Dreams in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Essay Sample

What does it mean to dream? For some, dreaming is a way out. It becomes an escape from a life full of hardship and adversities. For others, dreaming is security, a way to keep moving to hope for a better future. 

Set in the 1930s, John Steinbeck writes the story of two migrant workers, Lennie Small and George Milton, living in the time of the great depression. The great depression that hit America in 1929 lasted roughly ten years. It became the most prolonged and brutal depression ever witnessed by the industrialized Western World. During this time, many people were hungry, homeless and did not have any work. This story shows us the brutality of living in those times as they journey across America looking for work on a ranch.

Steinbeck chose the title Of Mouse and Men after reading the Poem To a Mouse, by Robert Burns. He discovered men living in the times of the great depression faced a life not so different to that of a mouse, condemned to a life of devastation beyond their control. They witness the harshness of the outside world and the unavailability of a place to lay their head. 

The novel starts with Lennie and George running from weed. Steinbeck begins with this to give us an immediate impression of who Lennie and George are. Lennie, who loves the feel of soft, pretty things, sees a woman in a beautiful, red dress. Without further ado, Lennie finds himself beside the woman clinging onto her red dress. The woman begins to wail, sending Lennie into a state of shock. In his bewilderment, his grasp tightens. His refusal to let go leaves the woman to believe he was a rapist and she, his victim. This state of affairs resulted in best mates running for their lives.  

After the death of Curley's wife, Lennie runs to the brush waiting for George. When George and the others find her body, George needs to make an unfeasible verdict. He can sentence Lennie to life in prison or take the life of his companion. George knows Lennie would never survive in prison and would be taken care of fiendishly. Reaching Lennie before Curley, without arousing suspicion, became a necessity. Sitting at the top of a hill, Lennie and George share the dream of owning their land one last time. Where Lennie attends the rabbits, and George grows and harvest the crops. Pondering on the one ambition that kept them going all these years, George lifts the gun and shoots Lennie at the back of the neck. He sits and stares at the body until Curley and the others show up. 

Throughout the novel, Steinbeck makes it clear Lennie loves to touch pretty, soft things. Portrayed as a gawky character when put into an uncomfortable situation, he tends to freeze up and perpetrate what he does not mean. After the warning to stay away, Curley's wife enticed Lennie to touch her soft, wavy locks. At the slightest touch of her hair, Lennie becomes swept away into a whole new world. Curley's wife attempts to pull away but is placed firmly in the hands of Lennie.