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The importance of dreams in of mice and men

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Introduction

Describe the importance of dreams to different characters in "Of Mice and Men" In the novel "Of Mice and Men" dreams are very important to different characters. Dreams keep the migrant workers going, these dreams give the workers going and make them work harder in the belief that one day their dream will come true. George and Lennie's dream is the main dream in the novel, They dream of owning their own land, and being able to be their own boss, they want freedom and the ability to do what they want when they want. Lennie dreams of tending the rabbits and "Living of the fatta the lan'". Candy the old crippled farm hand joins their dream and he gives money to help buy the land, This fuels the dream and makes them believe it more, Candy needs this dream to give his monotonous life some hope. ...read more.

Middle

Curley's Wife dreams of becoming an actress, men told her she could fulfil this dream but they always let her down, because of this her dream crumbled and she married Curley, When she heard about George and Lennie's dream its made her think about her dream again, it makes her resent the fact that she married Curley she feels if she hadn't of married him then she could have been famous, she says "Coulda been in the movies, an' had nice clothes - all of them nice clothes like they wear, an' I coulda sat in them big hotels." Crooks is very cynical of George and Lennie's dream, he says "Nobody never gets to heaven and nobody gets no land" but after Candy says he has the money for the land, Crooks changes his mind hes says "If you ... ...read more.

Conclusion

The novel's title comes from a poem, To a Mouse (on turning her up in her nest with the plough) by the Scots poet Robert Burns (1759-1796): "The best-laid plans of mice and men Gang aft agley (=often go wrong). And leave us naught but grief and pain For promised joy." Burns shows how the plans of men are no more secure than those of the mouse, and this is the point of Steinbeck's title. The source of the characters' dreams is their discontent with their present. Steinbeck shows how poor their lifestyle is: they have few possessions, fewer comforts, no chance of marriage or family life and no place of their own. In conclusion we all have dreams, which are very important, they help us to make everyday life better and to cope, steinbeck uses the American Dream to illustrate a general truth, that we all need dreams but he also makes us realise that not every dream comes true ...read more.

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Here's what a teacher thought of this essay

3 star(s)

The exploration of dreams in 'Of Mice and Men' is an important and relevant investigation; in this essay however the analysis lacks direction and this could have been secured by creating a detailed plan that addressed the main points that would be key to include.

3 Stars

Marked by teacher Laura Gater 20/05/2013

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