Preview

Ambition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
664 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ambition In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
A dream, a hope of something that could be, can be thought of as the force driving us to do more, to accomplish things that are currently beyond our reach but yet are still obtainable. It may be considered as the driving motive of ambition. That, in a sense, is what George and Lennie had in the story Of Mice and Men. They had a dream of a better life, a life that consisted of them owning a place of their own where no one could kick them out, and they could live of the fat of the land. Their ambition to achieve this dream came from the hope itself. The mere thought of accomplishing this goal was enough to set them about working for it, earning enough money to actually make it happen.

But then, the question must be asked: Could George and

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is an extraordinary story of two men who travel together through tough situations and remain loyal to one another. They develop a strong friendship and share many qualities. My best friend, Alla, and I have known each other for over seven years and we have a strong bond. What binds us together are our differences and loyalty, just like Lennie and George, but unlike them, we have different dreams.…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    "No, Lennie. I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know"(Steinbeck 106) -George…

    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck there are three characters that show person vs fate in a negative way. The book ends by George shooting Lennie at the end. George will turn into the average migrant worker because he does not have Lennie any more. Also, Crook's future is bad because of segregation. Finally, Curley's wife will not make it to Hollywood because she is married to Curley. With Lennie’s death it makes it very hard for george to try to achieve the American Dream.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Everybody dreams, but not all dreams become reality. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, all the characters had dreams, however none of them came true for different reasons. George and Lennie’s dream was to someday own their own land, so they could have animals and farm crops. The next character who had a dream was Crooks. He wanted to be treated equally and own land as well. Finally, Curley’s wife wanted to become famous by being a movie star. Unfortunately, none of these characters fulfilled their dreams, because Steinbeck believed the American dream does not come true.…

    • 1309 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people have power or are overpowered by others. This applies both in real life and the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Many of the characters in John Steinbeck's book excel or are limited in power. But all characters have certain aspects about their personality and physique that gives them power or shows why people have power over them. Many details and aspects make characters the way they are and their abilities and limits display their dominance.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many characters in “Of Mice and Men” had many different dreams. Lennie and George’s dream of having their own ranch, and Lennie’s dream to tend the rabbits gave them hope to keep working for money. Also Curley’s wife dreamt to be a movie star, but that obviously didn’t work out. In, “A Raisin in the Sun,” each character had a…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    [Candy] said miserably, "You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else”(Steinbeck 60). Candy is introduced in the start of chapter two, he is described indirectly by the narrator as a “Stoop shouldered old man”(Steinbeck 18). He is said to have a round stump on his right arm, but no hand. His dog enters later in chapter two, whom is described as a “dragfooted sheepdog, gray of a muzzle, and with pale, old eyes”(Steinbeck 26). Through these characters, Steinbeck helps the reader understand the stereotype of the uselessness of the elderly and disabled. Along with this, Candy and his dog create a parallel with George and Lennie.…

    • 677 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though the story ends with heartache, it still doesn’t remove the fact that Lennie and George knew that their friendship kept them going. John Steinbeck brings the time period of the 1930s to life in Of Mice and Men. The story captures the tale of two men, George and Lennie, use friendship and a dream to overcome challenges. Piece by piece as challenges add, it ends with serious consequences. Steinbeck displays that weakness leads to cruelty through the characters in Of Mice and Men by Crooks trying to acquire a position over Lennie, Candy’s dog dying, and Curley’s wife speaking to Crooks.…

    • 857 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Truth is everybody is going to hurt you: you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for” (Bob Marley). The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, was set in the Great depression. In the novel George has to deal with Lenny every single day and it’s not easy, but he loves him and he just has to accept that Lenny is part of his life. In this book, society was frustrating. People were very sexist, and instead of coming together and helping each other everyone kept to themselves this is also known as isolation. Also, during this time people who suffered from mental and physical disabilities were often isolated and faced discrimination. Steinbeck identifies many societal problems during the Great Depression, and brings them to light in his novella Of Mice and Men.…

    • 536 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Many diseases and disorders were not discovered until fairly recent years. This is the case for a disorder called autism. John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men” was set during the Great Depression, and the story portrays a man named Lennie with a disorder that people during that time did not understand, so they treated him as if he were mentally impaired. Today, Speech-Language pathologists recognize Lennie as being autistic. “Of Mice and Men” portrays the characteristics of autism and how people who were ignorant of the true disorder crudely handled the situation. This story shows readers how much progress the field of Speech-Language pathology has made in diagnosing and treating people who suffer from autism.…

    • 251 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the novel Of Mice and Men a major theme is the journey to live out the American dream. The American dream is a difficult concept to describe because the dream may be different for different people. The American dream may also be different depending on the time period in which the person lives. A person living in the sixties may have a different dream than someone who is living in the nineties. There are some similarities that are in most people's dreams regardless of when they lived or who they are. Most people's American dream is to be successful. The generality may be similar however the meaning of success may differ from person to…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Capturing the curiosity being produced by the reader, George grasps most of the attention starting as soon as his name is mentioned for the first time in the novel. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, the author of the novel, vividly shows the development in George’s character. Both George’s compassion for the world and people around him and the way in which he controls himself change rapidly as he progresses over the three days in which the novel takes place. From dealing with Lennie’s disability to simply hold himself together on the ranch, George demonstrates how people can change and mature quickly. By tracing George’s journey throughout the novel, readers can better appreciate George as a character and Steinbeck’s overall message.…

    • 1106 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The vital theme that John Steinbeck has examined was Greed, Greed as a Destructive force in Kino’s life. Kino seeks to gain wealth and status through the pearl and he transforms from a happy and comfortable father to a brutal criminal, and it is demonstrating that desires and greed are the root of all evil. As well as it destroys the innocence, and it is found in the New Testament in Paul’s first message to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:10) “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” This was the exact situation that happened to Kino. Kino’s greed led him to behave violently towards his spouse; it also led to his son’s death and it detached…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slim, who wonders why more men don’t travel around together and theorizes that maybe it’s because everyone is scared of everyone else, appreciates the closeness of their friendship. One of the reasons that the tragic end of George and Lennie’s friendship has such a profound impact is that one senses that the friends have, by the end of the novella, lost a dream larger than themselves. The farm on which George and Lennie plan to live—a place that no one ever reaches—has a magnetic quality, as Crooks points out. After hearing a description of only a few sentences, Candy is completely drawn in by its magic. Crooks has witnessed countless men fall under the same silly spell, and still he cannot help but ask Lennie if he can have a patch of garden to hoe there. The men in Of Mice and Men desire to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one another. That is, they want to live with one another’s best interests in mind, to protect each other, and to know that there is someone in the world dedicated to protecting them. Given the harsh, lonely conditions under which these men live, it should come as no surprise that they idealize friendships between men in such a way.…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “We were all born with a certain degree of power. The key to success is discovering this innate power and using it daily to deal with whatever challenges come our way” (Les Brown). It is important to realize that an individual’s power can change due to the experiences he or she faces. In the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck helps the reader to understand that there are different levels of power in society and how those levels can change in different situations. Steinbeck expresses the characters as symbols of power, or lack thereof, to illustrate that it is difficult to make vertical movements within the levels of power in society.…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays