Of Mice and Men on the American Dream Essay - 1348 Words

Of Mice and Men: The American Dream Quote #1: I remember about the rabbits, George.The hell with the rabbits. That’s all you can ever remember is them rabbits. (1.18-19) | This is the first mention we have of the American dream. Even from the introduction, it seems Lennie is more excited than George about the prospect. George’s easy dismissal of them rabbits makes it seem as though he thinks the whole thing is silly. This will get more difficult as we realize that George might be as excited about the dream as Lennie; it seems he is just more cautious about that excitement, given that he’s more knowledgeable than his companion. Quote #2: Well, we ain’t got any, George exploded. Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God†¦show more content†¦Tell about that George. Why’n’t you do it yourself? You know all of it. No†¦you tell it. It ain’t the same if I tell it. Go on†¦George. How I get to tend the rabbits. Well, said George, we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof—Nuts! (1.119-123) | This seed is one of the foundational pieces of the whole play, perhaps it’s most important. There are numerous bits to analyze in this passage, ranging from its reflection of the American Dream during the Depression to the fact that the dream is so repeated among the two men that even dull Lennie has memorized some of it. For our purposes, it’s very important that this talk of the farm is talked about wildly throughout the play – it seems like the farm is a dream to George, a hope for Lennie, and (eventually) even a plan for Candy. It’s especially interesting that sometimes it seems the farm is the dream that keeps them going, and sometimes it is just a reminder of the lack of usefulness of dreaming. Quote #4: Lennie watched him with wide eyes, and old Candy watched him too. Lennie said softly, We could live offa the fatta theShow MoreRelatedOf Mice and Men and American Dream863 Words   |  4 PagesHopes and dreams are important in ‘Of Mice and Men .’ Not is it important to the characters of the story itself, it is the theme of the novel. In this essay I will talk about the hopes and dreams of the main ensemble and also about the context of the novel, the American Dream and the Great Depression on the 1930’s. I will also talk about the poem Steinbeck based the book’s title off and how important it is to the book’s overall theme. The dream of attaining land and – ultimately – happiness isRead MoreOf Mice and Men and the American Dream912 Words   |  4 PagesStienbeck’s novel â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is about the death of the American dream. George, Lennie and Candy’s dream is to own their own piece of land to work and live independently on. 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