Notes

Is George Carlin once said, “ it's called The American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it” This cynical idea of the American dream is not a new one. It's most prevalent when social structures breakdown like during World War II or the Great Depression. Although the quote isn't supposed to necessarily to knock The American Dream It's only telling that it is just a dream. Dreams provide help and motivation that theme is found in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In John Steinbeck's mice of men, The American dream is brought up a lot. Most people are struggling to find help. each character has their own unique dreams and ideas that either hold some back, give them hope or curses them.

Dreams are something almost everybody has and we can anonymously agree that dreams are something that we all want to achieve but what if we actually do achieve them? it would be like a dog actually being able to catch a car we wouldn't really know what to do if we caught one. Still, many people do achieve their dreams and for some people, it feels great and they retire other people get lost. This is exactly what happened to Curley. Although we do not get to see much of Curly's dreams besides he is small and he likes to fight other people. however, this quote gives him more motivation and purpose “Curley’s pretty handy. He done quite a bit in the ring. He’s a lightweight, and he’s handy.” I feel this quote explains. He has become pretty successful as a boxer and now that he has it's just become an obsession and addiction. This affects other areas of his life too such as his romantic relationship with his wife.
“ You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guy she don’t like, and he don’t like nobody.” His wife becomes pretty bored of all this boxers talk and eventually seeks out other companionship when she feels unsatisfied. His failing marriage and previous trauma only fuel his addiction.

Dreams are definitely powerful motives and can definitely be used as hope. Something to look forward to when you wake up and the reason why you keep on living. Throughout mice of men, George and Lennie have this one big dream to own their own house and raise a farm together. For the most part, this is their big motivation in what and why they doing things. it's very simple but at the same time works extremely well. A summary of their dream would be “An' have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we're gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits” We all know Lennie to have a child's brain and children don't have the best morals but having this dream Lennie almost shows that he can make his own moral compass by doing things that would make his dream come true. ( this and what George would think of him). Example of this would be when Lennie was sad about killing the puppy because he knew George wouldn't let him tend to the rabbits. “George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits now.” George also uses in Lenny's final moments calming down before he shot him. it was the last thing that Lennie thought about and it was the first time that George realized that dreams don't come true. The last thing George said to Lennie. “Let’s do it now. Le’s get that place now.”
“Sure, right now. I gotta. We gotta.” The evolving relationship between these two characters and their dreams show the true nature of Dreams themselves, not just the American dream.

When we are younger me things like dreams are something that will come true and that we will make it come true but as we reach adults we slowly realizing more and more people aren't doing their dreams, It kind of makes us feel like we can't do anything we want and makes us lose the sense of control that we thought we had. Society holds dreams too a high standard. We realize that they should just be dreams and something that we should never reach for a mental sanity. It's okay to give yourself goals but sometimes believing in the impossible really helps us to sleep at night, that's why we have religion, is it. Crooks use this to build his mental prison that he uses to lock himself behind every day. "I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it." When you're an outsider you see the true nature man and you realize that most of them don't ever get to achieve their dreams so why bother even trying at all. This whole concept and idea really brings Crooks down and only leads him of the further into isolation and then later possible insanity. As stated before George also realize this after Lennie kills Curley's wife.That dreams are never supposed to come true and that they're supposed to be used as hope. However, George doesn't seem quite saddened by the fact only disappoint. "—I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we'd never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would." This thought makes George come to terms with everything And gives him a sense of freedom.
In John Steinbeck Mice of Men, dreams are used for many things. Weather is Hope finding the true nature of man or simply holding people back they're definitely impactful and infect Us in everyday life. Steinbeck has stated that he wants his book to be used is almost communication device. To help people understand each other and just slowly cause confusion of men to settle. I feel like we can use this in our everyday life as well. Understanding that dreams are something that we all want and motivations can be very Complicated. Although this may seem like dreams should never come, that does not mean you should stop fighting. Every day of your life you should be fighting. Sometimes you just need a moment to sleep and dream though because if we never dream we never truly rest, if you never truly rest then we are as good as dead.