How far does Steinback present dreams as futile in ‘Of mice and men’. Essay by Alex Mason
In’Of mice and men’, John Steinback, who wrote this novel. presents dreams as an ironic theme in this story. Dreams that are destroyed even before they are known to the reader, Steinback has created them to show us that everyone needs a future plan not just to keep rhem going but to give the lesser man a reason for being excited and living life, it shows how to people outside the book the dreams seem a mirage but to people like Lennie and George it is what is pushing them to carry on.
He uses the ‘American Dream’ as a mirage throughout this novel. The first and most documented dream in this novel is that of George and Lennies which goes on to be that of Candy’s too. The dream of owning a piece of land to work and live where they can have cows, pigs, chicken a vegetable patch with alfalfa and rabbits.This dream is what seems to keep Lennie sane as whenever he feels sad he asks George to tell him about this dream they are hoping for.
George announces “OK Someday – we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs and ……” ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’ “We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit-hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the Winter we’ll just say the hell with goin’ to work, and we’ll build up the fire in the stove and set around it an’ listen to the rain comin’ down on the roof.”
This quote illustrates the dream they have about owning their own land and living independently on it. When Candy hears about this dream, he wants to become part of it by a submission of his saved money to fund the purchase of the piece of land and being able to work adnd live on the land with George and Lennie. George, Lennie and Candy’s dream is destroyed by Lennies ignorance and own strength. When Lennie is in a stressful situation, like when he wanted to pat the girl’s ‘red dress’ and she screamed, Lennie panics and doesn’t know what to do. Lennies strength and ignorance ruins their dream when Lennie and Curley’s wife are talking in the barn. Curlys wife invites Lennie to feel how soft her hair is. Lennie patted her hair very hard. Curly’s wife, not wanting her hair to be messed up, jerks her head away. Because Lennie is confused he grabs her hair and tries to make her stop yelling. Lennie does not know how to control his own strength, he squeezes Curley’s wife’s neck too hard and crushes her spine. Lennie then flees the ranch because Curley wants to kill him for what he did to his wife. Lennie’s uncontrollable strength and ignorance destroyed his, George and Candy’s dream. Throughout the story all the mishaps Lennie caused just backed up the idea that this dream would never come true, but that is what fuelled them to carry on and put more emphasize on owning that land.
