Since the establishment of America, its citizens have longed for success. Individuals around the country have perpetually focused on the promise of high achievement, often called “the American Dream.” This highly-sought vision for American life serves as the motivating factor for many American interests such as financial stability or profitable business. However, the impulsive ambition of some individuals elicits significant difficulties on their path to prosperity. The overconfident and impetuous nature of those seeking the American dream not only reduces their chances of success, but also brings a greater degree of hardship. The authors of Of Mice and Men, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Great Gatsby emphasize how an individual’s impulsive ambition …show more content…
Lennie and George, two ranch workers during the Great Depression, express their ambitious goal of building a small farm and “[living] off the fatta lan’” (Steinbeck (-- removed HTML --) PDF). Lennie consistently asks George to “tell [him] about the rabbits” to retain his confidence of one day achieving his American dream (Steinbeck (-- removed HTML --) PDF). Lennie and George plan to escape their impoverished condition, similar to the plans of other ranch workers. However, Lennie’s impulsive predisposition prevents their success. After Curley’s wife beings to draw attention to Lennie’s unknowking abuse, Lennie exclaims, “George gonna say I done a bad thing. He ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits.” (Steinbeck (-- removed HTML --) PDF). To secure his American dream of tending rabbits, he takes violent action that leads to the death of Curley’s wife. This morbid mistake removes all possibility of their American dream and eventually leads to Lennie’s euthanasia. Through the incautious actions of Lennie, Steinbeck highlights how impulsive ambition leads to the failure of the American …show more content…
In the exigence of the play, Water expresses his interest in a morally-questionable investment opportunity. Walter “[wants] so many things that they are driving [him] kind of crazy,” and his dedication to success is built on unyielding ambition (Hansberry (-- removed HTML --) PDF). Being born into a low socioeconomic status, Walter believes that he should strive for success. Because of the racial discrimination of the time, opportunities for African Americans were limited, preventing Walter from achieveing his American dream. However, his impetuous nature proved to be detrimental on the path to acheiving his dream. After receiving news that his investment was swindled, Walter exclaims, “That money was made out of my father’s flesh!” (Hansberry 85). Although Walter’s commitment to success is admirable, his impulsive investment caused further strife to his family. Through Walter’s actions, Hansberry highlights how impulsive ambition leads to the unsuccessful fulfillment of the American dream and worsened conditions for
After reading the novel and watching the movie “Of Mice and Men”, I have learned about the lifestyle of migrant workers in California during the 1930s, which I did not know about before studying the novel. California back in the 1930s is very different from what I pictured it to be as the conditions of life weren’t that good. This is also the first novel that I have read in my years as a student that contains so much foreshadowing. Never before had I read a book where the author produced so much foreshadowing in such a short book. Steinbeck uses Lennie as a source of motivation and hope in achieving the dream farm that George, Candy, Crooks and Lennie himself desire.
In accomplishing this, I was compelled to resort to various startagems. " Walter was Walter is a man who is eager in becoming wealthy, while Douglass is a slave who wants to learn about reading and writing. In the play, Walter says, "I want so many things that they are driving me kind of crazy..." This quote is talking about how Walter wants to some many things, but he cannot have it because he does not have a lot of money. Another example, Fredrick Douglass said, "I would sometimes say to them, I wished I could be as free as they would be when they got to be men.
Steinbeck additionally displays the american dream and motivation by showing how George kills Lennie at the end. For example, when George found Lennie by the river and was going to kill Lennie they stated “Go on,” said Lennie. “How’s it gonna be. We gonna get a little place.” “Well have a cow,” said George.
