John Steinbeck Essay

Introduction The American dream was created by James Truslow Adams in 1931, James Truslow Adams believed that the American dream was of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunities for each according to ability or achievement, the American dream was targeted at poor people who wanted to have a better future, some of the things that might be in the American dream is to have a house with a nice family. In the book’ Of Mice and Men’. The American Dream is everyone has a dream to strive for the better things in life. The poor men and women wish to be their own bosses, and actually have stability in their lives, the poor wanted to have there own homes and have a nice family. But in the 1930’s there weren’t many or even any jobs available for the average everyday people of America. The American dream was for everyone to have a dream, the dream was created in the 1930’s America, and the great depression was caused by the Wall Street crash, because of the crash many people had lost there jobs and were unemployed, any money that would have been saved in there banks, it wasn’t possible for them to take it out because of the wall street crash, the entire banking system had collapsed and a huge number of banks went bust. There where many people staving and illnesses started to flood through out America. The only jobs that people could get where at ranches so there where many migrant farmers going to farm to farm trying to find a job, it was very competitive for them to get a job because every one wanted to make money so the could fill them self’s in the time of the great depression there was a big drought which caused a lot of farms to dry up. All the useable ranches where you could actually get some crops out of where in California. Many rich people had ranches in California so every one who’s ranches where dried out and couldn’t be used they would go to California, but not every one would have got a place because of the overcrowdings. In the story ‘of mice and men’ the two men are also migrant farmers and are in need of a job at a ranch, this is how the ‘of mice and men’ is linked to the great depression. George and Lennie. The relationship between George and Lennie is like a father and son relation ship, in the story lennie is represented like a child because of his disabilities and how he acts. In the story George is always telling off lennie for any thing bad which he does, a quote to represent George telling off lennie is,’ Aw, lennie George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder â€Å", I aint taking it for meanness. ‘ This is showing two things one which is that he’s telling off lennie for something bad what he has done and that at the time of telling him off he’s actually being nice and saying he doesn’t do it for meanness, just like a father would do. Lennie treats George like a father by always listening to him, in the story lennie mimics George’s moves, a quote showing this is, ‘Lennie, who had been watching, imitated George exactly. He pushed himself back, drew up his knees, embraced them, and looked over to George to see whether he had it just right’. This shows that George treats Lennie in a father perspective and thinks of him as a role model. George also gets Frustrated over Lennie when he doesn’t listen and does bad stuff a quote showing this is,† But not us! An’ why? Because†¦ because I got you to look after me and you got me to look after you. † This is showing that if he didn’t have to look after Lennie he would have a better life and George could go to a cat house when ever he wanted to and spend all his money unlike now when he has to save it up for the both of them and try and fulfil there dream as best as possible. Why George keeps Lennie around is because he doesn’t want to be lonely and live his life like all the other migrant farmers which go to cat houses and spend there earned money on useless money, a quote showing this is,† they come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then go into town and blow their stake, and the next thing you know they’re pounding’ their tail on some other ranch. † The quote is showing that other migrant farmers spend all there earning but George has a reason to earn money, the reason being lennie. George likes to have lennie around a quote showing this is. ‘ it’s a lot nicer to go around with a guy you know. † The quote was when George was talking to slim and took out his feelings. George and Lennies dream is to have a house and land and to have many farm animals especially lennie he is really interested in having lots of rabbits to tend and chickens, a quote to show this dream is† All kin’s a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. We’d jus’ live there. We’d belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country and gettin’ fed by a Jap cook. This quote shows that George and lennie want to be free to have what they want when they want, there is no hustle of doing anything they can grow fresh vegetables on the land run around on the fields enjoying themselves and lennie can tend the rabbits which he would be pleased about. As this would be relevant to the 1930s migrant farmers, George and lennie were alone and didn’t have any one to talk to and were quite lonely, a quote to show this is â€Å"but not us! Because†¦.. because I got you to look after me , and you got me to look after you and that’s why† this quote shows that George and lennie were together to look after each other referring to the 1930s many people didn’t travel together and didn’t have the right people to go to if something happened in their lives, referring to the book of mice and men George is always looking after lennie and having to care and see what he is doing where ever he goes, George is a good parent to a lennie he sometimes can get frustrated with lennie but at the same time he doest want to be lonely as he keeps him company. And the interactions he makes towards lennie to make him understand what he is doing. George and Lennies dream didn’t succeed because Lennie was getting into to much trouble, like the time in weed when he started to feel that girls dress, a quote showing the time when Lennie got in trouble was,† well, he seen this girl in a red dress. Dumb bastard like he is, he wants to touch ever’ thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. † This quote shows George getting into trouble because he of his child like behaviour.