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George And Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Of Mice and Men Essay Of Mice and Men is a classic American novel that addresses many topics including discrimination, disability, and the American dream. Several topics that were potentially controversial at the time. Each character in the story has something that holds them back or limits them in some way. This holds them back from completing their goals or achieving their dreams. The two main characters George and Lennie are an exemplary representation of this. George is an average man who looks out for Lennie, a very large man with the mind of a child who is unaware of his tremendous strength. They consistently move from ranch to ranch in search of work because Lennie continues to get in trouble somehow. Lennie enjoys petting soft things …show more content…
He overhears their dream and would enjoy accompanying them and supporting them. In chapter 3 Candy says, “‘Tha’s three hundred, and I got fifty more comin’ the end of the month. Tell you what----’ He leaned forward eagerly. ‘S’pose I went in with you guys’”(Steinbeck 59). Candy has three hundred and fifty dollars that he is willing to provide for the dream, if he can come live there as well even though he isn't a great deal of help. He does this because he is very lonely and getting older, so he concludes that he will be fired soon. Due to Candys generous endorsement their dream probably could've actually become a …show more content…
Back then the dream was based on happiness and freedom, but now it is more about college and providing for your family. In the article Teenagers are Losing Confidence in the American Dream it states,“‘The American Dream 2.0.’‘In this version of the American Dream, anyone can go to college IF they have the resources, are ok about going into debt, can somehow get the coveted scholarship, are willing to go to community college, or come from a family of means’”(Pinsker). This is a saddening fact, because it's all about money now, and not about being happy or satisfied or not. In the novel, Lennie was the main supporter of the dream and the dream was sort of created because of him due to the fact that he liked to pet the rabbits and George wanted to provide that for him. Once Lennie is dead, the dream also dies. This is because there is no use in trying to make the dream happen anymore. The experience of the ranch and the freedom was mostly for Lennie because he would get them into trouble on ranches and society would judge him because of his disability. George is satisfied enough with working on a ranch and not achieving the dream, it may even make him depressed to think about the dream because of what happened to

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