Of Mice and Men: The Desire for the Unattainable American Dream

            In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the characters are seen to live a tough existence and most of them dream of having a different life.  In her younger years Curely’s wife had dreams of becoming a movie star as she recounts “He says he was gonna put me in the movies.  Says I was a natural” (page 100), Curley’s wife confesses her desires to Lennie.  The dream of the main characters, George and Lennie is to one day own a farm which would enable them to sustain themselves and protect them from the world.  The appeal of their vision is contagious and Crooks, despite his bitter personality, fantasizes about hoeing a patch of garden on Lennie’s farm one day.   Candy desperately latches on to the fantasy of George’s dream of owning land for himself when George is telling Lennie about the land that they are going to own.  Candy listening in is deeply caught up by the idea and is visibly impressed “Old Candy turned slowly over.  His eyes were wide open.  He watched George carefully” (page 63).  Unfortunately, even before the beginning of this story, the chances of their dreams coming to fruition are slim to none as seen with Curley’s wife who settles for an unhappy marriage and gives up her dream of fame and fortune on the big screen. What makes all these dreams a true American Dream is that each has the desired end result of pure unstained happiness.  Each character in the novel can see in their mind what their American Dream looks like; they can envision themselves living that reality.  The journey in the novel reveals to George the impossibility of the dream as he gradually comes to that realization.  Sadly this proves that the cynical character Crooks is right: paradise is unattainable, we will never reach complete freedom, contentment and safety in this world.  This is a sad and harsh reality revealed by John Steinbeck through the novel.

By Lindsay MacLean

Of Mice and Men: The Predatory Nature Of Men

           The story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck unfortunately teaches us one of the cruel lessons of us as human beings and that is that we are by nature predatory beings.    Every character in the book, including George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks and Curely’s wife, admit to the feeling of isolation and sadness.  For example when Crooks tells his sorrows about being lonely and black “There wasn’t another coloured family for miles around. And now there ain’t a coloured man on this ranch.  If I say something why it’s just a nigger saying it”.  All of the characters desperately want a friend but as many do, they settle for the ear of a stranger.  An example of this is seen when Curely’s wife admits to the three characters; Candy, Crooks and Lennie that she is unhappy with her marriage.  It is also seen when Crooks confesses to Lennie that life is no good without companions to turn to in times of need.  Every character in the book is helpless due to their isolation and loneliness and it is this common frailty that draws them together. Despite their shared vulnerability, they are seen even in their greatest time of need, to destroy those who are weaker than them. This is a tendency we have; to tear others down to make ourselves feel better.  The strongest example of this harsh tendency is when Crooks criticizes Lennie’s dream of the farm and his dependence on his friend George.  Despite having just admitted his vulnerabilities as a black man with a crooked back who desperately longs for companionship; Crooks zeros in on Lennie’s own weaknesses.  Using this scene, Steinbeck reveals a very real truth about human nature and that is that oppression doesn’t only come from the strong and the powerful but also from the weak.   Crooks appears at his strongest when he finds Lennie’s weaknesses and practically makes him cry over his greatest fear of something happening to his best friend George.  The predatory nature of humans is also seen when Curley’s wife has revealed her own weakness with her poor choices in betraying her marriage and then she chooses to change it around to a power position by threatening Crooks with lynching.  Steinbeck is ultimately suggesting that the most visible kind of strength – the oppression of others – is itself born of weakness.

By Lindsay MacLean

Of Mice and Men: Brotherhood and the Perfect Male Alliance

           In the book Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, the two main characters George and Lennie are best friends.  Although much different from each other as Lennie is mentally handicapped, they share a real bond with each other.  As stated many times throughout the book their friendship is different. “If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn.  But not us.  But not us! An’why? Because… because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you and that’s why”.  We all have that desire for the ideal friendship; one with mutual support and encouragement and a sharing of experiences and feelings.   This is one of the reasons that the tragic end of George and Lennie’s friendship has such a profound impact on our human nature as we feel it as the loss of a dream bigger than them.  They held the hope for the reader of a perfect friendship for life.  George and Lennie shared a common dream of owning a farm on which they plan to live out their days together. It is a place and a reality that no one ever reaches and has a somewhat majestic quality.  After only hearing a few sentences of description of their dream, Candy is completely drawn in by the magic.  It’s the American dream to live and feel like brothers and despite seeing many fail around them it is still something that every man in the novel Of Mice and Men strives for.  This is why the men in the novel desire to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one another: they all want to live with one another’s best interest at heart, to protect each other and to know that someone else will be there to protect them.  Given the harsh and lonely conditions of the day in which these men live, it comes as no surprise that they would place a very high value on the ideal friendship.  However, as the story evolves we see at the conclusion that the world is too harsh and predatory to sustain these relationships.  Lennie and George who have come the closest to achieving this ideal relationship are harshly separated in a tragic ending.  With the tragedy a very rare friendship vanishes.

By Lindsay MacLean