Of mice and men Do you wish a different life, or do you like it the way it is now? In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, most of the characters admit to dreaming of a different life. The main two characters in this novel are George and Lennie and they’ve been always dreaming of buying a piece of land, farming it, and growing some animals. When they arrive to the ranch, they work with some of the other characters, under the boss. The other characters have other dreams too, just like George and Lennie.
With the plan in her head she went to get an office job at the San Jose City Hall. In Of Mice and Men Lennie and George had a plan for what they wanted to do when they get all the money. They wanted to buy their own land to start a farm. “‘O.K. Someday—we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and—’ ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’,’ Lennie shouted.
George goes more into depth about he himself, Lennie, and Curley of the future stating, “S’pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing. We wouldn’t ask nobody 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” (60-61). The futuristic scene conveys the idea of George, Lennie, and even Candy that they still are attached to the idea
The mouse in the poem worked hard to build its nest in preparation for the winter it was to endure in the future. The man plowing was preparing a field for cultivation in the future. Both the man and the mouse’s plan was destroyed; the mouse’s plan destroyed by the man, and the man’s plan destroyed by the fast approaching winter. If one looks further into this piece, past the obviousness of a man talking to a mouse, they should begin to realize the reality that Burns interlaced among the lines of “To a Mouse.” The book Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, is based off of Burns’ poem “To a Mouse.” The two literary pieces are alike in that they demonstrate how one’s plans for the future can be demolished. In the poem, the mouse’s plans were crushed by the man and the man’s plans were destroyed by the swift coming of winter.
He owes his life to George. Lennies death is an example of Survival of the fittest. George knew that if he didn't kill Lennie himself, his death would be worse in the hands of Curley. When George says "No, Lennie. I ain't mad.
Got a little shack on it, an’ a chicken run. Got a kitchen, orchard, cherries, apples, peaches, ‘cots, nuts, got a few berries. They’s a place for alfalfa and plenty water to flood it. They’s a pig pen.’(P.57) This is George and Lennie’s American dream. It looks wonderful.
I disliked how George did not struggle to shoot Lennie during the film. While reading the description of Lennie’s murder and the ranch the men dreamed of owning, Lennie’s death was extremely suspenseful. As the director of the movie, I would have chosen to exaggerate Lennie’s death rather than it being a short, diminutive scene. From Steinbeck’s account, Lennie’s death reflects the end of his own problems, and moreover the lack of responsibility George was able to release following his painless decease. Making his death slower would have shown a better portrayal of an important outlook of Lennie’s life and struggles, and how important Lennie meant to George.
Firstly, dreams serve as a vital escape mechanism for the characters, to help them cope whilst living through the American Depression, where life is lonely and difficult. They are the foundations of what makes life worth living. George and Lennie’s dream means different things to both of them. ; Lennie is mainly concentrated on his childlike aspiration to ‘tend the rabbits’ due to his love of petting soft things, while the crux of the dream for George is to have ‘our own place where we belonged’ because he is desperate to work for himself and have people around him to which he belongs. George tells Lennie ‘You know all of it’, which shows the huge importance of their dream, that even forgetful Lennie has memorised it - they use their dreams as an escape from the harsh reality of life on the ranch.
In the book Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the setting to reveal the fall from paradise. 1. “‘O.K. Someday- we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and-’ ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’,’ Lennie Shouted.” (p.14) This is the dream that George and Lennie want. It is not entirely unlikely, in fact it seems quite achievable.
George becomes very frustrated with Lennie sometimes and can lash out at him and get very angry with him. George knows that Lennie will not remember this in the morning so he uses this to his advantage and uses him like a stress reliever to release all his anger on him with doing no harm. Lennie is always in debt to George and so never retaliates. He sees him as a brother, Lennie is not an evil being but look that way due to his size, he does kill as the novel reveals but he sees no harm in this as he doesn't learn, he can’t learn. George must take all of the responsibility for Lennie, for his own good; Lennie is a burden to him but can’t throw him aside, time has made the link between them stronger and they will stand side by side until they reach their dream; The American Dream.