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In Of Mice & Men, the American Dream is to simply have a place is establish roots, to find a place to belong. Placing in his book in California, USA in the mid-1930’s of the Depression, Steinbeck tells the story of the harsh realities of life for poor unskilled workers displaced by the Depression – a period of economic decline and high unemployment in Western industrialised nations. Of Mice and Men, tells a story about the nature of human dreams and aspirations and the forces that work against them. Here we see the American Dream though unattainable, as a form of motivation, providing meaning and hope, energising people even if it is futile. Humans give meaning to their lives—and to their futures—by creating dreams. In Chapter 1, the two protagonists George and Lennie are introduced and their vision of the American Dream is established. Revealed is the longing feeling associated with the dream in a life of great loneliness and deprivation of company and friendship. Both men are ranch workers and have not known a better life and thus they create for themselves a vision for their future, “…we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs…” In fact, repeating the telling of the story, it becomes almost a ritual between the two men, George providing the narrative and Lennie, who occasionally finishes George’s sentences. For most of the characters in Of Mice & Men, achieving the American Dream, represents independence, security, a place of self-respect and acceptance. For each of them, human dignity is a integral part of the dream .

Having and sharing the dream, however, are not enough to achieve the dream. Each man must make a sacrifice or battle some other force that seeks, intentionally or not, to steal the dream away. Initially, we see that though the obstacles are difficult, they are not impossible to overcome. These are such as, staying out of trouble, not spending money on liquor, and working at a ranch long enough to...