Lennie constantly fears that his actions will anger George, who will then punish him by taking away his rabbit-managing privileges. During the debacle with Curley's wife, he says “‘George gonna say I done a bad thing. He gonna ain’t gonna me tend no rabbits’”(91). Lennie represents innocence and
However, if he can keep the rabbits from getting hurt, it’s closure for him. Lennie knows how bad it feels to get hurt and he will do anything to ensure no one or nothing else ever experiences that feeling. Lennie is desperate for the farm because he would finally be happy. Steinbeck describes the anxiety Lennie has for starting the farm by saying, “‘An’ rabbits,’ Lennie said eagerly. ‘An I’d take care of ‘em.
Elijah Hunt Dr. Baker English 10 12 May 2023 Mice And Men Even though in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are many obstacles that George and Lennie encounter, they eventually work out. In the book, Lennie and George are two workers who travel together, but Lennie gets them in trouble a lot. Lennie eventually kills Curley’s wife, Curley is the land owner's son. If Lennie didn’t kill Curley’s wife, George and Lennie would still have faced challenges in achieving their goals, but they would have had to approach them differently.
"And I get to tend the rabbits" (Steinbeck 105). Rabbits were what George and Lennie were talking about just moments before Lennie dies. George knew that this innocent idea of tending rabbits would calm Lennie down so his last thoughts would be something that brought him joy. By using the motif of rabbits Steinbeck shows how Lennie would have never been able to survive off that dream and how having innocent dreams can blind you from the real
Throughout the plot, he struggles with acceptance of his social status and economical situations, but ends up achieving true fulfillment in simply being proud of who he and his family are as people with aspirations. Walter’s evolution
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, two men, named George and Lennie, start a new job working on a ranch to save to buy a piece of land to achieve their American Dream during the Great Depression. Lennie is a big man who is mentally challenged who represents innocence, and George is a small man who represents conscience for his actions determine main events throughout the story. George’s enthusiasm for a farm inspires others to work towards his American Dream. Lennie’s innocence that allows him to be a friend to anyone has an impact on the outcasts of society, and his death is such an impact on George that his ‘American Dream’ was obliterated. George has a dream of owning a piece of land and growing crops on it.
For Walter, society is suppressing his dreams from becoming a reality and causing him to live a life he doesn’t want. This is exhibited through Hansberry’s use of the phrase “rich white people”. It shows how the predominately white society of the 1950’s did not allow people like Walter, who were of a different race, the opportunity to have the same luxuries and success that they have. This causes Walter to believe that he will forever be stuck in a bad job and a small apartment where his son has to sleep in the living room, which means he will forever
Our main characters, Lennie and George, are two people with a simple dream: “[they’re going to] have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs,”(Steinbeck, 119). In short, they want to own a small farm and “live off the fatta the lan,”(119) in order to be set for the rest of their lives. Now, their dream isn’t far fetched, and if they work
Despite the fact that dreaming of a liquor store is shallow, Walter’s motivation to be able to support his family helps reconcile his somewhat immoral hopes. Later, Walter shows the idiocy of his plan to own a liquor store when he gets drunk. In act 2, scene 2, Walter borrows Willy Harris’s car and drives around Chicago for two days, then “just walked”, and finally “went to the Green Hat” (2.2 105). Through his actions, Walter shows that he is immature and cares more about pretending to be rich than his job that would allow him to provide for his family.
It shows this because Walter diminishes his sisters Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor by making a misogynist comment in which insinuates on her settling on being a nurse due to a doctor clearly being an often male dominant profession. Furthermore, Walter is deluded by greed on opening a liquor store which causes him to have no regard for the feelings or desires of others. Clearly, the central idea of the text is that in trying to achieve a dream it can bring out a person selfish tendency because people tend to disparage others dreams in order to attain theirs. The author 's use of conflict is important to the developing the central idea that oneself can become selfish when trying to obtain the American dream because it creates tension.
By comparison, they will do anything to be able to fulfill their American Dream. Without a doubt, Walter would give up anything for wealth, since money runs the world. While Walter was having a conversation with his mother she says, “So now its life. Money. Money is life.
All Walter wanted was to have money and open his own liquor store but it was not possible. Walter’s dream was unfortle not able to come true