Dream of Two Men: "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Throughout history, there has always been an American dream. This dream is different for every person that has it, but there is a simple similarity. The American dream, whether you are white, black, orange, or even purple, is the pursuit of happiness. The book that I feel best illustrates the image of the American dream is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Throughout their entire journey, the characters keep their American dream alive. You can observe the difference in how they talk about the dream in the past farm, the present farm, and right before the end.

Dreams and Destinies: "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Beginning of the Journey

In the town of Weed, located in Siskiyou County, the journey of George Milton and Lennie Small begins. George is an average-sized, well-looked man with a good head on his shoulders. Lennie is a mentally disabled big guy who has the mind of a child. George promised before his Aunt died that he would take care of Lennie. Ever since he has, they’ve had a dream between them. Every time they seem to edge closer to this dream, Lennie does something to mess it up.

While in the town of Weed, they became stable and were getting regular money every week. One day, while at a town get-together, Lennie saw a woman. She was pretty and had a nice red dress on. Lennie, having the mind of a child, wanted to feel her dress to see if it was soft. When Lennie grabbed her dress, she thought he was trying to rape her. This forced George and Lennie to run away before they got caught. Once they got away, Lennie began crying and telling George he was sorry. George said it was okay, and to make him feel better, he told him the dream again. In the first chapter of the book, he said, "Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no fambly. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go into town and blow their 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" (Steinbeck, 1937, p. 23). This is where they talk about how they are different. George continued, "Someday-we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and cows and some pigs-". This is where Lennie interrupts him by saying how he is going to take care of the rabbits. As part of Lennie’s disorder, he also has short-term memory loss. The only thing he remembers about the dream is that he is going to take care of the rabbits. As they move from farm to farm for the same reason they left Weed, George becomes more and more aggravated with Lennie. Soon after getting off the bus after leaving Weed, he yells at Lennie, telling him how he could live easy without Lennie and that George could keep a job. Since Lennie is a man-child, he takes it personally and says he doesn’t want the dream anymore.

At the New Ranch

After their long walk following the bus ride, they finally come across their new ranch. When they finally arrive, the ranch owner yells at them for being late. George tells Lennie not to talk since he isn’t able to speak very well. Once they make it back to the bunkhouse, they meet many interesting people. These people, just like them, have dreams of their own. Although most of the time everyone has different dreams, they usually share a common denominator. George and Lennie want their own farm where they can live peacefully, and Lennie can tend to the rabbits. They talk about how they’re going to make it out of the farms, like many others. When Candy finds out, he becomes extremely excited and eager to join them in their dream. He offers to give all of his savings, as well as cook, tend to the chickens, and garden some. Although he wouldn’t be able to contribute a lot, it was the fact of how he would give everything he had for an American dream. In these times, working hard on a farm, everyone wants a dream they can escape to get away from reality. When Crooks hears of the dream, he thinks Lennie is crazy. He thinks Lennie is just being crazy since his mind isn’t “all the way there.” Saying, "it’s jus’ in their head" (Steinbeck, 1937, p. 81). He keeps teasing Lennie about his idea until Candy comes into the room. Candy then tells Crooks that he already has the money and that there’s nothing standing in their way. Once Crooks hears they already have the money, he begins to realize that they are telling the truth. He then asks Candy if there is any chance they would use him on the farm. He says that he would work for nothing, just his stay. This soon-to-be-true dream is soon destroyed, like so many others.

The Dream's End

Soon after the talk of being so close to the dream, one event destroys the entire thought. While Lennie is in the bunkhouse, and everyone else is outside, Curley’s wife (Curley is the son of the ranch owner) comes in. Ever since Lennie has come, she has been looking at him, telling him he looks handsome, and obviously has tried taking advantage of him. When she comes in, he is sitting on his bed. They start talking, he begins feeling her hair, and then his hand gets tangled up. She then begins freaking out, screaming, and telling Lennie to stop. Lennie doesn’t know what to do, so he starts shaking her. This results in a sudden silence, due to him breaking her neck. Once Lennie realizes what he did, he runs away. Soon after, the people of the ranch find out. Curley then says he is going to kill Lennie and begins running after him. George knows where Lennie is, so he sends Curley the other way and goes to Lennie. Once he finds him, they sit down, once again repeating the dream. They were going to own 10 acres of land. They were going to have all the animals as a usual farm, and Lennie was going to tend to the rabbits. He tells Lennie to visualize the farm, and then shoots Lennie in the back of the head. With Lennie’s death, it ends the idea of their American Dream.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this book represents the idea of the American dream. Although some American dreams become true, most don’t. George and Lennie always looked forward to their farm, keeping their heads up through all the pain they were going through. The American dream is a dream everyone has, and so many fail to achieve. It highlights the persistent hope that people carry, even when circumstances seem dire. The tale of George and Lennie serves as a poignant reminder that while the dream may not always be realized, the pursuit itself is a testament to human resilience and aspiration.

References

• Steinbeck, J. (1937). Of Mice and Men. New York, NY: Covici Friede.