Utopia In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Utopia “The American Dream…will remain only our dream and never be our destiny” (Williamson1). This proves true in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men in which the characters George, Lennie, Candy, and Crooks find retreat from their harsh life by the dream that one day they will buy a few acres of land on which they will grow their own food and have their own livestock. This idea completely entices the characters because the possibility of a free, tranquil life brings hope for the future, a light at the end of the long and dark tunnel. Throughout the novel Crooks, George, Lennie, and Candy imagine the farm as a place of freedom and security; however, their dream of utopia proves to be impossible to reach and through these characters, Steinbeck suggests that it is also impossible to reach in reality.…show more content…
This is nothing more than a dream to the men because throughout life on the ranch they are anything but free. Their lives are dictated by their boss down to when they wake up, work, and eat; however, when they own the farm they will move into the driver’s seat of their lives and be free to determine what they want to do and when they want to do it. Like, when George says to Lennie and Candy, “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing.” … “We’d just go to her;” …“We wouldn’t ask anybody if we could. Jus’ say, ‘We’ll go to her,’ an’ we would. Jus’ milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an’ go to her” (Steinbeck61). To the modern day reader this does not seem like much because they are used to such freedoms; however, in the 1930’s for the men working on a ranch it was nothing but their most treasured desire. To George, Lennie, Candy, and Crook the farm was their ticket to a paradise for men who want to be masters of their own
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