Of Mice and Men

Before the Lincoln Memorial Martin Luther King Jr. announced, “I have a dream,” and through his hard work and tireless efforts, through his sharing of his dream with millions of Americans, through his hope and determination, the Civil Rights Act was signed by Lyndon Johnson and equality among all people was a step closer to being realized. King exemplified a major theme by one of America’s greatest writers, John Steinbeck. One of the major themes of John Steinbeck‟s novel Of Mice and Men is that having a dream breeds hope, friendship, and determination, enabling one to strive onward in life with a sense of importance. Three major examples show this idea. The first example is Candy’s loss of his dog and his joining George and Lennie's dream of owning land. A second example is Crook’s memory of his father‟s chicken ranch. A third significant example is George and Lennie's dream of having their own place. These three examples display the theme that having high aspirations breed hope, friendship, and determination, enabling one to strive onward with a sense of self-worth or importance. Candy’s loss of his dog and his joining George and Lennie’s dream of owning land displays how a shared dream can breed hope and friendship. After the death of Candy’s dog, Candy experiences a deep sense of loss. He is empty. When Candy overhears George and Lennie talking about owning a piece of land, Candy’s emptiness begins to fill with the dream George and Lennie share. Having a dream breeds hope and friendship is Crook’s memory of his father’s chicken ranch. Whereas Candy, Lennie, and George all look to their future for their dream, Crooks looks into his past, remembering the sense of joy he had as a small boy on his father's chicken ranch. Crooks explains to Lennie that the “white kids came to play at our place, and' sometimes I went to play with them, and some of them were pretty nice. For George the idea of owning his own place would allow him to keep Lennie from getting into trouble. But more importantly, this dream makes George strive toward a goal. George‟s dream is not even close to becoming a reality until Candy offers to contribute three hundred and fifty dollars to the cause. At that point George, with “eyes full of wonder,” says, “I bet we could swing her, and suddenly the dream has become a little more solidified, a definite possibility. George, Lennie, and Candy realize that this dream may come true ‘’light