Analyse the importance of dreams in ‘Of Mice and Men.’
...or men was to have a bit of land and live off their profits. “If I was bright, if I was even a little bit smart, I’d have my own little place, an’ I’d be bringin’ in my own crops, ‘stead of doin’ all the work and not getting what comes outta ground.’” “’An’ live off the fatta the lan’” Furthermore, men wanted a place where they belonged, where they had luxury for themselves only “’[I’d] have [my] own place where [I] belonged and not sleep in no bunkhouse.’” This is what was considered to be the American dream; nowadays it has changed to a need of power rather than harmony and respect. All people aim for is to have lots of money, some want to be famous too, whereas in the 1930’s people wanted to be as one with nature and to be respected as a farmer who worked hard to earn his farm and therefore his respect. Curley’s wife is a different case altogether, she wants to be rich and respected and she also wants to be famous “’I coulda made somethin’ of myself’…’Maybe I will yet.’” “’Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes-all of them nice clothes like they wear.’” Curley’s wife wanted respect and to be admired. She wanted to be respected by everyone and not be treated like dirt and a possession. No one is treated like that nowadays but in the 1930’s it was a popular attitude towards women. The men misjudged Curley’s wife a bit by calling her insults such as “tart” “jail bait” and even as far as “bitch” when all she wants is some company other than Curley of whom she is unhappily married to, but, Curley’s wife is an attention seeking character and the way she portrays herself is why all the men on the ranch think that she is trouble, treat her with disrespect and disgust. The men on the ranch cannot be blamed for their harsh opinion of Curley’s wife because she does appear to be flirtatious, also the colours that are associated with her symbolize danger and love, she wears red, “rouged lips…heavily made up…finger nails were red…red mules” This quotation establishes the fact that Steinbeck has subtly made Curley’s wife appear to be dangerous, bold and lustrous. All these features of Curley’s wife does not fit in with her husband’s lifestyle, her clothing is impractical and ideally Curley needs a wife who would be willing to help out, but Curley does not mind, as long as he has a wife of his own he is higher than the other men, therefore he uses her more as a trophy for respect rather than what a relationship is meant for. Curley’s glove of Vaseline is a good example of Curley showing off the fact that he has a wife. Although it could be considered a compliment being treated as a trophy, Curley’s wife isn’t treated with respect, she is treated like a possession and people talk to her with scorn and disdain. In modern day dreams, both men and women have similar dreams, it is possible for both sexes to have the same dream, whereas in the 1930’s women would most likely have had dreams of starting a family and living contentedly in a house of their own with their husband. Nearly all of the characters, including Lennie, George, Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy, admit, at one time or another, to having a profound sense of loneliness and isolation. Each of them yearns for the comfort of a friend, but will easily settle for the attentive ear of a stranger. Curley’s wife admits to Candy, Crooks, and Lennie that she is unhappily married, and Crooks tells Lennie that life is no good without a companion to turn to in times of confusion and need. The characters are rendered helpless by their isolation, and yet, even at their weakest, they seek to destroy those who are even weaker than they. Perhaps the most powerful example of this cruel tendency is when Crooks criticizes Lennie’s dream of the farm and his dependence on George. Having just admitted his own vulnerabilities—he is a black man with a crooked back who longs for companionship. One of the reasons that the tragic end of George and Lennie’s friendship has such a profound impact is that one senses that the friends have, by the end of the novel, lost a dream larger than themselves. The farm on which George and Lennie plan to live—a place that no one ever reaches—has a magnetic quality, as Crooks points out. After hearing a description of only a few sentences, Candy is completely drawn in by its magic. Crooks has witnessed countless men fall under the same silly spell, and still he cannot help but ask Lennie if he can have a patch of garden to hoe there. The men in ‘Of Mice and Men’ desire to come together in a way that would allow them to be like brothers to one another. That is, they want to live with one another’s best interests in mind, to protect each other, and to know that there is someone in the world dedicated to protecting them. Given the harsh, lonely conditions under which these men live, it should come as no surprise that they idealize friendships between men in such a way. Ultimately, however, the world is too harsh and predatory a place to sustain such relationships. Lennie and George, who come closest to achieving this ideal of brotherhood, are forced to separate tragically. With this, a rare friendship vanishes, but the rest of the world—represented by Curley and Carlson, who watch George stumble away with grief from his friend’s dead body—fails to acknowledge or appreciate it. This is yet another example of Steinbeck’s pessimistic approach to dreams coming true, especially the American dream. Steinbeck uses George and Lennie as a window to show that back in the 1930’s dreams didn’t come true and that they never will. This also portrays the fact that we never lose our dreams even if we are told we will never achieve them, and we remain optimistic in a sea of hope and anticipation, remaining optimistic that the unthinkable will happen. Steinbeck shows his interpretations of dreams for the past, present and the future. Most of the characters in Of Mice and Men admit, at one point or another, to dreaming of a different life. Before her death, Curley’s wife confesses her desire to be a movie star. Crooks, bitter as he is, allows himself the pleasant fantasy of hoeing a patch of garden on Lennie’s farm one day, and Candy latches on desperately to George’s vision of owning a couple of acres. Before the action of the novel begins, circumstances have robbed most of the characters of these wishes. Curley’s wife, for instance, has resigned herself to an unfulfilling marriage. What makes all of these dreams typically American is that the dreamers wish for untarnished happiness, for the freedom to follow their own desires. