How is the theme of Dreams portrayed in Steinbecks novella Of Mice and Men

By Angus Lau 9E (13)

In Of Mice and Men, the theme of dreams play a pivotal role in the construction of the plot and the
shaping of the characters, as it acts as the characters motivation to endure the American Depression and
escape their current lifestyle. The common American dream was to have freedom and to own a piece of land,
yet there are different interpretations of the dreams for each of the characters in the story. Yet, from the title of
the novella, Of Mice and Men, it suggests that no matter how well one plans his/her dream, it will not come
true as a reference to Robert Burns poem To a Mouse, from which Steinbeck took his title.
As stated in the novella Georges dream was to get the jack with Lennie, have a little house and a
couple of acres an a cow and some pigs and live off the fatta the land. This dream is the most similar to the
typical American dream that characters have and from the previous quotes, we could infer that George had
planned his dream well and it seemed achievable to the readers. It is because George, unlike the other itinerant
workers, has saved up money and we know he doesnt spend it at the cat house. Yet, when George says that
his farm would also include red and blue and green rabbits, millions of them as well as work six, seven hours
a day for such a big farm and only two people, these details seem a little bit idealistic and might suggest that
the dream will never come true as George doesnt seem to have considered over eventualities. This can be also
ascertained in the fairy-tale-like way George told Lennie about their dream. We could also infer from George
being forced to kill Lennie, Georges dream will never come true as his dream consists of Lennies
accompaniment in the utilitarian society where loneliness is prevalent and thus, killing Lennie also meant killing
his own dream and this links back to the poem To a mouse.
Lennies dream is similar to George as it too involves them being together and having the opportunity to
own a ranch and live off the fatta the land. Yet, Lennies dream also includes him owning rabbits, and this plays
a momentous role, as it is Lennies obsession with rabbits that makes him constantly need Georges
reassurance to tell him that their dream will come true. This can be seen from Lennies pleading Come on,
George. Tell me (the dream). Please George, like you done before. Through this, George is able to control
Lennie because if Lennie misbehaves, George only has to threaten him with not letting him own rabbits. This is
seen throughout the novella when Lennie constantly checks whether he can still have the rabbits with George
after he has done something wrong, I didnt want no trouble I can still tend the rabbits, George? ... I didnt
mean no harm, George. We can infer from this that it is the desperation of keeping the dream that causes
Lennie to panic when Curleys wife started yelling at Lennie in section 5 when he was going to mess up her
hair. Because of his fright at the noise and his fear that George will not allow him his dream because of it,
Lennie tries to muffle Curleys wifes screams by covering her mouth and holding tighter and tighter to her hair
as he did not want George to blame him for interacting with the jail bait. Lennies actions are all due to his blind
pursuit of his dream. The destructive nature of the dream is further proved when the gigantic rabbit that
appeared in Lennies mind (in section 6) suggests that Lennies dreams would go against him, and George
would leave him. This we understand to be Lennies conscience.

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Like Lennie, Curleys wife also blindly pursues her dream to be noticed and appreciated. Thus, due to
her desperation, she believes the lie that the man she went out to the Riverside Dance Palace with said that
he was gonna put me (her) in the movies. Said I was a natural. Soons he get back to Hollywood he was gonna
write to me about it. Yet, the blind pursuit of her dream bunded her senses just because the man gonna put me
in the movies. When this doesnt happen, she then marries Curley in the hope that he would give her
appreciation e lacks. However, this backfires, as she becomes unimportant to him, to the extent that she did not
even have a name, and she believes he aint a nice fella. This means that the only way for her to achieve her
dream was to attract other men on the ranch and Lennie is the only one naive enough to talk to her. Just for
someone to talk at, Curleys wife puts her life at risk by letting Lennie touch her hair, which ultimately leads to
her death. Yet, she finally achieved her dream when she died and has the attention of all the men at the ranch,
adding to the pathos of the story as well as highlighting the danger of blindly pursuing dreams.
In the novella, Candys sole dream is to be accepted by others, like Curleys wife. Even though it seems
like he wants the American Dream too when he offers George and Lennie the funds they need, his desire for
companionship is stronger, as seen from his reaction No, he said softly. I had im for too long when Carlson
suggested shooting his dog and the fact that he does not buy a piece of land even if he had the funds. When he
finally convinced George to let him share his and Lennies dream with him, it seemed that his contribution
makes the dream close to realisation, yet it is shattered when George had to kill Lennie in Section 6, as seen
from Then its all off? after Candy spoke his greatest fear. This shows that a dream is empty if it is not
shared with someone.
Unlike the other characters, Crooks, the most intelligent character of the novella, has the most realistic,
and almost cynical view about the American dream. As he had been on the ranch long enough to see that the
dream never comes true for the itinerant workers, and his own experience as his American dream when he was
young was taken off him just because he was black. In the novella, it states I never seen a guy really do it
ever time a whore house or a blackjack game took what it takes. However, Crooks does let himself believe for
a short time that the dream is possible due to Georges great plan, Candys money and the chance to be
accepted in a group. We could see that this is very similar to what Candy dreams of, as they are both impaired
individuals and are separated from others in the society. This is seen when Curleys wife enters and reminds him
to keep your place then, Nigger, and the fact that she could get you strung up a tree so quickly it aint even
funny, shows that he is both physically and socially separated from the others again.
Curley presents a different view of the American dream as it typically consists of a ranch, freedom and a
wife. Yet, he is still not satisfied with it and wants to gain respect form the ranch workers, primarily by beating up
big guys to prove that he is strong. This indicates that people will always want more even when they have
achieved something and that it is only the process of pursuing the dream that is important but not the outcome.
This may also be the foreshadowing of the sad ending of this novella, when George has to kill Lennie out of
love, destroying his dream with him.

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From the description of all the characters dreams, Steinbeck has illustrated the importance of the
dreams to the itinerant workers in the utilitarian environment, as it is their only way of having purpose in their
lives and carrying on the hardship of the time. On the other hand, Steinbeck has also stated that a dream has to
be controlled, and when it is put as first priority and importance over everything else, it could lead to problems,
as the process becomes a blind pursuit. Steinbeck also wants to state that the line in To a Mouse is true as
there is nothing that can guarantee that the American dream will become a reality, even with great planning and
the fact that it is only the process of the pursuit of a dream that is important but not the outcome.

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