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Essay on American Dream in Steinbeck's Novel Of Mice and Men
There are two major characters in the novel Of Mice and Men, Lennie and George. George is a small man, with a dark face and sharp features. Smart and quick, he often gets Lennie out of trouble. He and Lennie travel together, and George takes care of him. When Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George is forced to shoot his friend. George’s companion Lennie is a big man with great strength; his body and features are round and undefined. He is mildly retarded, and his speech is slow and simple. He loves soft things, and this desire often gets him in trouble. This is the case when Lennie kills Curley’s wife.
They have small American dream specially George who wants to own land, house, and how he wants to be free, and his own boss. "'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...'" Chapter 1, pg. 14-15.
Their perfect world is one of independence. Workers like Lennie and George have no family, no home, and very little control over their lives. They have to do what the boss tells them and they have little to show for it. They only own what they can carry. Therefore, this idea of having such power over their lives is a strong motivation.
When George goes into a full description of the farm, its Eden-like qualities become even more apparent. All the food they want will be right there, with minimal effort. As Lennie says:
"We could live offa the fatta the lan'." Chapter 3, pg. 57.
When George talks about their farm, he twice describes it in terms of things he loved in childhood......
