Of Mice And Men American Dream Essay Example

Within an underpopulated countryside in Soledad, people bear empty heads, incomprehensible lives, and visions forever gone. In relation, John Steinbeck had a notion that the American Dream was two-sided. On one side, he believed dreams were referred to as ambitions, aspirations, or havens created by the mind to reach an end goal. The other side was less positive that visions were referred to as unattainable, nonsense, and illusions only to get you through the harsh times and eventually never becoming a reality. Throughout the tragic realistic fiction novella, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck (1937), the concept has been made across multiple times via the characters Lennie, George, Crooks, and Curley’s wife, in order to portray that visions are necessary for the strenuous moments of life but, ultimately become unachievable.

Two inspiring and uplifting men hold their heads up high in an attempt to achieve their well-cherished dreams. These men differ from the rest because they have a strong belief, have not lost their aspiration, deem to succeed, and a will to spread their desires. They represent the more appreciative side of the American Dream. Their names; Lennie and George, they’re lifelong friends, they do everything together. Lennie’s a tall, big, forgetful, open-minded man, he’s not self-aware, but he’s accepting. Then, there's George, a dedicated, clever worker with prominent features, and he’s the one in charge. Currently, they're travelling to their next work destination, a small family-owned ranch. It was on the loneliest, coldest, most troublesome day, but to compensate, they had each other, making up for each others’ flaws and weaknesses. An English proverb once declared, “two heads are better than one.” Having two people cooperate means they’re more likely to solve a problem than a person alone. Speaking of two heads, they’re both big dreamers, and their dream, “live off the fatta of the lan’.” Others tend to become attracted to fantasy during the process of their carefully choreographed storytelling. For example, an old man named Candy remarked excitedly, “You know where's a place like that?" (Page 59. Chapter 3) Same for Crooks too, a hunch-back stable buck, “…If you … guys would want a hand to work for nothing--just his keep, why I'd come an’ lend a hand. I ain't so crippled I can't work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to." (Page 76. Chapter 4) The vision they seek helps them cope with their misery and hardship, drawing away from the reality they have to face each day. Lennie and George materialize to become examples of characters that rely on their dreams, to get through the harshest moments to make the same figment turn into a reality.

A wise, lonely, isolated man who goes by the name of Crooks represents John Steinbeck's take on the idea of the American Dream, an unrealistic ideal of fantasy. The introduction of Crooks shows that he’s a farm-hand stable buck neglected and abused for years and has come to terms that his skin color pushes him away from potential colleague friends. Crooks had lost faith in his future ambitions a while ago. Crooks, throughout the years, have read and seen examples of this happening repeatedly, "I seen hun-derds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of' em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of land. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It's just in their head. They're all the time talkin' about it, but it's just in their head."(Page 74, Chapter 4) He’s accustomed to the statement, “dreams will never come true.” He hasn’t once considered the opposite, after he does for a slight moment, he soon changes his mind and announces, “Well, just' forget it,” murmured Crooks, "I didn' mean it. Jus' foolin'. I wouldn' want to go no place like that.” (Pg83, Ch4) As soon as Crooks uttered those enraging words, it immediately dropped the build-up of his only chance at having a dream come true. Further provoking that the “American Dream” will always be an unachievable desperation. Through Crook’s eyes, the fantasy seemed too upright to come true. He didn't consider it was possible, it was a delusion. If he hadn’t pushed them away, he could’ve had some friends and have had something to look forward to, but it led to him becoming stuck in the void of empty dreams once more. Yet, life isn’t the way he would've hoped or desired to be because he didn’t follow them. Crooks had a sad, passionate, yet powerful desperation to escape reality but knew that this dream he had heard of was unattainable.

John Steinbeck introduces the struggles as a female in the 1930s. An attention-craving, potential-filled woman that fell into the objectified title, "Curley’s wife." She had an empowering desire to become an actress, starring in the movies, but gave up after she married a pugnacious selfish man, “Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes--all them nice clothes like they wear. An' I coulda sat in them big hotels, an' had pitchers took off me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an' spoke in the radio, an' it wouldn'ta cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher. An' all them nice clothes like they wear. Because this guy says I was a natural.” (Page 89 Chapter 5) Persuaded by this guy she had momentarily met was let down, her hopes soon plummeted, and her value in society was a mere comparison of an ant. Those that influenced her to follow them lied to her, tricked her, plummeted her spirit, and  her soul apart. The role of Curley's Wife was a raspy example of what dreams meant in her life as a woman.

In the end, having an image in your head of the dreams you have your heart set on will guide you a long way but could potentially lead to an undesired destiny. The American Dream or any dream, in general, is an uncontrollable force, it has two sides. Depending on the effort you put in, it might not turn out the way you’d prefer. The novel captures the heart of reality and captivates the reader. It shows the vulnerability and struggles that people face as they deal with uncertainty in everyday life.