All the main characters in the story have personal dreams, and only the thought of these dreams keeps them going in the harsh working environment where they had no aims in life. The main dream in the novel is a dream shared by George and Lennie. They both dream of saving enough money to buy a farm for themselves one day, just the two of them. As Lennie says, they will “live off the fatta the lan’.” They will grow their own food, raise livestock, and keep rabbits, which Lennie will tend. Lennie’s obsession with furry animals shapes the dream so that they both get what they want: George gets peace and happiness by living on his own piece of land with his one friend, and Lennie gets to tend the rabbits. The fact that during this time period ranch hands and other workers were all loners and had no companions makes this dream more appealing to George and Lennie, as they are the only two who have got each other for company. This is expressed in this quote by George: “With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us.”, and in this quote by Lennie: “I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” At this early stage in the story this dream is more important for Lennie, because he believes in it, unlike George who just uses it as a bedtime-story for Lennie or a way to pass time. However, as the story progresses, the dream becomes more appealing to George as it becomes more of a reality. The second time George tells Lennie about the dream, he says it with more conviction and detail, as if he is also thinking about it realistically. Before they settled in their new jobs George possibly thought Lennie would lose them their jobs like he did in Weed, so the dream was never more than a dream. After they had become settled he began to think more of it, and we even see an aggressive side to Lennie. This dream shared by George and Lennie is the typical American Dream, to own a piece of land, tend animals and live on it; a dream shared by many Americans during the Great Depression. An interesting point to note is that George claims his dream is to be free of Lennie and have a girlfriend but the truth is that he would prefer to have Lennie, and chase the American Dream with him. In this novel none of the characters succeed in living out the American Dream, and it is the same for these two. Once Lennie killed Curley’s wife and had run away, George knew it was all over. He had to kill Lennie himself to save him from the lynch mob, so he had to end the dream himself.
Candy is an old man working at the ranch. He lost his hand while working at the ranch, and they let him stay and work more out of pity than because he was a good worker. Candy’s dog is also old and smells bad, and has lived with Candy all its life. It was Candy’s only companion, and once Carlson shot the dog, Candy had nothing left. When he hears about George and Lennie’s dream of owning a piece of farmland, Candy begins thinking of his own future at the ranch. He has little left in him, and also needs a place to settle, so he decides to chase the same dream as George and Lennie. He offers to put in all his life-savings in to paying for a bit of land, and George and Lennie agree. We can sense Candy’s desperation when he first asks to join in, and also when he realises the dream is over. When he first joins George and Lennie to chase the dream, he says, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs…” Towards the end of the story, after the death of Curley’s wife and before George goes after Lennie, Candy says, “You an’ me can get that little place, can’t we George? You an’ me can go there an’ live nice, can’t we, George? Can’t we?” The death of Curley’s wife ruins the dream for George, Lennie and Candy, and ironically it was Lennie who made it impossible for them to make the dream a reality, him being the one who wanted it most, inspired everyone else to chase it, and was the most innocent of the lot.
Crooks is the only black man on the ranch. As his name suggests, he has a crooked back, and uses futile remedies for the pain. He is discriminated against and has to sleep alone behind the stables. He is casually referred to as a ‘nigger’ by all the others at the ranch, and this shows their ignorance because they are not meaning to be rude or offensive, they just use the term blindly. This racism and chronic back pain shapes Crooks’s personality, as he is shown to be bitter, defensive and terribly lonely. Interestingly, Crooks has already had the dream farm in his happy childhood, but he dreams for something else. When he is talking to Lennie in his room, he says, “I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their head. An’ never a god-damn one of ‘em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.” This shows that he knows many people have tried to chase the American Dream and failed, and yet he still falls into the trap of believing he can be a part of it, when he is convinced by Candy and Lennie. However, this dream of his is short-lived, as after he gets put back in his place by Curley’s wife, he realises that it was foolish of him to think it would be that easy to get away from his life of discrimination and hardships. Curley’s wife tells him how easy it would be for her to get him hanged, and on top of that George still shows no respect for Crooks, so he realises it won’t work out. this dream is replaced by another dream, to live in a world where racial discrimination is not an issue. However, as is the theme in the novel, none of the dreams are achieved, including this one. Steinbeck shows how the USA has failed its people in so many ways. The US society is based on equality, equal treatments and equal opportunities. Crooks represents black people and the way USA has failed them.
Curley’s wife is the last of the major characters that has a dream. He is discriminated against and has to sleep alone behind the stables. Women are treated with contempt and are depicted as troublemakers who bring ruin on men and drive them mad. Despite this, Steinbeck still makes her seem like a relatively complex and interesting character. She is only a little girl, and we do feel a bit of sympathy for her by the end of the novel, because she is shown to be not as bad a person as first portrayed. She had a dream of reaching Hollywood and becoming a film star, but the man who scouted her told her he would write her a letter but she never received one. This forced her to marry Curley, who abuses her, and she is yet another example of a character trying and failing to achieve their dreams.
In conclusion, the theme of dreams is significant to the story as it brings all the characters together. It shows what life was like during the Great Depression, how everyone had dreams but very few ever made it. The theme of dreams links in with loneliness in the novel. All the characters are lonely except George and Lennie, because they have each other, but even together they still fail in living out the American Dream.
