Broken Dreams”In other periods of depression, it has always been possible to see some things which were solid and upon which you could base hope, but as I look about, I now see nothing to give ground to hope—nothing of man.” (Calvin Coolidge) The Great Depression was a period with high inflation and unemployment, where millions of families lost their savings and their livelihoods. During this time many men moved out west to become ranch hands, one of the few jobs available. Many of these ranch hands were fueled by a false dream, to one day own a piece of land, and start a family. Of Mice and Men is a story set in this historical era and tells the story of two unlikely companions, George and Lennie, who work from job to job to survive only to meet an unfortunate end. Using Symbolism as represented in nature, material objects, and character traits, Steinbeck explores the theme that despite the best efforts of man, sometimes the cruelty and overwhelming power of fate is too strong.Steinbeck uses different symbols in nature to show the inevitability of fate. In the final chapter of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses nature to show the inevitability of change and how people are powerless to stop time and fate. “A far rush of wind sounded and a gust drove through the tops of the trees like a wave. The sycamore leaves turned up their silver sides, the brown, dry leaves on the ground scudded a few feet.” (Steinbeck 99) This quote symbolizes the cycle of the seasons cannot be changed much the same as a person’s fate. The rush of wind gives the reader the impression that fate can suddenly change the future and erase the brown dry leaves of broken dreams. Steinbeck uses the violence of animals to compare the cruelty of fate and i…
…k conveyed the message that fate is often too strong a force for one to overcome despite their best efforts. Through the violence of nature, it is shown that people cannot escape fate any different than the plants or animals around us. Yet people look for hope and believe in superstitious items. Characters such as Lennie and Curley’s wife are examples of unfortunate souls who never had a chance to survive in the environments they were born in, despite their dreams and efforts to change their life. Although Steinbeck paints a morbid story of fate, the story was more focused on the difficulties at the time. We can see that people eventually overcame these hardships and many went on to realize their dreams. Like George, sometimes we just need to reshuffle the cards and see what new hand emerges. The lesson though is to never be too afraid to play another hand.
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