Essay On Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Many people aspire for greatness in life; whether it’s being famous, or living the American dream, there is always more out there that people want. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, an unlikely pair of working men, Lennie Small and George Milton, go out in search of work and end up on a ranch. Some of the people that they meet at the ranch are Curley, Slim, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife. The ranch is owned by Curley’s father, which causes trouble for the men because of Curley’s aggressive behavior towards them. Curley’s wife is unfulfilled and is always slinking around the barn and attempts to talk to the men working, which usually ends in failure. Curley’s wife has one similarity to Lennie and George. The three of them are missing out, or missed out on the chance for a better life and end up in a cycle of disappointment. Lennie and George share a dream of owning a house and raising animals on a ranch, while Curley’s wife fantasizes of the life that could have been. Unfortunately, all of their dreams fall short of coming true. 3 characters in the novel with bold ambitions that never come to fruition are George, Curley’s wife, and Lennie.
Curley’s wife was a stereotypical
His life revolved around finding work, working, and running from the mischief Lennie created. George wanted nothing more than to live simply and have no worries, but he could never accomplish it. On page 7, George says “I could get along so easy and so nice if I didn’t have you on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl”. This revealed to the reader George’s true feelings, and that his ambitions in life were not anything too extreme. He knew Lennie was a bit of a burden, but he needed him. For him, it was about being in charge and not having to listen to someone else for once. George faced many obstacles and was not able to make his dream a reality because of what life handed