Importance of dreams in “Of Mice and Men”
Many people have dreams in “Of Mice and Men” but the dreams of Lennie, Candy and Curley’s wife are the most important to our reading of the novel.
Lennie’s dream is of owning a farm of his own with his friend George. In his dreams he looks after the rabbit. He like’s this idea because he likes to pet things and the small things he finds as he is travelling around, like mice, are too easily hurt or killed when he pets them heavily. Rabbits are big enough for him to look after without hurting them. He also remembers that he used to pet rabbits when he lived with Aunt Clara. George always told Lennie a story before he went to sleep saying “loneliest guys don’t have no family or a future”. George told Lennie they had a future together and one day they will have a ranch of their own. There is a quote in the novel where George says “ok some day-we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and… An live of the fatta the lan.” This explains that George and Lennie want to have independence in their life so they can work when they are up to it not having to listen to anyone else’s orders.
“When we get the coupla acres I can let you tend the rabbits all right”. As George and Lennie travel around they tell each other their dream as a way of coping with the loneliness of being migrant workers in America in the 1930’s.” we got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us”. Unlike most men in their position, they have something to look forward to and something to share. “Well it’s ten acres,’ said George”. George and Lennie were dreaming about their future and how they were going to have their own land. “That’s three hundred, and I got fifty more coming’ the end a the month”. At the beginning of the novel, it seems that George and Lennie’s dream is just a fantasy that will never come true, but when they meet Candy things change. Candy has almost enough money to buy a small farm. If George and Lennie save their money and don’t get fired it seems that three of them would really achieve their dream. “I seen guys nearly crazy with loneliness for land, but ever’ time a whore house or a blackjack game took what it takes”. Lennie’s dream also affects Crooks, the stable buck. Lennie shares his dream with him and for a moment even Crooks has a vision of a better life.