Theme of Hope in John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men Essay Sample

It is dull every day. The headaches play drums in the head, 1 2 3 1 2 3 1, until the beat gets so loud, some how it becomes quiet. So quiet that the voices start. They creep into the ears of the innocent, spreading malicious lies. It will come a day when the drum beats to hard, and the voices whisper to loud. Every body part will physically feel like It cant take it anymore, and In this moment remember to hold on. Hold on to anything worth fighting for. Hold on to the big dreams. Hold on to the little dreams, and everything in-between. America is like a snow fort, certain groups of people have an advantage to get to the top faster. A study by the bureau of labor statistic data in 2020 conducted, "Women’s annual earnings were 82.3% of men’s, and the gap is even wider for many women of color." In 2019 Pascale did a survey examining the pay gap between a white male and a black male. It was reported that "a black man earns $0.87 for every dollar a white man earns." Those born with less privilege are forced into a un disadvantage Those who are born with less privilege have something more important, Hopes. John stein beck the author of mice and men used Lennie Curley’s wife and crooks to express how important hope is when you are born at a disadvantage Lennie, Curley’s wife, and Crooks are the characters in the story that has the most disadvantage. Throughout the novella, all three of these characters hold on to something that symbolizes hope and dreams that all three of them have. Lennie loves to hold on to physical things like soft fur. While curlys' s wife and crooks hold on to mental things. They all symbolize the importnace of holding on to your hopes and dreams especially when in society you are expected to fail. In particular, those with disabilities were affected tremendously by the great depression, and it’s not talked about that much. 

John Steinbeck proves the importance of hope, through Lennie a childlike man who suffers from a mental disability. Throughout the rising action of these two pieces, the author makes it clear that Rabbits are what gorges uses to calm Lennie down when he gets worked up. Or they are just used to making Lennie smile. At one point in the beginning Lennie narrates If you don’ want me I can go off in the hills an’ find a cave. I can go away any time. (Steinbeck,7) after gorge reassures Lennie that he wants him to stay Lennie says “Tell me as you done before.” “Tell you what?” “About the rabbits. ” (Steinbeck 8) At the very end gorge before he shoots Lennie says “You . . . . an’ me. Ever ‘body gonna be nice to you. (Steinbeck 52).

An’ you get to tend the rabbits, Lennie giggled with happiness." (Steinbeck 52)"Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. " (Steinbeck 52). In the novella " mice and men Lennie loves to hold on to soft materials. Rabbits are a mechanism gorge used to calm Lennie. The rabbits remind Lennie of his dream/ hopes of having a farm. A rabbit’s fur is a soft material, this shows to the reader that when Lennie is holding on to soft things, it is representing the importance of holding on to your dream. At the end of the novella gorge says An’ you get to tend the rabbits, Lennie giggled with happiness." (Steinbeck 52)"Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. " (Steinbeck 52). This was seconds before gorge shot Lennie. that shows that gorge knows the only way Lennie will be able to achieve his dreams because of who he is to society\will only be if he’s dead. Johnston beck is correct Historically speaking one of the most horrific periods to be disabled was a great depression. Some were sent to asylums where doctors tested on their bodies and try to find a "cure". Many prominent researchers felt it was legitimate to experiment on people who did not have full rights in society no surprise majority of those were mental patients and poor blacks. A lot of these cruel experiments that disabled people went through mimicked Nazi concentration camps. Hitler himself was intrigued by the original idea of the asylum when it was first introduced in Germany. Most of the asylums during the time used gas injections starvations and shooting. In particular, those with disabilities were affected tremendously by the great depression, and it’s not talked about that much. 

