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The American Dream In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Decent Essays

In the lowest point of the Great Depression, about 15 million Americans were left unemployed by the stock market crash of October 1929 (History). The severe worldwide economic depression influenced John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. The novella focuses on the life of two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, having formed a makeshift family of protection and support in an era of loneliness. The two laborers become employed on a ranch in the Salinas Valley, a chance to achieve their American dream of owning a ranch, but Lennie’s mental disability leads to the death of the Curley’s Wife’s and consequently, Lennie’s own death at the hands of George. With the death of Lennie, their American Dream is lost. The American Dream is hope for better and prosperity but doesn’t often happen because of social issues. In Steinbeck’s novella, each character represents a societal issue whether it is racial or gender. Steinbeck evokes the pain and broken dream in demonstrating the American Dream fails minorities due to their treatment by eliminating opportunities. In examining the failure of American Dream for minorities because of their treatment, the forefront minority figure in the story is Lennie Small, who is challenged by his mental disability. Throughout the novel, he is often described as ‘jes like a kid” (Steinbeck 43) and his actions showcase his inability to understand societal norms and reason. On page 40, George tells Slim the story about how Lennie almost drowned in

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