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm, which would enable them to sustain themselves, and, most important, offer them protection from an inhospitable world, represents a prototypically American ideal dream. Their journey, which awakens George to the impossibility of this dream, sadly proves that the bitter Crooks is right: such paradises of freedom, contentment, and safety are not to be found in this world. The portrayal of women in Of Mice and Men is limited and unflattering. We learn early on that Lennie and George are on the run from the previous ranch where they worked, due to encountering trouble there with a woman. Misunderstanding Lennie’s love of soft things, a woman accused him of rape for touching her dress. George berates Lennie for his behaviour, but is convinced that women are always the cause of such trouble. Their enticing sexuality, he believes, tempts men to behave in ways they would otherwise not. A visit to the “flophouse” is enough of women for George, and he has no desire for a female companion or wife. Curley’s wife, the only woman to appear in Of Mice and Men, seems initially to support George’s view of marriage. Dissatisfied with her marriage to a brutish man and bored with life on the ranch, she is constantly looking for excitement or trouble. In one of her more revealing moments, she threatens to have the black stable-hand lynched if he complains about her to the boss. Her insistence on flirting with Lennie seals her unfortunate fate. Although Steinbeck does, finally, offer a sympathetic view of Curley’s wife by allowing her to voice her unhappiness and her own dream for a better life, women have no place in the author’s idealized vision of a world structured around the brotherly bonds of men. Many of the characters admit to suffering from profound loneliness. George sets the tone for these confessions early in the novel when he reminds Lennie that the life of a ranch-hand is among the loneliest of lives. Men like George who migrate from farm to farm rarely have anyone to look to for companionship and protection. As the story develops, Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife all confess their deep loneliness. The fact that they admit to complete strangers their fear of being cast off shows their desperation. In a world without friends to confide in, strangers will have to do. Each of these characters searches for a friend, someone to help them measure the world, as Crooks says. In the end, however, companionship of his kind seems unattainable. For George, the hope of such companionship dies with Lennie, and true to his original estimation, he will go through life alone. Steinbeck explores different types of strength and weakness throughout the novel. The first, and most obvious, is physical strength. As the novel opens, Steinbeck shows how Lennie possesses physical strength beyond his control, as when he cannot help killing the mice. Great physical strength is, like money, quite valuable to men in George and Lennie’s circumstances. Curley, as a symbol of authority on the ranch and a champion boxer, makes this clear immediately by using his brutish strength and violent temper to intimidate the men and his wife. Physical strength is not the only force that oppresses the men in the novel. It is the rigid, predatory human tendencies, not Curley, that defeat Lennie and George in the end. Lennie’s physical size and strength prove powerless; in the face of this, he is utterly defenceless and therefore disposable. George and Lennie’s dream is very specific, and that is one of the reasons why it attracted Crooks and Candy to want to participate in a life of self-dependence and freedom, “They all sat still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind was popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about.” All of the characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ whether they are good or bad, they are all victims of the harshness of the time they live in. The two main characters in ‘Of Mice and Men’ are George and Lennie. A feature of the novel is the unlikely relationship between them. It appears that Lennie is totally dependent on George due to his mental immaturity but what Steinbeck added into the relationship was a subtle need of Lennie in George. George relies on Lennie for being there to be company. This is indicated when George admits to Slim “it’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know.” George and Lennie’s desire for their own ranch is their own fantasy, yet it is still a microcosm of the American dream. This microcosm of the American dream is what pulled George and Lennie through their most difficult and adverse moments. This is indicated by the often repeated conversation of which is the habitual communicator between George and Lennie, where George tells Lennie “…guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place…With us it aint like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us… An’ why? Because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” Although for most migrant workers just as for George and Lennie, the reality of their social situation means that the American dream cannot be achieved that their dreams do not reach fruition. Curley’s wife is also an important character. The way she hastily married Curley appears to be a failing attempt to escape from the loneliness ...