Dreams (OMAM) Flashcards
What is the American Dream?
A belief that many members of the working class adopted after the effects of the Depression took hold on America in the 1930s. It was an escape from the hardships and suffering in society, and offered freedom, security and independence through self-sufficiency.
What quotes show how the George and Lennie’s dream offers self-sufficiency?
“live off the fatta the lan”
“catch a hundred salmon”
“sell a few eggs”
What does Lennie continually ask George to do?
“tell me about the rabbits”
What does tending the rabbits symbolise for Lennie?
An idyllic, fraternal life with George where they are both secure and happy
Lennie’s dream gives him comfort and hope, as his innocence leads him to believe that it is achievable
How does George tell Lennie about their dream and what does it reveal about the nature of the dream itself?
George describes the dream like a story, a fictitious and unobtainable vision at what their life could be like
What quotes show that George craves the dream too?
“voice was growing warmer”
“raptly”, “entranced”
What does George’s captivation of the dream tell us about it?
The dream is something that can only be wondered at, it is completely unachievable
What happens to George and Lennie’s dream?
It dies at the end of the novel alongside Lennie, proving that the American dream is really that - a dream
What did the Great Depression cause?
1 in 4 men were unemployed
Vast amounts of poverty, homelessness, unemployment
Many travelled around the country attempting to find a job
What does George say that proves he was skeptical about fulfilling the dream?
“i knowed we’d never do her” - Lennie’s innocence and belief gave George hope that it could be achieved, when in reality, he knew deep down that it was an unobtainable feat
Why does Candy attempt to buy into George and Lennie’s dream?
He is becoming increasingly old and weak, and will soon be unable to work on the ranch, and have “no place to go”
Old and disabled people were deemed as having a lack of purpose in this hostile society, and were unwanted
Why is Candy willing to use his life’s savings to fund the dream?
He is desperate to escape a miserable future and the hostility that society surrounds him with on the ranch
Why does George not attempt to continue the dream with Candy?
It was Lennie’s dream, and George is loyal to him as his greatest companion
What does Candy say to try and convince George to work with him?
“Can’t we George?…Can’t we?” - repetition shows desperation
Who does Candy take out his anger on?
Curley’s wife
Candy’s response is wholly misogynistic as he blames her death for the end of his dream
Curley’s wife can be seen as a biblical reference to Eve, who destroyed Candy’s ‘Eden’ - the farm, by getting Lennie into severe trouble
What quote shows Candy blames Curley’s wife for the destruction of his dream?
“you done it”
What quotes display Crooks’ cynical attitude to the American Dream?
“I seen hundreds of men” with the “same damn thing in their heads”
“nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody never gets no land”
Contextually, what is significant about Crooks seeing “hundreds of men” pass through?
Itinerant labourers were in vast numbers after the Depression took hold on America in the 1930s, and most of these men would carry the idolised “American Dream” with them as they travelled across the country, hoping for a better, secure life
Why does Crooks compare the dream to reaching Heaven?
Heaven is a conceptual belief that comforts those moving towards the afterlife, the same way in which dreams comfort those moving forwards in life
Achieving the American Dream, for those who struggle the most in society, would be equivalent to reaching Heaven
Why does Crooks act pessimistically?
Crooks has a cynical attitude due to the loneliness and disrespect he has experienced in his own life
Steinbeck is reinforcing the message that suffering is an endless cycle; those who suffer go on to make other feel the same way they have
Crooks cynical attitude completely contrasts…?
Lennie’s innocence and belief of the dream
What message is Steinbeck trying to deliver when he says “nobody never gets no land”
For the lowest reaches of society, escape from their circumstances is impossible due to the systematic barriers that exist. The working class, people of colour and the disabled are unable to achieve the dream, as the structure of society gives them no way to do so.
What happens to Crooks’ attitude when Candy makes the dream appear more concrete?
Candy reveals the details of the dream, causing Crooks to have a moment of hesitation and vulnerability
He offers to join the dream, highlighting how is desire to feel inclusion is stronger than his bitterness/pessimism
What quote shows Crooks offering himself to the dream?
Crooks says he can “lend a hand”
He wants to exist in a community and have a sense of belonging, a place where he would not be marginalised because of his race/disability
What conclusion does Crooks come to?
He retracts his offer, telling them to “jus’ forget it”
Why does Crooks retract his offer?
Social inequality and racism has shaped him to believe that a future as perfect as the dream is impossible for someone like him.
What’s Curley’s wife’s dream?
She dreams of starring in Hollywood films, where she would be a part of the glamour, luxury and fame that would follow
Why does Curley’s wife want her dream to happen now more than ever?
She is dissatisfied with her life of loneliness and neglection
Hollywood is the complete opposite to what life on the ranch is like for her
What repeated quote portrays the luxury of Hollywood life?
“nice clothes”
Curley’s wife met a talent scout many years ago, who said he was going to…?
“he was gonna put me in the movies”
What does the talent scout’s empty promise reveal about Curley’s wife?
She was easily manipulated due to her desperation to achieve her dreams
She has to rely on men to help her reach her dreams, enforcing how women in the 1930s had very little power/influence
Contextually, why were so many young women attracted to Hollywood and its culture?
Women in the 1930s had few opportunities for independence
Hollywood was a growing industry that allowed women to escape the restrictions of their gender and social status, and procure fame and fortune for themselves.
What did the talent scout say to Curley’s wife to manipulate her?
He told her she “was a natural”, which caused Curley’s wife to gain a false belief of her talents
She was gullible to this as she craves validation, seen throughout the novella
Also shows how the American dream promotes the myth that anyone can be successful
What happens to Curley’s wife’s dream?
She is killed, causing her dream to remain unfulfilled
Through the death of Curley’s wife (and therefore her dream) what is Steinbeck highlighting?
The impossibility of someone like her achieving the dream, due to the hardships and societal barriers that exist which stop her from doing so
