Of Mice and Men
Q. What does Steinbeck's portrayal of the theme of dreams in Of Mice and Men reveal about the context in which he wrote the novel?
Steinbeck sets the novel 'Of Mice and Men' during the time of the American Depression. This was a particularly difficult time for migrant workers as work was scarce and hard to find, even though employment agencies such as "Murray and Ready's" were established to help with this problem. The dreams as described in the novel can tell the reader much about the circumstances at the time. For example George and Lennie's dream of "having a place to call their own" suggest that workers did not often have a place to call their own or stability in their lives. George and Lennie's dream is a microcosm of the 'American Dream', which would have been familiar to readers of the time.
As previously stated Steinbeck sets the novel 'Of Mice and Men' during the time of the American Depression, this was for the most part a strenuous time for farm workers as work was in short supply and hard to find. Many migrant workers were forced to move from farm to farm in order to get work. Therefore the workers did not have the opportunity to make relationships or friendships and life was often lonely. In order for the men to have some optimism and hope they dreamed. The dreams were often of an enhanced life. The typical American dream for migrant workers is mainly shown in 'Of Mice and Men' by George and Lennie.
From the 17th Century, when the first settlers arrived, immigrants dreamed of a better life in America. People went there to escape from poverty and discrimination, and to make a better life for themselves. For many the dream became a nightmare, the horrors of slavery, of the American Civil War, the growth of towns with appalling slums, and the corruption of the American political system led to many shattered hopes. For the American society as a whole the dream ended with the Wall Street Crash of 1929. This was the start of the Great Depression that affected the whole world during the 1930s. Thousands made their way west to California (which is where the novel is mainly set; in Salinas) to escape from their farmlands in the mid-West.
Q. What does Steinbeck's portrayal of the theme of dreams in Of Mice and Men reveal about the context in which he wrote the novel?
Steinbeck sets the novel 'Of Mice and Men' during the time of the American Depression. This was a particularly difficult time for migrant workers as work was scarce and hard to find, even though employment agencies such as "Murray and Ready's" were established to help with this problem. The dreams as described in the novel can tell the reader much about the circumstances at the time. For example George and Lennie's dream of "having a place to call their own" suggest that workers did not often have a place to call their own or stability in their lives. George and Lennie's dream is a microcosm of the 'American Dream', which would have been familiar to readers of the time.
As previously stated Steinbeck sets the novel 'Of Mice and Men' during the time of the American Depression, this was for the most part a strenuous time for farm workers as work was in short supply and hard to find. Many migrant workers were forced to move from farm to farm in order to get work. Therefore the workers did not have the opportunity to make relationships or friendships and life was often lonely. In order for the men to have some optimism and hope they dreamed. The dreams were often of an enhanced life. The typical American dream for migrant workers is mainly shown in 'Of Mice and Men' by George and Lennie.
From the 17th Century, when the first settlers arrived, immigrants dreamed of a better life in America. People went there to escape from poverty and discrimination, and to make a better life for themselves. For many the dream became a nightmare, the horrors of slavery, of the American Civil War, the growth of towns with appalling slums, and the corruption of the American political system led to many shattered hopes. For the American society as a whole the dream ended with the Wall Street Crash of 1929. This was the start of the Great Depression that affected the whole world during the 1930s. Thousands made their way west to California (which is where the novel is mainly set; in Salinas) to escape from their farmlands in the mid-West.
