John Steinbeck's Obstacles
Is the American Dream impossible or does it just take time to find? In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck’s characters have many goals that they wish to achieve. The main characters, George and Lennie, want to own farmland and animals, and their own home. Obstacles come along throughout the novel that create great difficulties for the characters to reach their lifelong goals. Steinbeck’s perspective of the American Dream is that it is more of an idea than it is a realistic goal that can be reached, and he develops this theme through characters, settings and symbols in the novel. The American Dream is what makes the United States of America the place to pursue one’s life goals. This concept has been around for centuries. Someone …show more content…
The characters throughout the novel are trying to work towards their goals. They keep the great idea of their dreams as motivation, but do they ever reach those goals? Steinbeck’s main character Lennie never reaches his dream,; he only has it as an idea to hold. Lennie gets himself in trouble towards the end of the novel. George finds Lennie by the riverside, George tells Lennie to look at the river and get on his knees as he takes out a gun and aimes it at Lennie’s head. Lennie does not know what was going to happen and George does not want him to know so he begins to talk about their dream, “Lennie begged ‘Le’s do it now. Le’s get the place now.’… George raised the gun and steadied… He pulled the trigger.” (Steinbeck 106). The concept of the American Dream is not something that is proven to come true. It is expressed as a movement, plan, or vision. It seems more like something people hold onto to keep their humanity. Lisa M. Weah tells her dream in “American Dreams” from The New York Times. “I dream of an America which embodies its own declaration.” (Brown 2). Like Lennie and many others Weah has not yet reached her goal, if it is even something she could reach on her own. Her American Dream is such a large dream, it would be a giant movement for the United States. Since it is such a large journey our reach to her goal, it seems like more of an idea. It is obviously a want for her, like a dream is for anyone, but is it a want that she can have? It is sad to realize that the American Dream is less a reality and moreso a
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508 Words | 3 PagesSteinbeck 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.
How Does Steinbeck Create Hope In Of Mice And Men
1227 Words | 5 PagesAfter Slim questions whether their friendship is strong enough to withhold their huge plan, George immediately says, “He ain’t no cuckoo. He’s dumb as hell, but he aint crazy. An’ I aint so bright neither, or I wouldn't be buckin’ barley for my fifty and found. If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, Id have my own little place, an’ Id be bringin’ in my own crops, ‘stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes up outta the ground.” (Steinbeck 39) This doubt and reassurance of Lennie and George’s dream foreshadows Lennie’s death because Lennie doesn't actually make it to the ranch due to Geore shooting
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Comparing The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
764 Words | 4 PagesGeorge Milton and Lennie Small’s dream is of owning a small plot of land where they can retire and live independently. Their dream dies when George shoots Lennie in the head to save him from a worse fate. Poverty, prejudice, and fate conspire against George and Lennie. The impossibility of achieving their dream is Steinbeck’s way of showing us that society holds us back.
Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
814 Words | 4 PagesDreams, no matter how big or small, are important to individuals, as they provide motivation to achieve and chase their goals. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck explores the importance of dreams, and how they help individuals overcome hardship. Implicit in his novel is that idea that for most, the American Dream is impossible, and although individuals try desperately to pursue their goals, friendships and dreams are shattered. George and Lennie are two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men who want the American Dream, but their dreams are never achieved due to Lennie's inability to stay out of trouble. George’s dream was to own his own farm with a vegetable patch, a river with salmon to cook smoked salmon, chickens, cows to make dairy, a little house with a room to themselves and rabbits.
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1110 Words | 5 PagesLastly Curley's wife is shown as a typical pretty woman who yearns to be a famous movie star. Steinbeck uses each of these layered characters to depict the theme of the American Dream. The first instance in the book where the unrealized dream is depicted is when Lennie and George are in the brush after coming from the previous ranch. They are fairly poor so they need to keep finding new jobs on various ranches.
Reasons For George Killing Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
443 Words | 2 Pages“-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 78). George wanted a better life someday for himself and for Lennie, but deep down he knew Lennie’s limitations and accepted that the dream was never meant to be.
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An Analysis Of John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
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