The American dream Of Mice and Men

American Dream in Of Mice and Men American Dream in Of Mice and Men Steinbeck wanted to explore the themes of power, ownership and control and their effect upon ordinary people. Those people strived for a better life, and had hopes and dreams Lennie and George’s dream is significant because it tells us something about the culture that has created them.

What is the American Dream? America has always been seen as the Land of Opportunity, partly because immigrants from Europe saw it as a place of freedom, a place to begin a new life, a place for real possibilities and wealth for all. This belief in America as a country where ordinary people could create a better life for themselves is often referred to as The American Dream

From the 17 th century, where the 1 st settlers arrived, immigrants dreamed of a better life in America People went there to escape from persecution, to make a new life for themselves and their families. For many the dream became a nightmare. The horrors of slavery, of the American Civil War, the growth of slums and the corruption of the government led to many shattered hopes For many the dream ended with the Wall Street crash in 1929.

This was the start of the Great Depression that would affect the whole world during the 1930’s. The dream did survive for individuals. 1000’s made their way west to California to escape farmlands of the mid-west. George and Lennie dreamed of their “Little house and a couple of acres”. The growing popularity of the cinema was the last American Dream for many.

Declaration of Independence, 1776 “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness”

Richard Nixon: presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, 1968 “My fellow Americans, the long dark night for America is about to end. The time has come for us to leave the valley of despair and climb the mountain so that we may see the glory of the dawn – a new day for America, a new dawn for peace and freedom in the world.”

Transcript of the Nicolay Draft of the Gettyburg Address “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that ‘all men are created equal’ That nation, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

The pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. Emma Lazarus: 1903 “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/ The wretched refuse of your teeming shore/ Send thee, the tempest-tossed, to me: “I lift a lamp beside the golden door.”