...Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck about the price that one may have to pay in order to pursue the American dream, especially when one is a woman. The American dream drives a woman to success causing a lack in sense of belonging.When a woman pursues a dream of the unordinary society is taken back and is quick to root against them. Steinbeck shows a women chasing the American dream often results in dragging personal relationships. Curley's wife is the loneliest character in the story, not only was it a challenge to be taken seriously as a woman back then, but she was also stuck in an unhealthy marriage. In the 1930’s it was very much a “dream” for women to pursue their goals, for most women they were known for working indoors...
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...My American Dream I remember when I was younger, on warm weekend nights, cuddled up on the couch with a bowl of buttery popcorn, watching Disney films pondering… what would life be like as a princess? To be constantly surrounded by the magic, to dance with my prince charming in the most magnificent palace with all eyes on me, to be the most beautiful and cherished girl in the whole kingdom. I'm sure nearly every little girl has the dream, but for most people it disappears over time. Not for me. True… it could be considered near impossible, but ever since those memorable nights I have dreamed to work as a Disney character at the resort.Transition needed here between your dream and theirs. Like nearly every person, real or fictional, George and Lennie have a dream. “ O.K. Someday—we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and' a cow and some pigs and—" "An' live off the fatta the lan'," Lennie shouted” (Steinbeck 14). In John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men George Milton and Lennie Small find themselves traveling together in order to find work. Though some deem (since you used “find” in your last sentence) it strange that two men spend so much time together, George and Lennie compliment each other. George, the smaller yet intelligent one, helps Lennie to function with...
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...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...
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...The book Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is based around the American dream. In this novel, Lennie and George work on a farm. George takes care of Lennie because he has some sort of mental disability. The two men dream of having a farm of their own. Throughout the book, Lennie and George work towards buying their own farm while getting through obstacles along the way. The novel portrays the American dream as unachievable which makes me believe John Steinbeck views the American dream in the same way. George never brings up the farm he and Lennie plan on owning, unless it’s for Lennie’s sake. This leads me to believe George thinks their American dream is unachievable. From this information, I presume George thought owning a farm would be nearly impossible while he was still caring for Lennie. Steinbeck indirectly shared his thoughts on the American dream through this novel and the characters in it. He believed one had to work hard for what they owned and what they wanted. The book included great examples of hard work, but the American dream was never accomplished. John Steinbeck himself worked as a manual laborer before becoming an author. That requires a great deal of effort, yet he did not gain success from that job. He...
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...The American Dream of today is all about being given everything without working for it. However, during the 1900’s it was all about working hard. People packed up everything and moved for a chance at a better life. This was a great risk and negatively impacted many people. There wasn’t enough jobs so people became poor. Also, the living conditions were terrible because of how many people had moved to find a better life. In the story Of Mice and Men the author, John Steinbeck, shows the reader that everyone works hard for the American Dream of the 1930’s but it is rarely attainable. One way the American Dream is unattainable is how it is just a dream. For example, the dream that George and Lennie had of them owning their own land seemed like a possibility, but it was crushed when Lennie killed Curley’s wife. This shows how anything that a person does can ruin their chances of attaining their perfect life, or the American Dream. Another example is: “More than a dream of land or property or riches or even a house of one's own, George's vision encompasses a broader range of values—freedom, abundance, fairness, nature, and companionship—that are universally desired by the novel's characters, even if they too often remain tragically unfulfilled” (Zeitler). This shows that no matter how much someone...
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...the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck two men have a dream. George and Lennie believe they have a future. They believe that they are special, they are different from the other men on the ranch. George describes a dream farm, which I believe is his and Lennie’s American dream. The dream farm symbolizes the quote “The best laid schemes Of Mice and Men often go wrong and leave us nought but grief and pain for promised joy.” As you can see the dream farm plays a major role in the story. In the story Of Mice and Men the dream farm is a huge symbol of the American dream during the great depression. Off of prior knowledge I know that the American dream during the great depression was to own land. George and Lennie’s American dream is to own their own ranch. The dream farm shows their American dream compared to others on the ranch. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and the first thing you know they’re poundin their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.” (13) George...
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...The American Dream is a wish that someone really really wants that they truly believe can become possible but is currently unachieved. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, written about and during the Great Depression in 1937 California, he demonstrates how everyone in the book has their own version of the American Dream. The people that will be used are Curley’s Wife, Candy and Crooks and they are 3 totally different people who all have one thing in common: an American dream. One person who has her own version of an American dream is Curley’s Wife, which was to become a movie star. At the time of the quote, Lennie had just killed his puppy and Curley’s Wife enters the barn house. She spots Lennie holding his dead dog and she sits in the hay next to Lennie, trying to strike up a conversation. She says to him at one point, “ ‘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 of me. When they had them previews I coulda went to them, an’ spoke in the radio, an’ it...
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...An american dream is a idea based off one’s opinion to be all around content and not wanting more in life. Throughout the generations since our founding fathers created the Declaration of Independence and saying that all men are created equal and have the “inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ”. So I believe that the american dream for anyone has not been able to be established by our founding fathers based on sexism, racism and depression. In the book of Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck sexism has thoroughly been displayed throughout the story. “So that’s what Curley picks for a wife” (Steinbeck 17). When Steinbeck states that Curley “picks” his wife he shows her more as a object than a human being. Also in Of Mice and Men a character says, “Wait’ll you see Curley’s wife” (Steinbeck 15). Curley’s wife is still being treated as a sexual object not a women. Curley’s wife even says “I don’t like Curley. He ain’t a...
