Essay about The Pursuit of the American Dream in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is a short novel about the story of two migrant workers who are best friends during the Great Depression (Goldhurst 49). The setting is the Salinas Valley in California, and the majority of the characters are unskilled migratory workers who do what their name implies. They travel from towns and ranches and farms looking for work and eventually move on to find another job. John Steinbeck puts the spotlight on two migratory workers who dream to finally settle down by saving money to buy their own land. One of the main characters is George Milton, a smart, small, sensitive, and kindhearted man, who is the leader of the duo. The other main character is Lennie Small, who is oversized, mentally challenged, physically powerful, and inclined to getting into serious trouble. Towards the beginning of the story the twosome’s dream seems were distant, but as the story goes on they meet people who make the likelihood of their success within their reach. With the help of their new friends they plan to quit the ranch where they are currently working and move to their own land. Steinbeck refers to this place as a place of abundance and a refuge from the hardships of life. Overall this story is about the nature of man’s fate in a fallen world. John Steinbeck’s use of diction, dialect, and characterization in Of Mice and Men shows how the different themes of the story shape a person’s life.One of the most common themes throughout the novel is the pursuit of the American Dream. Of Mice and Men is a novel of defeated hope and the harsh reality of the American Dream (Van Kirk 1). The American Dream is to have a place of your own, the opportunity to work for yourself, to reach your full potential, and to be recognized in a good way …

…own for the setting of the story to be Loneliness or Soledad is Spanish. He did not necessarily make the main characters lonely until the end of the story, but most of the loneliness came from the characters with minor roles. He made loneliness common among workers to show often there was no one to be friends with. So that made the main characters seem fortunate. The last theme that is talked about is the theme of the carelessness of the people. Almost all the characters were careless like when George talks about Lennie, when Curly gets in a fight with Lennie, and when Curley’s wife puts herself in the position to be killed. But the most careless and dangerous person was Lennie. He did almost everything without thought and that lead to his demise. So these things do shape a persons life because without these things a person would not function properly or be normal.

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