Comparison

The American dream is a symbol of hope, empowering the characters to endure the tribulationsof life. In Of Mice and Men, protagonists Lennie and George have created an American dreamthat one day they will "have a bigvegetablepatch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when itrains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stoveand set around it and listen to the rain comin' down on the roof [SIC]"(Steinbeck 16). The dreamis a stronghold; it allows them to endure the circumstances on the farm where they work. Bothmen dislike working on the farm because the boss's son, Curley is often very cruel and theconditions on the ranch are deplorable. However, they continue to work on the farm because "if we can get jus' a few dollars in the poke we'll shove off and go up the American River and pangold. We can make maybe a couple of dollars a day there, and we might hit a pocket [SIC]" (33).The dream creates an impetus for Lennie and George to stay within the intolerableconfines of farm to earn the money necessary to attain their dream. To them, "the dream of landrepresents independence and dignity; the American Dream" (Magill 4622). Theranchis asanctuary where Lennie and George can evade society and find acceptance despite Lennie'smental disability. Lennie is the beholder of dream, he constantly asks "George, how long's itgoing to be till we get that little place an' live off the fatta the lan'an' rabbits?" (Steinbeck 55).Although Lennie's mental disability hinders him and George from attaining the dream, Lennie'sinnocence allows them to pursue it. Without pursuing the dream, they would "be like all theother ranch hands, wasting money on whiskey and women, drifting aimlessly from one job to thenext" (Magill 4662). Lennie and George's dream provides hope; it keeps them from going astray.In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby hopes to marry Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy girl from the East Eggwho represents his American dream to rekindle the