The novella "Of mice and men has many lessons one of the most important is never giving up on your hopes/dreams even when it feels impossible. Curlys wife shows never giving up on her dream by explaining to Lennie about her "stolen letters”. In this particular scene Curly’s wife expresses her dreams of being an actress, but she then implicitly states the impossibility of her dreams because of the importance of marriage for women. In the conversation between curly wife and Lennie curlys wife states "I never got that letter she said" I always thought my old lady stole it" (Steinbeck 43) … can’t talk to nobody but Curly. Else he gets mad’ ‘I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a nice fella." (Steinbeck 43) Curly' s wife is still in denial after all these years, she still claims that her mother stole her letter. This shows the reader that she is still holding on to that dream of being an actress. Curlys wife knows though that it will never happen, she's still holding to that hope. The reader knows that curlys wife will never achieve her dream when she says "can’t talk to nobody but Curly. Else he gets mad’. (Steinbeck 43) This shows that women were property to men. Curly is the one who tells her who she can and cannot talk to. Therefore Curly has to be the one to let her follow her dream, but that is never going to happen. The great depression was when gender started to be a huge deal in America. During the great depression more, women worked more than ever. In fact, in 1930, approximately 10.5 million women worked outside the home. By 1940, approximately 13 million women worked for wages outside the home. Of course, women working to make a living for their families wasn’t good enough. Men claimed that women were "robbing men of much-needed jobs." the backlash got so out of control that women's colleges formally charged women not to pursue careers after graduation so that their places could be filled by men. This reveals to the reader that men's dreams and hopes are then and now almost a century later put above women’s hopes and dreams. This makes it all more important to hold on to your hopes and dreams even if they feel impossible Women as a whole went through and still go through ..similar but so different to how African Americans were treated during the great depression.

In "Of Mice and Men" John Steinbeck used crooks to show how even people who to society will never be anything still keep hope alive. In this particular scene, crooks express their personal beliefs on the hopelessness of the American. By the end of the same scene, crooks have a different perspective on hopes and dreams. In the conversation between Lennie and crooks, crooks share his insight on the American dream. "Here. Nobody gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head" (Steinbeck,36) then later in the same scene when Lennie is discussing his dream of the rabbits and the farm crooks say hesitantly, “If you . . .. guys would want a hand to work for nothing—just his keep, why I’d come an’ lend a hand."(Steinbeck, 37) t is important to notice the change in attitude that crooks had. He first claims that no one gets their dream. Then, once Lennie goes into detail about his dream it doesn't take crooks that long to be intrigued. This quick change in opinion shows the reader that crooks still had hope in him, deep down. Crooks is the only African American character in "Of mice and men That is important because African Americans were the first to be laid off their jobs when the great depression hit. African Americans suffered an unemployment rate two to three times that of white Americans. African ameriacns also received the least amount of aid during the depression. Many charitable organizations such as soup kitchens excluded African Americans from providing them with food. He highlights the importance of hope. Even after all of this exclusion crooks went through the fact that he still has hope that Lennie's dream could be possible shows how important it is to keep hope alive when faced with adversity. 

When faced with prejudice Lennie curly's wife and crooks demonstrate the importance of keeping hope alive even when things feel impossible. In "of mice and mean Lennie, Curly's wife and crooks are all the characters that have to fight for their dream the most because of the different disadvantages they were all born with. What do humans live for? That is one of the most asked questions in the world. Seriously, what is stopping everyone in the world from ending it all? What is stopping anyone right now from just deciding life Is not worth it to them. Nothing actually except only the most important thing in the world, Your dreams. Time and time again throughout history dreams/ hopes of a better life have been what motivates people to even get up in the morning. In 2019 there were 3.5 million people who planned for suicide those who didn’t go through the number one reason for not going through is hope. The hope of a better life Hope for better luck, hope for everything. For those who are born at a disadvantage, it’s no surprise that they have the highest suicide rates. In Of mice and men Lennie curlys wife and crooks did not let no matter how unattainable their dreams were ruin their hope. Most people in us are not born a cisgender rich white male. Most are born at some sort of disadvantage. John Steinbeck is trying to show the roader the true American dream never giving up n hope even when things are impossible.