‘Dreams in Of Mice and Men offer the characters nothing but false hope’. To what extent do you
agree with this statement?
Dreams are a key theme in Steinbeck’s novella ; on the face of it dreams provide hope and
optimism during times of hardship but the harsh reality is that during the era of the Great
Depression of the 1930s the American Dream often amounted to a false hope of prosperity.
Steinbeck can be seen as voicing this opinion through Crooks, the negro stable buck when he
says “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land”. The American Dream promised
that in ‘the Land of the Free’ all men had the opportunity to work towards prosperity and an
environment where “Nobody gonna hurt nobody”.
The aspirations depicted by Steinbeck range from Curley’s Wife dream of being an actress as she
claims she “coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes” to George and Lennie’s dream of
owning their own piece of land. Curley’s wife’s dream has already been shattered and we are
given the impression that the shared dream of the protagonists George Milton and Lennie Small
is in all likelihood unattainable. George and Lennie, two migrant workers of the 1930s who have
a friendship bond that sets them apart from the other ranch workers, share a dream of owning
a small ranch and of living “off the fatta the lan” where the cream from the animals “is so God
damn thick you got to cut it with a knife”.
The way George recites the dream to Lennie in a ritualistic way is reminiscent of a fairy tale
being recited to a child and this foreshadows the dream not coming true. Foreshadowing is also
present as Lennie’s accidental killings progress from mice to a puppy. This hints at something
worse to come and at their dream failing. At one point when reciting the dream George says e
that they would have to protect the rabbits from cats and Lennie says “I’ll break their God
damn necks” and we feel that danger lies ahead and that the dream is an impossibility.
Steinbeck therefore is presenting the American Dream as a cruel beacon of false hope but it is
more complex than that as we see how hope in a world marked by cruelty and hardship dreams
can give people a purpose. Their hypothetical farm thus becomes a symbol of the failures
entwined with the notion of the American Dream, We see how “George sat entranced with his
own picture” after he describes the life that they will have; and how he “looked raptly at the
wall over Lennie’s head”. The words “entranced” and “raptly” convey how the dream transfixes
and enthrals George and in those moments of escape there must be some good in dreams even
if they are ultimately shattered. Steinbeck shows how it is not only Lennie with his puerile
nature that is captivated by this dream as he “begged” George to repeat it over and over;
level-headed George is equally as enticed.
As a paternal figure to Lennie who has a mental impairment George uses their shared dream to
comfort and reassure Lennie and to remind him that better times are ahead; it becomes a
mantra of hope. The dream motivates George and Lennie to strive towards a life where
“There’d be no more runnin’ round the country” in search of work. Even if it only brings
agree with this statement?
Dreams are a key theme in Steinbeck’s novella ; on the face of it dreams provide hope and
optimism during times of hardship but the harsh reality is that during the era of the Great
Depression of the 1930s the American Dream often amounted to a false hope of prosperity.
Steinbeck can be seen as voicing this opinion through Crooks, the negro stable buck when he
says “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land”. The American Dream promised
that in ‘the Land of the Free’ all men had the opportunity to work towards prosperity and an
environment where “Nobody gonna hurt nobody”.
The aspirations depicted by Steinbeck range from Curley’s Wife dream of being an actress as she
claims she “coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes” to George and Lennie’s dream of
owning their own piece of land. Curley’s wife’s dream has already been shattered and we are
given the impression that the shared dream of the protagonists George Milton and Lennie Small
is in all likelihood unattainable. George and Lennie, two migrant workers of the 1930s who have
a friendship bond that sets them apart from the other ranch workers, share a dream of owning
a small ranch and of living “off the fatta the lan” where the cream from the animals “is so God
damn thick you got to cut it with a knife”.
The way George recites the dream to Lennie in a ritualistic way is reminiscent of a fairy tale
being recited to a child and this foreshadows the dream not coming true. Foreshadowing is also
present as Lennie’s accidental killings progress from mice to a puppy. This hints at something
worse to come and at their dream failing. At one point when reciting the dream George says e
that they would have to protect the rabbits from cats and Lennie says “I’ll break their God
damn necks” and we feel that danger lies ahead and that the dream is an impossibility.
Steinbeck therefore is presenting the American Dream as a cruel beacon of false hope but it is
more complex than that as we see how hope in a world marked by cruelty and hardship dreams
can give people a purpose. Their hypothetical farm thus becomes a symbol of the failures
entwined with the notion of the American Dream, We see how “George sat entranced with his
own picture” after he describes the life that they will have; and how he “looked raptly at the
wall over Lennie’s head”. The words “entranced” and “raptly” convey how the dream transfixes
and enthrals George and in those moments of escape there must be some good in dreams even
if they are ultimately shattered. Steinbeck shows how it is not only Lennie with his puerile
nature that is captivated by this dream as he “begged” George to repeat it over and over;
level-headed George is equally as enticed.
As a paternal figure to Lennie who has a mental impairment George uses their shared dream to
comfort and reassure Lennie and to remind him that better times are ahead; it becomes a
mantra of hope. The dream motivates George and Lennie to strive towards a life where
“There’d be no more runnin’ round the country” in search of work. Even if it only brings
