John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"

John Steinbeck’s writings are said to be very powerful. This is entirely true in his novel, Of Mice and Men, the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers during the Great Depression in California.

In Of Mice & Men, the American Dream is to simply have a place is establish roots, to find a place to belong. Placing in his book in California in the mid-1930’s of the Depression, Steinbeck tells the story of the harsh realities of life for poor unskilled workers displaced by the Great Depression – the greatest economic decline and high unemployment in Western industrialized nations. Of Mice and Men voices a deeper meaning about the nature of human dreams and aspirations and the forces that work against them. In the story, we see the American Dream, though unreachable, as a form of motivation, providing a sense of meaning and hope, energizing people even if it is pointless. Humans give meaning to their lives and futures by creating dreams. In the beginning, the two protagonists, George and Lennie, are introduced and their vision of the American Dream is established. The yearning associated with the ambitions in a life of great loneliness and deprivation of company and friendship is revealed. Both men are ranch workers and have not known a better life, and thus they create for themselves a vision for their future. “…we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs…” As a matter of fact, repeating the telling of the story becomes almost a ritual between the two men, George providing the narrative and Lennie occasionally finishing George’s sentences. For most of the characters in Of Mice & Men, achieving the American Dream represents independence, security, and a place of self-respect and acceptance. For each of them, human dignity is an integral part of the dream.

                Having and sharing the dream, however, are not enough to achieve the dream. Each man must make a sacrifice or battle against some other force that seeks, intentionally or not, to steal the dream away. Initially, we see that, though the obstacles are challenging, they are not impossible to prevail over. These are such as, staying out of trouble, not spending money on liquor, and working at a ranch long enough to save the money for a down payment. But as the story progresses, some even greater problems become apparent: social prejudices, and, the greatest threat of all to George, Lennie himself. Ironically, it is Lennie who also makes the dream worthwhile. Even at the beginning of the novel, foreshadowing is developed. After George recounts the dream, we sense a feeling of loneliness, which is compared to the wideness of their surroundings. Though the fire burns brightly, “the sphere of light grew smaller,” representing the need for Lennie and George to return to reality and the hope for their farm diminishing. Its delicacy indicates the inevitable downfall of their dream. For Lennie and George, and even us as the reader, allow ourselves to accept the possibility of the vision; however, the use of foreshadowing darkens the outlook of their vision, and the dream only serves as a motivation through the possibilities of freedom, self-reliance, safety and protection from the cruelties of the tough world. In the end, we see the relationship of an individual and the society being partially responsible for the sacrifice that George has to make of Lennie. However, in the end, the decision is George’s. To save Lennie from suffering, George ends his possibility of attaining the dream by sacrificing Lennie.