die peacefully, in happy thoughts.
Candy is a much older worker, who has lost his hand. He isn’t worth as much to the ranch’s employer as the other men, so he fears unemployment. He has always dreamt of a better life. Whilst in the bunkhouse, he overhears George and Lennie speaking of their future plans. “You know a place like that?” George immediately has suspicions of the man,

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “If you ever just happen to get in trouble like you have always done before, I want you to come right here and hide in the brush.”(doc B) In the story Of Mice and Men there are two main characters, George and Lennie. George is average sized and intelligent, and Lennie is tall, very muscular, and below average. George and Lennie have a farm dream that they will own land, so they go to work on a ranch to earn money. A worker there, Candy, offers to go in with 300 dollars. Everything is looking good until Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife, and Curley is a hothead. He wants to kill Lennie very painfully, but George gets there first. He has to shoot him in the back of the head. Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to indicate the deaths of the farm dream, Curley’s wife, and Lennie.…

    • 640 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George could not take it anymore, therefore he killed him. If Lennie’s actions were blameless, none of this would have happened. Lennie would still be living, and he would own land. Someday Lennie and George were hoping to “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’ live off the fatta the lan’,” Lennie shouted. “An’ have rabbits” (14).…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Steinbeck illustrates the American Dream during the Great Depression using characters and their thoughts. Utilizing indirect characterization, he shows how characters appreciate the comfort that their dreams provide. When George explains their dream in vivid detail, Lennie often becomes very giddy and complacent (Steinbeck 13-14). Therefore, this example suggests that the American Dream reassures Lennie and his other peers when they are feeling troubled. Also, the changes in the attitudes of the characters express the positive impact their ambitions have on them. Thus, this quote demonstrates Crooks' eagerness to be a part of something as important as The Dream. Lastly, the American Dream's significance is also shown through the way the characters…

    • 157 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "Of Mice and Men" Dbq

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages

    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.…

    • 522 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    As technology and people have advanced, the American dream has progressed and has been altered from its true original form. The Legacy that once ruled America ended up with a modern twist. The American dream is that idea or not achievement that people make their life long gold. However, we may question how the American dream has been shaping American life styles. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck portrays the American dream and how it has been altered throughout many years and also how some people never attain it.…

    • 1137 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    During the Great Depression society had lost most of everything they owned, their jobs, homes, money, even most personal belongings. Society struggled to achieve what they most needed. Dreams helped motivate all people from the lowest class to the highest. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George Milton and Lennie Small have a dream of owning a small cottage with rabbits to attend and care for. For George it was a place to keep Lennie safe from society. To readers of this novel the theme of dreams shows up in many aspects of the book, along with Candy and Curley’s wife. Motivation, hard work, reassuring ideas or talks between characters are all examples of dreams or achievements in this novel.…

    • 124 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Toward the end of the novella Lennie fears he’s “done a bad thing.” After accidentally killing Curley’s wife, Lennie hides by the stream that George foreshadows as a meeting place, in case something bad were to happen. Knowing that Lennie can never be accepted by society, George makes the decision to take Lennie’s life in order to save him from the cruelty of society. Steinbeck writes, George “pulled the trigger. The crash of the shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again.” (106) Steinbeck uses this tragic moment to make apparent that George and Lennie’s dream has to die with…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    These hopes and dreams, however, cannot exist without friendship. This is most demonstrated in the relationship between George and Lennie. Without the other neither character would be able to maintain the desire. Lennie is constantly asking George to “Tell about how it’s gonna be.” (14) The constant reminder of the way things will be is what keeps the determination in Lennie alive. At the same time, George can’t be without Lennie. When George kills Lennie, he also kills the friendship, which results in the death of their…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the book talks about two guys who are traveling together in search for a job that can get them enough money so that they will be able to reach their dream. A significant factor in this story is that Lennie, one of the main characters, is mentally disabled. Lennie’s mind is just like a child, it’s easy for everyone to see. George, the other main character, has to constantly watch out for Lennie as they travel together because he doesn’t want Lennie to get into any serious trouble. George often blames Lennie for their problems that they face because of his disability. The dream mentioned earlier that the men are trying to obtain is something that Lennie truly believes they will be able to accomplish. Lennie and…

    • 1485 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All four characters have aspirations that affect them throughout the book. George, Lennie, and Candy are all motivated by their hope for the future, they constantly work towards their dream; however, Curley’s wife lived her life wishing that she would’ve pursued her dreams. The idea of having their own land excites Lennie very much. He dreams of taking care of the rabbits and other animals. George hopes this dream comes true so that he can lead a "better"…

    • 735 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George’s fantasies may never become reality, however, his ability to sustain the mundane, shows how important hopes and dreams are to the human condition. In addition to working, George has the added responsibility of babysitting Lennie. This is an ongoing and very real struggle. His semi-effective solution was to share his dream of owning a ranch together. “I can still tend the rabbits George?” By having…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the protagonists, George and Lennie have an ambitious dream that never comes true. Of Mice and Men was written through inspiration from a poem about dreams and how they often go awry. Steinbeck used the elements of that poem to make a detailed novella about the danger of setting one’s mind to one dream without any backup plan. Throughout the novella, Steinbeck attempts to tell readers that the American Dream is almost impossible to achieve and it is not worth setting one’s mind solely to that dream as people will discourage one and it will likely fall apart.…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Of Mice and Men, a 1937 novella by John Steinbeck and American Beauty, a 1999 film directed by Sam Mendes, offer various insights into the American Dream and are both contextually driven. Both texts present the possibility of different pursuits of the American Dream and portray a multiplicity of challenges imposed by the societies of their contexts. In Of Mice and Men (OMM), through literary techniques, Steinbeck conveys the importance of the Dream of land ownership and companionship during the difficult times of the 1930s in providing happiness and hope. Mendes, in his film American Beauty (AB), by using satirical and cinematic devices, emphasises the significance of pursuing freedom and family cohesion in a wealthier but materialistically and image-driven society as the essence of the American Dream by the end of the twentieth century. However, both texts reflect the challenges imposed by the social ills of their contexts and ultimately, the American Dream is not able to be achieved and is never a reality in their times.…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dreams build ambition, but when a dream becomes deferred, a person’s personality and mentality can change. In both John Steinbeck’s novels, Of Mice and Men and The Pearl display the tragic results of one’s dreams not being achieved is presented. Evidence of the tragedy and disappointment of unfulfilled dreams is expressed through George and Lennie, Kino, and Crooks. Unfilled dreams manifested into George and Lennie, Kino, and Crooks and is revealed through their actions.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Dream is a large theme on which the novella "Of Mice and Men" is based on. Each character strives to achieve their own dream, and some without realising. Dreams are very important in the novella, because without them nobody has anything to work towards and to motivate them in life.…

    • 768 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays