Of Mice and Men

Many people are determined to keep their dreams within their sight, but there are several obstacles and troubles that can prevent these dreams from becoming a reality. Despite this fact, when people unite as a family and become each other’s “keeper,” they become stronger as one. Together, they can pursue their dreams and stay at each other’s side. During the Great Depression, people who had money could live a carefree lifestyle, but many diligent laborers were lost in reverie, hoping that one day they will “live off the fatta the lan’.” Alas, many dreams go awry. In Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, the actions and decisions of George, Lennie, and Curley’s wife illustrated that reaching your dreams can be an unpredictable journey.

Within the novel, there were many examples of different obstacles that the characters had to face. George Milton had taken on the burden of being responsible for Lennie. One quote that showed the frustration of George is, “‘I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Just’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time.’” (Pg.11) Whenever George and Lennie were able to find jobs, Lennie seemed to unintentionally instigate trouble, and they were fired or had to run away from that current job. If George and Lennie were able to stay within one location, they would have most likely been able to accumulate enough money to acquire a place of their own. But, George was upset that he was trapped in an unpredictable cycle of having to always find a new job. Furthermore, near the end of the novel, George made a consequential decision to kill Lennie; it was a very shocking, yet a responsible decision. George knew that Lennie was a threat to others, and by that time it was too late to abscond. George did not yell at Lennie for doing a bad deed, but instead, he illustrated their dream once more. It was a vivid dream that was once within their grasp; but now, they had to let go. This incident was the most significant part of the story because it demonstrated how quickly dreams can go awry.

An additional example of how dreams are unpredictable is depicted through the life of Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife wanted to become an actress, but never fulfilled her dreams. She blamed her “ol’ lady” for taking away her chance. A quote that illustrates how much Curley wants to be an actress is, “‘Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes- all them nice clothes they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels,