Opportunities, power, wealth, are all parts of the American Dream, a dream to achieve what not had. A selfish dream, but also a necessary one. Of Mice and Men is about two friends George, and Lennie. They both struggle to survive in the great depression. They work at a ranch, all is going well until Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife (The ranch owner’s son), in the end George has to kill Lennie. Steinbeck uses symbols such as the farm, Lennie’s rabbits, and Lennie’s death to represent George and Lennie’s unattainable dream. He uses the farm and rabbits as their goal, and Lennie’s death as an obstacle or failure for having the American Dream.
Most of the people on the ranch shared a simple dream, to own land. George and Lennie had originally …show more content…
He just wanted to own, and tend for rabbits “An’ rabbits, Lennie said eagerly. An’ I’d take care of ‘em. Tell how I’d do that George.”(58). His dream seems very childish, and immature, but it was what he thought to be the American Dream. Owning a farm would make having rabbits much easier, thats one reason why Lennie and George stuck together, The other is that Lennie followed George wherever he went, because George took care of Lennie. Lennie’s death symbolized end or massive obstacle for George, Candy, and Lennie’s dream to live together on the farm. George and Candy can still buy the farm, but they would always miss Lennie. George had to kill Lennie so this was very tragic “An’ you got it away from him an’ you took it an killed him?”(107). If George didn’t kill Lennie the others would have beat him to death, which would have been much more painful, so George killing Lennie quickly, was a mercy on him. But Lennie’s death did have an impact on George “George shivered and looked at the gun, and then he threw it from him, back up on the bank, near the pile of old ashes. The brush seemed filled with cries”(106). George felt guilty for killing Lennie, and had to deal with that for the rest of his life. Even though it was necessary, he killed his best