Of Mice and Men: Compare ‘The American Dream’ with the real lives of the migrant workers Essay

Of Mice and Men (OMaM) was first published in 1937 and is written by John Steinbeck. It is based on America in the 1930’s. It is a story about the extraordinary friendship between two itinerant workers in the harsh American depression during the 1930’s. The title of the novel is named after a poem written by Burns. The title shows how many living things are often powerless to face greater forces than they are. The title is a constant reminder that failure is often inescapable and dreams are not fulfiled as we build up our hopes so high picturing these and when everything collapses, we have nothing to fall back on. This is shown with George in the novel as, with the death of Lennie, all of his original dreams fall away. The American dream is the notion that: â€Å"everyone is created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness†. The novel focuses on two workers called Lennie and George who are looking for work and find it in a typical American ranch full of fellow itinerant workers. The ‘American Dream’ is present in the story and at the time, it was felt, and promised by president Hoover, that a man or woman from anywhere could achieve anything, however, the weaknesses of the dream itself are highlighted in the novel. Despite this, there was still racial segregation in society and this is also demonstrated in the story with a character called Crooks. He is insulted constantly and is called â€Å"nigger† throughout by the other people on the ranch. During the Wall Street crash in 1929, the great depression swept all through America and Steinbeck highlights this throughout the novel. The lifestyle of the itinerants is an example of this as they just go to the â€Å"cathouse† and spend all of their earnings as soon as they have it. This symbolizes the lack of hope in the American dream from the ranch workers as, they just carelessly spend their money as soon as they receive this instead of saving it for the future. The novel starts with a detailed description of the surroundings. The writing suggests that Soledad is dream-like with very dry but lush conditions. â€Å"the water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every spring† Although this sounds very heavenly, the word Soledad means ‘loneliness’ in Spanish however this contrasts with the happiness of family life (â€Å"a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pools†) which would be characteristic of the â€Å"American dream’. When Lennie and George enter, it is obvious that they are both completely different and â€Å"opposite†. The reader has the impression that Lennie is quite animal-like as throughout the novel he is described with animal phases â€Å"the way a bear drags him paws† and with ‘clumsy’ language like â€Å"huge†, â€Å"flung† and â€Å"snorting†. Despite this clear contrast, the pair still share everything together, â€Å"bought out two spoons and passed one to Lennie† – referring to George which highlights the concept of the American dream and the search for happiness. From the beginning, the reader is aware of George and Lennie’s dream and living â€Å"off the fatta the lan'†. For the pair, the dream is still very much alive and is repeated over and over until, towards the end, it becomes very monotonous and it becomes a burden to George. George has his own dreams but the dream with Lennie is the only one which is truly idyllic because it’s impossible. The ranch owners manipulated desperate workers like George and Lennie so, like George and Lennie, quite a lot of ranch workers have dreams like Candy for example â€Å"I’d make a will an’ leave it with you guys†¦.† Unlike the other workers, who have got into a routine of earning their money then spending it straight away with no hope of achieving anything, Lennie and George dream of a better life as they don’t want to keep working on ranches until they die. It keeps George and Lennie going through the tough times and as they tell more people about it, it affects them and gives them hope – Candy and Crooks. At first Crooks rejects the dream and also links it to religion which, like the dream, has no foundation. He has never really experienced true happiness as he has never been shown it so he is unable to truly believe in the dream as it depends on happiness. Although the dream doesn’t last very long with him, Crooks shows some hope as he offers his services on the farm and says thing â€Å"dreamily†. Although, he returns to being defensive when the dream is squashed and becomes â€Å"scornful†. Crooks is oppressed, like his feelings. The powerlessness and loneliness of people like Crooks is shown in Chapter four because of their lack of involvement from socialising with the other workers. To him, there is no dream. He has no hope of ever achieving anything as he is badly discriminated against. Like I said above, all the other workers call him â€Å"nigger† quite casually and repetitively. Crooks lives in a separate compartment in the barn and is alone. For him, there is no hope of the dream as he is always isolated – being alone all the time from everyone and also, as he says in the text, there are no ‘black’ families near. Because of this, when he first meets Lennie he is hostile and torments him because thats how he has always been treated. He starts by calling Lennie â€Å"nuts† and â€Å"crazy as a wedge† but it is only when he begins to create situations with George that Lennie begins to get angry, fearing for George’s safety, that Crooks stops and talks less cynically again. This is also an indication of Lennie’s strength as, even though Crooks doesn’t know him, he stopped tormenting him when he began to get angry. â€Å"†Who hurt George?