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...The Teachings of John Steinbeck, Through the Novel Of Mice and Men During the 19th and 20th century, modernism was introduced. Modernism was a movement that sought to break ties with the classical and traditional ways of life. Many Authors during this time moved away from the American lifestyle and even the country. John Steinbeck was no exception to this movement. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the author uses a simplistic writing style to present the two characters “American Dreams”, while also using symbolism to connect the reader to the characters and the plot of the story. Throughout the book there are many symbols, and each symbol has a story to be told and a lesson to be learned. Candy’s dog for example, represents everyone who...
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...H. Tharp The Unspoken Truth about John Steinbeck’s Legacy in Monterey County John Ernst Jr. Steinbeck is one of the most respected and honored American writers among our society today. In many classrooms around the world, his books are still mandated as reading requirements and there are many museums and centers dedicated to this esteemed author. John Steinbeck has won numerous awards for his books, most notably the Pulitzer Prize for his fictional novel, The Grapes of Wrath in 1940, and the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962 based on his entire body of work. Steinbeck’s other awards, which are typically less known are included in the following chart: WORK | YEAR | AWARD | MEDIUM | “The Murder” | 1934 | O. Henry Award | Print | Tortilla Flat | 1935 | Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novel by a Californian | Print | In Dubious Battle | 1936 | Ibid | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1938 | N.Y Drama Critic’s Circle Award | Play | “The Promise” | 1938 | O. Henry Award | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1939 | American Bookseller’s Award | Print | LifeBoat | 1944 | Academy Award nominee for Best Story | Print | A Medal for Benny | 1945 | Ibid | Print | The Moon is Down | 1946 | King Haakon Liberty Cross | Print | Viva Zapata! | 1952 | Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay | Play | N/A | 1963 | Honorary Consultant in American Literature to the Library of Congress | N/A | N/A | 1964 | U.S Medal of Freedom; Press Medal of Freedom | N/A...
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...Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness” that can seem so overwhelming when one is growing up. Of Mice and Men is also important because it explores the way in which events can conspire against the realization of one’s dreams. It pits a group of flawed individuals against a set of circumstances that they are unable to master or, in the case of Lennie, even to comprehend. This is a theme that Steinbeck also explores in his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939). When Steinbeck began Of Mice and Men, he was planning to write a children’s book called Something That Happened. His intent was to demonstrate that events often have a momentum of their own and need not reflect the existence of a higher power that is exacting punishment. Perhaps it was for this reason that he decided to retitle the book, drawing from Robert Burns’s oft-quoted poem “To a Mouse,” which contains the line “The best-laid...
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...Through a list of harsh truths, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men casts humanity in an unfavorable light. These include loneliness, oppression, and imperfection. The grim realities of the hardworking characters are revealed through their actions to rise above challenges and in the end their defeats These truths are all used to build the complex main theme of friendship and the effect it can have on an individual's life. Of Mice and Men exposes the validity,loneliness, of people during the Great Depression. For instance Curly’s wife seeks attention ,positive or negative, from anyone on the ranch because of her isolation being the only woman present. When confronted with her isolation she says,“Wha’s the matter with me?Ain’t I got...
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...As some of the paramount examples of early 20th century literature, John Steinbeck's novels not only encompass the epitomes in characteristics of the laboring class, but also demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit. Through stories of the downtrodden, Steinbeck teaches the reader a much-needed lesson about the complexity of the world in which we live and the people's response to that complexity. Of Mice and Men's protagonist, George, convincingly personifies the dispiriting mood that spanned America at the time of the Great Depression. Attempting to find work in California, George is depicted as a capable, yet underprivileged, laborer who begins to form conceptions on the dynamics of society. Through George's journey, Steinbeck paints a picture of a typical American worker in the Depression-ridden country, and in turn shows the reader the unfortunate realization that the main character comes to as he searches for a job: the world is designed for the weak to become weaker and strong to become stronger. In other words, the concept of social Darwinism prevails in this novel as, time and time again, the main characters are forced into an endless cycle of poverty (want to say something along these lines but a different word than poverty). "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. They come to a ranch an' work up a stake and then go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing...
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...Of Mice and the Meaning of Life Although some may disagree, John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is a parable of the meaning of life. This novel explores many aspects for this parable including the need for human contact, the motivation of dreams, and the obstacles to achieving happiness. Steinbeck brilliantly portrays these aspects through his symbols and themes throughout the novel. One aspect of the meaning of life that is portrayed in Of Mice and Men is the strong need for human contact, which he establishes through the lonely soles living on the ranch. Curley’s wife, the only woman on the ranch, exhibits her loneliness through her constant need to be around the other men. She incessantly attempts to engage in flirtacious conversation with...
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...DIALOGUE in the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck? The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ written by John Steinbeck, during the depression era, set in America (1920’s) traces the elusive quest of George and Lennie, two drifters, as they attempt to be successful in their dream to own their own farm. Steinbeck portrays descriptive, word images and dialogue to create a realistic image of the hardships people faced during this time period. The description and the conversations employed by Steinbeck give the novel its appeal and add to your response to the novel and the characters. George and Lennie are the two main characters in the novella ‘Of mice and men’ which rely upon their friendship to survive: Lennie depends upon his friendship with George to make the correct decisions. George relies upon the friendship with Lennie to plan for the future; this is differed from the other men on the ranch. At the beginning of the novel, the characters are wondering in an idyllic environment – “Willows fresh and green with every spring” Much like George and Lennie’s dream the scenery is perfect and un-spoilt, this is significant because their dream seems possible and obtainable in this perfect setting as a story can seem like reality. The imagery of their perfect surroundings is also a metaphor for their idealistic friendship and perfect dream. Steinbeck idealizes the concept of male friendship, which is shown through the perfect setting, however ultimately the American Dream is destroyed by the...
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