When growing up, parents repeatedly tell their children to dream and work towards their dreams. Rapper LL Cool J has said, “Stay focused, go after your dreams and keep moving toward your goals. ” He, like parents and others who care, want to see individuals succeed. More specifically, they want them to succeed in something they feel joy in. Sometimes dreams can be far out of reach, but that just means one has to that much harder. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, many of the characters have dreams. They range from becoming a celebrity, to owning a farm, to even having someone special in their life.
In the story, each and every one of the characters works hard towards their dreams. Lennie and George are probably the two characters who work the hardest toward their dreams of owning a farm. Curley’s wife’s dream of being famous and rich takes a shortcut, and Crook is still working towards his dream of having someone special to share his life with. No one knows what will happen in the future, but John Steinbeck reveals that by believing, following, and working hard towards one’s dreams, they may become more achievable.
Through characterization, Steinbeck allows the reader to learn about the dream Curley’s wife inherits and the type of person she is. Curley’s wife has a dream very similar to others. She wants to be an actress. A dream that is not as easily obtainable as others, but still achievable. Sometimes, one just has to dream big before reality catches up to you. You have to see that your dream may not be as easy to retrieve as you think. Her dream is not to just be an actress, though. She wants to live a big life. She wants the fame and money that comes with being an actress. Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes- all them nice clothes like they wear. An’ I coulda sat in them big hotels, an’ had pitchers took of me” (Steinbeck 89). Curley’s wife is dreaming for the money and the glamour. Although she may not have made it to being an actress, she does have the money. Curley is the boss’s son and has money. When his father dies he will be the one to inherit all his money and investments. Curley has the big bucks, more money than could ever be imagined, exactly what she is looking for.
That is what makes Curley the right fit for her, “She dreamed of being an actress, of sweeping Hollywood, but one curly came along he simply represented a scape, and that was better than nothing” (Timmerman 107). Her dream of becoming an actress may not have come true, but her dream of money and glamour is not completely out of reach. She found someone that could potentially provide all of that for her. The use of an idiom in Of Mice and Men gives a true insight of what George and Lennie dream of the most.
Both characters share the same dream. They want to go and work for themselves, but as a pair. They want to live the American Dream and have their own farm, “An’ live off the fatta the land” (Steinbeck 14). Everyone has a different dream, but the American Dream is specifically living independently off what the land provides for them. They want to stop working for others and taking their orders. They want to work for themselves and make their own rules, their own deadlines, their own life.
Many agree with the American Dream and how one must work to get there, “Perhaps the best-known fictional articulation of the American dream occurs in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1937), in which the protagonist, George, repeatedly reminds his friend Lennie that one day they will stop working for another man, buy their own house, raise their own livestock, and “live off the fat of the land”” (Werlock). Werlock talks about how George continuously reminds Lennie of their dream and final goal.
Him repeating this is set to be motivation so he can continue to work in the right direction to achieve their dream. Having a dream can really make someone work harder than ever because they want to get what they want. Especially, a dream that is shared with someone else, that can really be a motivation. Also, when that friend is there to repeatedly remind you of that dream it makes it that more motivating to achieve it because you do not want to let your friend down. The characterization that Steinbeck uses for Crooks shows that he dreams of having someone special in his life.
Crooks is very much discriminated by the others on the farm. He is not even allowed in the bunkhouse. In fact, he has his very own place to live. Crooks is all by himself, with no one supporting him. He feels very lonely, “A guy needs somebody-to be near him… A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody” (Steinbeck 36). He wants someone that he can spend time and share his life with. Whether that be a significant other or even just a really close and special friend, Crooks needs and wants someone else in his life. Having someone else in life that knows everything important.
It allows comfort for one and allows memories. Not everyone is lucky enough to have that someone special, but they are able to dream. That may be why some people happen to have imaginary friends. They are basically their someone special because no one else is willing to be that for them. When George and Lennie arrive, Crooks finds a chance at having a friend, “Echoing George’s remarks about the psychological effects of constant loneliness, Crooks complains bitterly to Lennie” (Meyer 99). With no one to talk to and no one to spend time with, he is constantly all alone.
When George and Lennie show up, he feels that it is his opportunity to make friends and he takes a chance by reaching out to them. Maybe they will be the ones to be there with Crooks every step of the way. Personification is incorporated into John Steinbeck’s writing to show that dreams, unfortunately, do not always come true. Sometimes people get lucky and theirs come true. Other times, people are not so lucky and are in fact disappointed with the outcome. Dreams, at times, are just meant for the mind and not reality.
Everyone has a dream that they want to come true more than anything in the world, “... a moment settled and hovered and remained for much more than a moment. And sound stopped and movement stopped for much, much more than a moment” (Steinbeck 93). Is that not the point of dreaming? To go for whatever you want most in life. To really be able to push yourself to get where you want to be. However, not everyone is lucky enough to work so hard and actually succeed. Many times people push themselves, but it does not pay off in the end.
Not everyone is fortunate enough to achieve their biggest hopes and dreams. Sometimes, they just have to face and live with reality and what has been handed to them. They just have to keep their dreams separate from the real world, “The point, of course, is that they all- we all- live in a too limited world, a world in which not all our dreams can come true” (Kean 390). Things not happening the way they are thought to or wanted to happen is all a part of life. People cannot always get what they want. Dreams do not always come true.
Sometimes one just has to go with the flow and what is put in front of them. Dreams are something that just about everyone experiences in life. They are not always realistic, but that is the point of dreaming. People can dream of being famous, rich, finding someone special, or even just getting the job they have always wanted. Crooks wants to find that special someone, Curley’s wife wants to be a rich actress, Lennie and George want to be their own bosses and own a farm. Everyone had their own dreams and goals that they wanted for themselves. However, not everyone is able to achieve their dreams.
Curley’s wife was never able to become an actress; however, her dream of being rich is not out of the picture. Lennie is not able to reach his goal of owning a business with his friend, George. Dreams are made to be both achieved and to be crushed. Not everyone can get so lucky as to get all their dreams to come true. If someone is lucky enough to have that happen to them, it must be a fairytale. So next time you are dreaming about your future, do not be afraid to dream too big. Also, do not be surprised if that dream does not come true. There is a reason that everything happens, so go with the flow.