† he demanded. Crooks saw the danger as it approached him. He edged back on his bunk to get out of the way. â€Å"I was just supposin’,† he said. â€Å"George ain’t hurt. He’s all right. He’ll be back all right.† Lennie stood over him. â€Å"What you supposin’ for? Ain’t nobody goin’ to suppose no hurt to George. Crooks removed his glasses and wiped his eyes with his fingers. â€Å"Jus’t set down,† he said â€Å"George ain’t hurt†.† Also, the way that all his possessions and where he lives is separate from everyone else, as well as showing social segregation, shows that he is nothing like the other men. All the other men on the ranch have to share rooms and are very close to one and other whereas Crooks has his own room with his own things in it. Although this can be seen to be a good thing, it’s another dividing barrier between all of the workers and Crooks. Because it is his own, he looks after it and it shows that he is â€Å"a proud, aloof man† whose eyes seem â€Å"to glitter with intensity†. This signifies that his dreams might be completely different from all the other ranch men because he will not share the same beliefs as the other men. All of his possessions show what type of person he is; practical, active. This is show by â€Å"rubber boots† and â€Å"big alarm clock†. In the novel, it says how he has a â€Å"tattered dictionary† and a â€Å"mauled copy of the Californian Civil Code for 1905†. This shows that he reads quite a lot as the books are â€Å"mauled† and â€Å"tattered† which shows that he has a good mind. Also, the fact that he has lots of tools shows that he’s quite capable with his hands and that he’s very skilled. For example, when it says about him winning the horseshoe game. The dream for Crooks would therefore be well thought of and maybe slightly more realistic. Since Crooks has been a constant victim of prejudice, he is even more likely to realise that the dream will not be fulfilled. Crooks is also proved in the novel to be a survivor but the fact of the matter is that he has no real power on the ranch. Although hope is not truly apparent in the novel, Slim is the closest character who shows that way inclined. In the novel he is suggested to be quite majestic and quite â€Å"Godlike†. An example of this is the way that he is allowed into the boss’ shed without having to ask. As the workers there have no real family that they see very often, if at all. Slim is the closest person they have to a family member. He is seen by the ranch members as kind and comforting and is trusted. The way that he had the ‘final say’ in the decision with Candy’s dog is an indication of this. He also seems to be apparent at all of the key moments in the novel. As well as being there for Candy’s dog, he sorts everything out when Curley has his hand broken and he says that Lennie â€Å"I guess we gotta get ‘im.† His intelligence was also highlighted as he knew about Lennie’s death and was the only one to comfort him. The way that such a nice person is caught in such a harsh climate is there to highlight the dream and perhaps its failure. Unlike all of the other workers, he seems content with his current position in the ranch. It seems like he has taken in his current situation and has realised that fulfilling a dream would be very hard if not impossible. He offers security and kindness in such a harsh depression. Slim symbolises a dream that is different from the American dream; he offers a dream not based on basic desire or greed that so many people show. As it states in the text â€Å"the prince of the ranch†. The word â€Å"prince† automatically symbolises someone who has a lot of authority and is respected, like Slim. Also, Slim is the only person that Curley’s wife addresses by name. This is another indication of respect shown by everyone. Slim is also different from all the other men; not only because he believes in a different dream but also because of the way he is. We’re told, â€Å"his slow speech had overtones not of thought, but of understanding beyond thought.† No other person in the whole ranch perhaps the boss (but only because he is a position of power) has this type of authority and respect shown by all of the other workers on the ranch. There is a lack of hope throughout the whole novel but this is mostly identified by the meager surroundings. For instance, the room they stay in is bland and quite prison-like. â€Å"Inside, the walls were white washed and the floor unpainted. In three walls there were small square windows and in the fourth, a solid door with a wooden latch. Against the walls were eight bunks.† A dream incorporates freedom and rights but this doesn’t represent freedom. Everything is as cheap as it could be and there is no real individualism. The door is described as â€Å"solid† is symbolic of prison and conditions in captivity. Also, in Chapter 2, it highlights the lack of freedom as there are quite a lot of regulations involved in their work. For example â€Å"You got your work slips?† For George and Lennie, their dream is quite real, especially to Lennie, because they constantly repeat it and make it real. They go through it quite often and in great detail. â€Å"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 an’ live of the fatta the lan'†. Because of the repetitiveness of their dream, it becomes real in their minds. However, if they were realistic and looked at how much they were earning and where they were, they would be able to see that obtaining this dream would be very difficult. When Candy over-hears their plans for the farm he wants to be included in the dream and offers his money and his services to help them achieve the dream. This is probably the most optimistic part of the book and the idea becomes more real as they agree to buy the farm when they have George and Lennie’s wages at the end of the month. All of them believe it’s a good idea and perhaps for the first time, George truly believes it as he can see a way out; its not just for Lennie. In the text Lennie is described as being like a bear â€Å"he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws†. Lennie can also identify with animals as he seems to befriend them before humans. He also loves cuddly animals to â€Å"pet† in his pocket. Therefore, the dream for Lennie will be animal based and quite simple, like his thinking, hence, the rabbits. Slim calls him â€Å"cukoo† and â€Å"crazy† as well as Curley’s wife calling him a â€Å"dum-dum†. Because of this, he wouldn’t last a week by himself without George and is reliant on him. Lennie is very kind and doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Even after his fight with Curley he says that he â€Å"didn’t wanta hurt him†. This shows that although he is the most destructive person in the novel, he doesn’t mean it. Despite this, Lennie is still a killer and can be very violent and dangerous. In the novel, he attacks Curley, Culey’s wife, kills mice and throws his dead pup onto the barn floor in anger. However, he doesn’t do it maliciously but like George said â€Å"he don’t know no rules†. He doesn’t want to kill Curley’s wife, he was trying to get her to be quiet. In his dream, he wants to â€Å"look after† the rabbits and keep them safe which indicates his kindness but he probably wouldn’t be able to behave like that. When Lennie goes into Crooks’ room, the light that he sees could be a glimmer of hope for the future however, when Curley’s wife appears, the hope is extinguished. Curley’s wife is the only woman on the ranch and because of this, Lennie is dazzled by her glamour and beauty. She also says that she knows about men (â€Å"mutts†) and she knows all about their need for dreams. Lennie is also quite childlike and is very innocent. He asks quite a few innocent questions and even Slim can tell he â€Å"ain’t mean†. He takes orders from George like a child but he also obeys Slim as well. This shows that he doesn’t want to disobey anyone or do anything wrong. For Lennie the dream is very real and all the way through the novel it stays like that as when he is shot, he is looking into the distance and comes closer than anyone to obtaining the dream because he is truly happy. Owing to overall cycle of events in the novel, the dream never seems likely as life does not move on; it just repeats itself. For example, there is the death of the mouse, then the pup and finally Curley’s wife. This is partly because of Lennie and his obsession with petting and stroking, the death of Candy’s dog because of its age and the pain it was in and at the end of the novel, the death of Lennie also a mercy killing. At the beginning of the novel, we saw a water snake and at the end this is repeated however, at the end, a heron â€Å"swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically†. This shows a cycle with beginning and an end – the death of the snake representing an end. In George and Lennie’s relationship, George is very much in control. If Lennie wasn’t there, he would have few problems and he has no other ties, except for Lennie. It states that he is â€Å"small†, â€Å"quick† and â€Å"dark of face, with restless eyes, and sharp, strong features† and has â€Å"small strong hands† and â€Å"slender arms†. The fact that he is still with Lennie shows he is very loyal to Aunt Clara and has obviously developed a friendship with Lennie unlike any other. However, George also has quite strong mood swings. At the beginning, he was quite unhappy as he and Lennie had jus fled from Weed but once they sat down and he could go to sleep, he could relax and perhaps dream. Like George’s moods, his dreams will change as well. When George says â€Å"I got to thinking that maybe we would would† it shows that by killing Lennie, he extinguished all hopes of ever achieving the dream. Therefore, by killing Lennie, he commits himself to living the life of a single man and perhaps never being truly happy. The dream does this to quite a lot of people and as they begin to take in the circumstances and realise the truth, the dream disappears. In conclusion, it is clear that Steinbeck was very thoughtful in writing the novel and he brings into question the foundations of the American society, including the American dream and how if affected itinerant workers like George and Lennie. In the novel, nature is made to appear idyllic and beautiful. This is represented in the beginning of the book as where Lennie and George are staying there is no bunkhouse, no work, no decisions and no problems. The water is said to be â€Å"twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight†. This sounds wonderful however, George warns Lennie that the water is â€Å"scummy†. Also, the way the water snake is eaten by the heron, shows survival of the fittest. Also, Lennie says he will live in a cave however, he probably couldn’t survive in the wild if he was given the chance. Nature both starts and ends the novel; it starts by the pool with life and dreams and ends, by the pool, but with death and the collapse of dreams. The language in the novel isn’t very complicated however it shows how itinerant workers may sound â€Å"dumb† but they are actually quite clever. For example, Crooks reads a lawyer book but his language includes â€Å"I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to†. Like the novel, there is a background message that isn’t apparent without cross-examintaion.