Of Mice & Men: George's Dream

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Of Mice and Men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, is a piece of literature containing multiple characters’ personal perceptions of the American Dream and how each of their dreams are not fulfilled throughout the story. One of the novel’s main characters is George Milton. George’s perception of the American Dream is to be his own boss, pursuing an independent lifestyle free of running from trouble. George works hard throughout the novel trying desperately to attain his dream, though he never achieves it. The majority of complications that restrict George from achieving his ultimate goal originate from his mentally challenged companion, Lennie Smalls, who repetitively gets them into trouble. Ironically, Lennie is also responsible for the conception, motivation, and death of George’s dream. Without Lennie, the dream cannot be completed. George is a hardworking man who not only takes care of himself, but also his companion Lennie Smalls. Lennie, being mentally slow, gets himself and George into trouble countlessly causing them to run from place to place in an attempt to escape the repercussions of Lennie’s actions. On page 11, George tells Lennie the trouble he causes; “ ‘You can’t even keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.’ ” George starts getting sick and tired of having to run place to place just to end up somewhere where they will be told what to do, and where Lennie will get into more trouble. George’s vexation with this never-ending dilemma, caused by Lennie, leads George to fabricate a dream of Lennie and himself living off their own land without anyone to tell them what to do, as stated on pages 57 and 58; “ ‘We’d jus’ live there. We’d belong there. There wouldn’t be no more runnin’ round the country … we’d

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