The Impossible American Dream

John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men mirrors the Great Depression Era through the agribusiness of the 1930 California farm. The Depression was a day and age of hardship as the share trading system had slammed. During the 1930s, after the crumple of money markets, there was an expanded joblessness rate and chapter 11. As indicated by Ramesh (2010), creator of ‘Prejudice and the American Dream in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.’ She says, ‘The ranchers were driven from their home by dry season, financial hardships and changes in the agribusiness and industry.’ Because of expanded joblessness rate, the consequence of Great gloom exhibited a boundary for individuals to achieve their American dream.

Individuals were ceaselessly striving to pick up their objectives in anticipation of abiding a superior life. They trusted that their fantasy would work out at the same time, truly dreams are not constantly achievable. In of Mice and Men, Steinbeck depicts the lives of two foreigner laborers, George Milton and Lennie Small. George is a ‘little and speedy, dull of face, with fretful eyes and sharp, solid highlights’ (Steinbeck 2). Conversely, Lennie is an ‘enormous man, shape-less of face, with expansive, with wide, slopping shoulders’ (Steinbeck 2). They moved to various farms in Soledad, California looking for openings for work amid the Great Depression. In this novel, George Milton and Lennie Small, Crooks, and Curley’s significant other uncover particular attributes and identities, yet they all have a similar energy of achieving the American dream. Steinbeck utilizes George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s better half to portray the inconceivability of the American dream.

George and Lennie’s fantasy of sharing a homestead together isn’t conceivable because of Lennie’s incapacity. In light of his psychological instability, Lennie is dependent on George for everything. In Accordance to Owens (1998), creator of ‘John Steinbeck’s Re-Vision of America’, George and Lennie were not the same as whatever remains of the specialists in view of their mutual dream of ‘a few sections of land.’ They both like to be autonomous and carry on with an uncommon way of life yet they are in no situation to get it going since they have no control of their own lives. In spite of that reality George says ‘Folks like us, that chip away at farms, are the loneliest folks on the planet. They got no family. They don’t have a place no place’ (Steinbeck 13). They require each other not just to fulfill their fantasy yet for camaraderie. Notwithstanding that he says, ‘O.K. Sometime in the not so distant future – we’re going to get the jack together and we’re going to have a little house and two or three sections of land in’ a dairy animals and a few pigs. (Steinbeck 13). Steinbeck uncovers how doubtful is for George and Lennie to accomplish the fantasy by the manner in which they continue discussing it

The incredible misery added to the difficulty of George and Lennie’s fantasy. Ramesha (2010) says, ‘America was all the while enduring the terrible fallout of the Depression.’ The ruin of the Great Depression influenced many individuals as it kept them from accomplishing the fantasy because of the conditions they were living in. In addition, Lennie’s passing demonstrates the downfall of their American dream. He closes back where he begins, more remote far from dream as he was at the outset.

George realized the fantasy was destined to flop as he says, ‘¨I think I knowed from the simple first. I think I knowed we’d never do that¨ (Steinbeck 10). George and Lennie never cultivated their fantasy, however the fantasy holds an amazing fellowship together. Their fantasy is just genuine in their creative abilities, and it is the thing that keeps them alive and confident regardless of whether life never enables them to accomplish it. Regardless of how hard they functioned, all that they did was gainful to other people. Steinbeck outlines that buckling down won’t enable a person to make the monetary progress or enthusiastic satisfaction they want. At last the fantasy was as yet unattainable as they never had a place to call home.

Moreover, Crooks repudiates the American dream in view of his character and he understands that he won’t be equipped for accomplishing it. Hoodlums, the Black stable hand with a curved back and appropriately harsh point of view on the White world encompassing him. (Owens 321). Law breakers is the main dark person on the homestead and he isn’t permitted to go into the bunkhouse. He wishes to have opportunity and correspondence among White individuals, however his skin-shading detaches him from whatever is left of the laborers. Back in the days, African Americans were looked downward on and not acknowledged in the public eye. Law breakers personality was the reason he was separated, and Steinbeck utilizes him to uncover the isolation that occurred amid the Great Depression.Crooks realizes that ¨Nobody never gets to paradise, and no one gets no land. It’s simply in their head¨ (Steinbeck 70). He took in the most difficult way possible that the dreams of accomplishing the fantasy will exclusively be a picture, as his race keeps him away from achieving it.

In like manner, Curley’s significant other absence of personality added to the unattainability of the American dream. Steinbeck utilizes Curley’s significant other to indicate how ladies were not seen as a man yet rather a property amid the1930s. Ladies were treated as mediocre compared to men, they were qualified for less and anticipated that would remain at home. Curley’s better half is the main female on the farm, and she is anonymous. She went to the ranch having confidence in accomplishing her fantasy simply like every other person as she says, ‘I wasn’t going to remain no place where I couldn’t get no place or make a big deal about myself’ (Steinbeck 84). Curley’s significant other energy was to be a performer yet society kept her from accomplishing her fantasy since ladies were dealt with unequally, and not held to elevated requirements

Steinbeck demonstrates the unattainability of with Curley’s better half as a result of her character and uses the impression of the Depression to demonstrate that it was difficult to accomplish that fantasy.

All in all, the Great sorrow made it inconceivable for individuals to achieve their fantasy. Amid this catastrophe, a large number of Americans lost their home and positions. Individuals were being abused on account of their race, and shading. Steinbeck utilized the characters in this novella to demonstrate the battles of the Great Depression, and the imbalances that happened, for example, prejudice and separation. The character’s dreams of the American dream helped them get past the cruel truth of the Depression. George and Lennie did not accomplish their fantasy in light of Lennie’s dysfunctional behavior, which was something he couldn’t avert and had more to do with the conditions he was placed in. Hooligans and Curley’s significant other character made it harder for them to achieve their objective as they were separated as a result of their race and sexual orientation. Criminals was the main African American men on the homestead, he was confined and did not achieve the fantasy on account of his skin-shading. Curley’s better half was looked down up for being a ladies, and the general public was a deterrent that prevented her from accomplishing the fantasy.

Generally speaking, every one of the characters longed for clean joy and the opportunity to pursue their own wants however they all wound up where they began, with a fantasy a long way from reach. In this way, recommending Steinbeck’s motivation of exhibiting the American Dream as being difficult to accomplish.

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The Impossible American Dream. (2021, Jun 13). Retrieved April 19, 2024 , from
https://supremestudy.com/the-impossible-american-dream/

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