Of Mice and Men

In this blog entry I'm going to tell what I think is Steinbeck's message in this book, based on The American Dream. I chose to answer this task because dreams are important in this novel, and because the term "American Dream" still is used to describe how Americans act.

Plot summary
The book "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck is the story of George Milton and Lennie Small. They are two friends who try to make money working on a ranch during the Great Depression, to achieve their common dream of farm ownership. The two of them are as different as can be; George is small and intelligent, while Lennie is a strong, powerful man who likes to stroke soft things and who has a mind of a child.

Of Mice and Men and the American Dream
I think what Steinbeck is trying to show us in the novel is that the so-called American Dream is almost impossible to achieve. The idea of an American Dream is old. It came with settlers who started to see the new opportunities of the large, unexplored continent. Many of the dreams were focused on owning a piece of land, and the idea of hard work combined with optimism leads to success.*

Of Mice and Men shows us the dreams of ordinary people: George and Lennie dream of their own place, Curley’s wife of being a movie star and Crooks dreams about being a free man. A lot of the conversations in the book are related to dreams. What makes the dreams typical American, is that the dreamers wish for happiness, freedom and to follow their own desires.

In contrasts to these dreams of an American Dream, (can we see/ as we know/ it shows that) in reality this is unreachable. Other circumstances such as unlucky coincidences, limited congenital abilities, race and which class you are born into determine your destiny. In spite of George and Lennies efforts to achieve their dream, it will not be fulfilled.

Even if the American Dream never becomes reality, John Steinbeck leaves us an optimistic message to the readers. George and Lennie do not achieve their dream of getting their own place, but their friendship stands strong, and it shows that people can make it in a tough world as long as they have a friend.