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How is the theme of Dreams portrayed in Steinbecks novella Of Mice and MenBy Angus au !" #$%&
'n Of Mice and Men( the theme of dreams play a pivotal role in the construction of the plot and the
shaping of the characters( as it acts as the characters motivation to endure the American Depression and
escape their current lifestyle) *he common American dream was to have freedom and to own a piece of land(
yet there are different interpretations of the dreams for each of the characters in the story) +et( from the title of
the novella( ,Of Mice and Men-( it suggests that no matter how well one plans his.her dream( it will not come
true as a reference to /obert Burns poem ,*o a Mouse-( from which Steinbeck took his title)
As stated in the novella 0eorges dream was to ,get the 1ack- with ennie( ,have a little house and a
couple of acres an a cow and some pigs- and ,live off the fatta the land-) *his dream is the most similar to the
typical American dream that characters have and from the previous 2uotes( we could infer that 0eorge had
planned his dream well and it seemed achievable to the readers) 't is because 0eorge( unlike the other itinerantworkers( has saved up money and we know he doesnt spend it at the cat house) +et( when 0eorge says that
his farm would also include ,red and blue and green rabbits( millions of them- as well as work ,si3( seven hours
a day- for such a big farm and only two people( these details seem a little bit idealistic and might suggest that
the dream will never come true as 0eorge doesnt seem to have considered over eventualities) *his can be also
ascertained in the fairy4tale4like way 0eorge told ennie about their dream) 5e could also infer from 0eorge
being forced to kill ennie( 0eorges dream will never come true as his dream consists of ennies
accompaniment in the utilitarian society where loneliness is prevalent and thus( killing ennie also meant killing
his own dream and this links back to the poem ,*o a mouse-)
ennies dream is similar to 0eorge as it too involves them being together and having the opportunity to
own a ranch and ,live off the fatta the land-) +et( ennies dream also includes him owning rabbits( and this plays
a momentous role( as it is ennies obsession with rabbits that makes him constantly need 0eorges
reassurance to tell him that their dream will come true) *his can be seen from ennies pleading ,6ome on(
0eorge) *ell me #the dream&) 7lease 0eorge( like you done before-) *hrough this( 0eorge is able to control
ennie because if ennie misbehaves( 0eorge only has to threaten him with not letting him own rabbits) *his is
seen throughout the novella when ennie constantly checks whether he can still have the rabbits with 0eorge
after he has done something wrong( ,' didnt want no trouble8 ' can still tend the rabbits( 0eorge9 ))) ' didnt
mean no harm( 0eorge-) 5e can infer from this that it is the desperation of keeping the dream that causes
ennie to panic when 6urleys wife started yelling at ennie in section : when he was going to ,mess up her
hair-) Because of his fright at the noise and his fear that 0eorge will not allow him his dream because of it(
ennie tries to muffle 6urleys wifes screams by covering her mouth and holding tighter and tighter to her hair
as he did not want 0eorge to blame him for interacting with the ,1ail bait-) ennies actions are all due to his blind
pursuit of his dream) *he destructive nature of the dream is further proved when the gigantic rabbit that
appeared in ennies mind #in section ;& suggests that ennies dreams would go against him( and 0eorge
would leave him) *his we understand to be ennies conscience)
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ike ennie( 6urleys wife also blindly pursues her dream to be noticed and appreciated) *hus( due to
her desperation( she believes the lie that the man she ,went out to the /iverside Dance 7alace with- said that
he was ,gonna put me #her& in the movies) Said ' was a natural) Soons he get back to Hollywood he was gonna
write to me about it)- +et( the blind pursuit of her dream bunded her senses 1ust because the man ,gonna put me
in the movies-) 5hen this doesnt happen( she then marries 6urley in the hope that he would give herappreciation e lacks) However( this backfires( as she becomes unimportant to him( to the e3tent that she did not
even have a name( and she believes he ,aint a nice fella-) *his means that the only way for her to achieve her
dream was to attract other men on the ranch and ennie is the only one naive enough to talk to her) im for too long- when 6arlson
suggested shooting his dog and the fact that he does not buy a piece of land even if he had the funds) 5hen he
finally convinced 0eorge to let him share his and ennies dream with him( it seemed that his contribution
makes the dream close to realisation( yet it is shattered when 0eorge had to kill ennie in Section ;( as seen
from ,*hen ? its all off9- after 6andy ,spoke his greatest fear-) *his shows that a dream is empty if it is not
shared with someone)
@nlike the other characters( 6rooks( the most intelligent character of the novella( has the most realistic(and almost cynical view about the American dream) As he had been on the ranch long enough to see that the
dream never comes true for the itinerant workers( and his own e3perience as his American dream when he was
young was taken off him 1ust because he was black) 'n the novella( it states ,' never seen a guy really do it8
ever time a whore house or a black1ack game took what it takes-) However( 6rooks does let himself believe for
a short time that the dream is possible due to 0eorges great plan( 6andys money and the chance to be
accepted in a group) 5e could see that this is very similar to what 6andy dreams of( as they are both impaired
individuals and are separated from others in the society) *his is seen when 6urleys wife enters and reminds him
to ,keep your place then( =igger-( and the fact that she ,could get you strung up a tree so 2uickly it aint even
funny-( shows that he is both physically and socially separated from the others again)
6urley presents a different view of the American dream as it typically consists of a ranch( freedom and a
wife) +et( he is still not satisfied with it and wants to gain respect form the ranch workers( primarily by beating up
big guys to prove that he is strong) *his indicates that people will always want more even when they have
achieved something and that it is only the process of pursuing the dream that is important but not the outcome)
*his may also be the foreshadowing of the sad ending of this novella( when 0eorge has to kill ennie out of
love( destroying his dream with him)
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rom the description of all the characters dreams( Steinbeck has illustrated the importance of the
dreams to the itinerant workers in the utilitarian environment( as it is their only way of having purpose in their
lives and carrying on the hardship of the time) On the other hand( Steinbeck has also stated that a dream has to
be controlled( and when it is put as first priority and importance over everything else( it could lead to problems(
as the process becomes a blind pursuit) Steinbeck also wants to state that the line in ,*o a Mouse- is true asthere is nothing that can guarantee that the American dream will become a reality( even with great planning and
the fact that it is only the process of the pursuit of a dream that is important but not the outcome)
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