The American Dream Failed Miserably at the Beginning of History

Craig l. Thomas once said “ you stuff somebody into the American dream, and it becomes a prison,” this quote proves that the American dream isn’t always what it seems, and in some occasions, it doesn’t turn out what you really want it to at all. In this particular situation, Steinbeck uses the characters lennie smalls and curley’s wife to prove that the American dream ultimately failed for them. Steinbeck uses lennie smalls as an example to show how miserably the American dream failed for him in the beginning of the story lennie and George first talk about the American “ok someday we’re gonna we’re get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an a cow and some pigs”.

what lennie wanted was to have a nice place with his good ol buddy george but due to him not understanding the circumstances that his actions caused him. Lennie had to opportunity to prove that he could be responsible and could take care of something when he was given a puppy.

Later on the story lennie accidentally had killed the puppy “why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice i didn’t bounce you that hard, now maybe george aint gonna let me tend the rabbits, if he finds out you got killed” (#85)this quote is just another great reason to why he couldn’t pursue what he wanted due to the actions he did.

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Curley’s wife is the perfect character to demonstrate how her life didn’t go the way she planned in any way possible. When she was having a conversation with lennie she explained to him how her life could’ve been so much more than just “curley’s wife’ she told him “coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes all them nice clothes like they wear. An i coulda sat in them big hotels an had a pitcher’s took of me when they had them previews I coulda went to them an spoke in the radio an it wouldn’t cost me a cent because I was in the pitcher an all them nice clothes like they wear cus this guy says I was natural (#89) curley’s wife truly believed she could be a successful actress but destiny had it otherwise for her.

“Says i was a natural. Soon he got back to hollywood he was gonna write to me about it then she mentioned shortly after “ i never got that letter……i always thought my ol lady stole it” (#88) sadly Curley’s wife never got to fulfill her dream because later in that scene she died, she was gone too soon To conclude all of this steinbeck described to us how Lennie and curley’s wife life ended and how they never got to live the life they once wanted they have ultimately failed on their american dream. I think that neither lennie or curley’s wife deserved to die, lennie was so close to having what him and george wanted but he had to handle his consequences, and curley’s really had no reason to die but i believe things happen for a reason.