How Of Mice and Men Portrays The American Dream Essay Example

The American Dream is what innumerable people are striving for when they live in America. But in many cases, it seems near impossible to accomplish. The book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novella that demonstrates this via ranch workers struggling with preserving their American dream during the Great Depression. Every character endures numerous challenges and hardships, especially the main characters Lennie and George, with one of their battles being Lennie having a mental disability, therefore George takes the role of Lennie's caretaker. The story brings the duo to a new ranch for work along with new characters, who undoubtedly have their own American Dream as the story progresses. A commonality they all share turns out to be that their dreams’ are what motivates them to keep working or what motivated them before. But none can fulfill their dream. Steinbeck demonstrates in Of Mice and Men, everyone desires as much as one can, but cannot attain The American Dream in reality, because life itself will not allow it. 

When we first encounter Lennie and George in Of Mice and Men, George is telling Lennie about the ranch they will own one day as if it was a fairy tale. At their prior ranch, Lennie gets in trouble causing them to run away. George presents his frustration in front of Lennie, which causes Lennie’s offer to leave assuming George would be best alone. George stops Lennie from leaving him by describing their American Dream, owning a ranch together, which creates a fairy tale atmosphere; “Lennie shouted. ‘An’ have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it. Tell about that, George’”, This dream that George recites is what brings them together as friends and not as a disabled and its caretaker (14). They both share an ambition and co-dependency that needs them to survive. But throughout the story, the dream comes and goes as their life on the ranch continues. Then, the true fate of the fantasy finally comes to an end when Lennie tragically snaps Curley’s Wife’s neck. Without Lennie, George could never fully have the American Dream; “ ‘No, Lennie. Look down acrost the river, like you can almost see the place.’ Lennie obeyed him. George looked down at the gun”, He knew it required both of them and if he did not kill Lennie, horrible things would occur to Lennie that he could not live with (106). When we look back in the book, we see it was never possible. Lennie would always be the issue that stops them from attaining their ranch due to his inability to control his strength, his forgetfulness, and his inability to read social cues from people. Their dream was a utopia they could never create. 

Crooks, who is black and significantly disabled is no different than any of the characters in Of Mice and Men. His American dream, roots from his childhood when he had a sense of community in his father’s chicken ranch with his two brothers. But now, everyone refuses to talk to Crooks, leaving him alone with no one. That is until Lennie and Candy, the oldest ranch worker, speak about the ranch they are working for soon. This gives Crooks a gleam of hope, all the outcasts together on a ranch. His idea to Candy is, “...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”(76). Then, Crooks’ sad reality faces him again, when Curley’s Wife threatens, “Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”(81). This escorts the reader and Crooks back to the sad reality. Inequality and racism linger no matter where Crooks would go, making any dream of equality unattainable. 

The only female in Of Mice and Men appears to have had a dream as well, to become an actress and live a glamorous, rich life. Curley’s wife is portrayed as a manipulator and temptress and is seen as an object of her husband, Curley. At first, it is assumed she is a character to create trouble for the boys and that is all, no layers or desires from her; “Don’t you even take a look at that bitch. I don’t care what she says and what she does. I seen ‘em poison before, but I never seen no piece of jail bait worse than her. You leave her be” (32). George warns Lennie about her, not wanting any trouble she may bring. But once the additional back story of her character is revealed, we notice she lives just as lonely as the others and had her American Dream likewise. As she is speaking to Lennie, moments before her death, she tells a memory of how an agent from Hollywood saw her as ‘ a natural’ and was going to write to her when he went back to Hollywood. But she admits that “ ‘I never got that letter,’ she said. ‘I always thought my ol’ lady stole it. Well, I wasn’t gonna stay no place where I couldn’t get nowhere or make something for myself, an’ where they stole your letters”(88). She thought her dream was taken from her by her mother but her dream, was never in progress because the man never wrote to her. So she left and married Curly just to get away from Salinas, her hometown, to make herself into something. But as a woman in the Great Depression, there was not much she could do. She was expected to marry as a virgin, bear children, and raise them. That’s all. She would never have her American Dream because she is never free from society telling her what she can and cannot be.

John Steinbeck makes it clear that all the characters have a dream, but life during the Great Depression would not allow it. Lennie, George, Crooks, and Curley’s Wife represent how no matter what time period it is, The American Dream is a timeless fantasy that motivates people to get through the day. Nevertheless, life is a difficult battle people go through every day, which prevents them from fully living out their American Dream. The subject is a complex idea for one to digest, but it is the sad reality individuals must face every day. It is up to the person how that reality affects them and their dream.