Most ranch workers were unsatisfied; this was because of the poor social and economic conditions and the severe poverty. Many workers traveled alone without family or friends and were very lonely; the only place to get company was at the local cathouses and this would require wasting your hard earned money. Because of this dissatisfaction many workers as well as George and Lennie had “The American Dream” in their minds.
Racism was a problem in this period of time, it was considered normal to call a black person nigger. In this novel crooks is the character that represents racism, he is not allowed to sleep with the other men and is referred to as nigger. In the story crooks explains to Lennie and Candy that they are not the only one’s after a piece of land and that every man has a piece in his head.
Women were treated as equally bad as black people. This is represented in the book by Curley’s wife, Curley is always asking around to see if she has been in the bunk house because he is overly paranoid about her. Many think she is just a tramp and a tart that is giving men the eye but the reader later discovers that she is just lonely because Curley doesn’t treat her with respect, but due to sexism she is treated like a flirt and a tramp.
The reader discovers other things like living conditions and how terrible they are. This plays a part in the book because it is a motive for people to try to carry out the “American Dream” as they all want to escape these living conditions.
It is easy to get the can and other people want jobs therefore everyone is replaceable on the ranch. Every worker wants to live out the “American Dream” so they can live in there own place and not have the fear of getting sacked. For example in chapter 3 page 88 when Candy says “I got hurt four year ago, they’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me out on the county. Maybe if I gave you guys my money you’ll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain’t no good at it.”
There is no friendship on the ranch; George and Lennie are the only two workers that travel around together everyone is lonely and again wants to escape this situation. The only way to escape this situation is to have hope and the hope is the “American Dream”
The novel is all about the hopes of men and how they are crushed, “The American Dream” was a common hope during the time period in which the book is set, it was also a hope before and after but it was especially common during this time. Because the book is about dreams being crushed and George and Lennie’s dream fails in the novel the “American Dream” is a central theme in “Of Mice and Men”
