In the novella Of Mice and Men each character had their own version of their American dream. For George and Lennie, their American dream was to live on a farm without a boss and have rabbits to play with. Lennie always asks George to tell him how it will be one day. Lennie wants to hear about the time when they will leave the farm where they work and buy their own farm. That will be the day when they can be independent and live their American dream. George says that they will have strawberries and rabbits and their own little house to live in without rules or restrictions. George's and Lennie's dream is so appealing that Candy and Crooks want to join George's and Lennie's dream of owning their own farm because they think that George and Lennie are close to reaching that dream. George's and Lennie's dream appeals to Candy and Crooks because it is everything that they also want to have and have never achieved. However, perhaps this dream only appeals to them because they see it as something that will be reached soon. Candy and Crooks want to be able to live out the American dream even if it is someone else's. I believe that George and Lennie would have achieved their American dream if Lennie had not been killed.
Curly's wife has a dream of becoming an actress in Hollywood, but she can not reach her dream because Curly is protective of her and will not let her do anything. Her dream can not become true until Curly will let her do what she wants or she must leave Curly. She can not complete her dream until she does one of these two things. If Curley's wife really wanted to become a movie star, she would leave Curley and work towards her dream. Perhaps her dream is just a dream and she lives the only life she thinks she can.
The American dream can be reached with a little bit of luck, being in the right place at the right time and working to reach your goal. Dreams can only be achieved if you want to achieve it bad enough to work for it. Is the American Dream wishing for something you don't have OR is it working for something you hope to have in your future? Wishing for something you may never achieve, is possible but will most likely not become a reality. However, wishing for something that is within your grasp is what I believe the American Dream to be.
John Steinbeck's "Of mice and men" was written in the 1930's, a time of great depression throughout the world. It was a time when racism was still widespread in America. It is based on a ranch in California. In the story Crooks is the only black person on the ranch. Crooks is disabled, with a crooked back where "a horse once kicked him". It describes him as having "pain tightened lips" because of this.
In the story, Crooks was treated with little respect. He acts like he wants no real contact with the white workers on the ranch by "keeping his distance and demanding that other people kept theirs". I think that he really wanted some friends but doesn't show it because no-one will be friends with him. The boss also has no respect for him and takes his anger out on him for no reason when he is mad. He lives in a tack room built onto the side of the barn because he is unwanted in the bunkhouse. This is probably due to the fact that the society of the time believed in racial segregation. He has no friends on the ranch and is totally isolated. He had no rights or a say on what goes on on the ranch or in America for that matter. There were thousands like him all over America that were stuck in the same situation. They were not treated well for what seems to me a trivial reason. The book was very controversial at the time as Steinbeck portrays Crooks as being the same inside as any other man.
