John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ is set in California in the 1930’s, when the Great Depression swept across America, resulting in catastrophic changes to the lives of millions. Some people starved trying to find work; while others did all they could to just hang on a little longer. Everyone dreamed of being financially independent, or at the least relatively comfortable, though for most the dream was precisely that; a dream.
“Of Mice and Men” involves many characters that dream for a better future. For example, George and Lennie wish to live ‘off the fatta the land’ (16). Curley’s wife always dreamed of becoming an actress, and Crooks desired racial acceptance. Most characters in the novel hope for a better life, however, due to their life circumstances, the characters struggle to accomplish their dream. This novel reflects the common hopes and dreams of many during this period.
The two main characters, George and Lennie are itinerant workers. Lennie is a large man with a problematic mental impairment which is why George travels everywhere with him. Due to his mental impairment Lennie is very simple minded, as George describes; ‘his hell of a nice fella, but he ain’t bright.” (36). Lennie and George share a common dream which draws the two men together. Despite Lennie’s mental impairment, the thought of owning land and obtaining financial security spurs them on, as George imagines, “We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens..
George and Lennie’s dream of having their own place breeds hope, friendship, and especially a strong determination to make that dream a reality. This ultimately enables George and Lennie to strive onward in life with a sense of self-worth and importance. Curley’s wife, in John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, is an example of a woman in a man’s world. We first hear about Curley’s wife when Candy describes her to George, “She’s a jail bait all set on the trigger” (49). Though, despite the negative.
