Theme Of Hope In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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For most, it can be difficult to remain positive when all seems hopeless. At the height of the Holocaust, Jews were persecuted by the Germans simply because they practiced a faith different from their own, and due to their suffering, few managed to maintain their values. Some, however, were able to sustain themselves amidst adversity because they had something to live for and a dream to keep them going. Among the few is Anne Frank, who was able to capture a rare sense of hope despite her hardships because she had held onto the belief that she could one day follow her dreams and become a writer. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, those who have dreams manage to sustain themselves through the Great Depression and discover a goal to work towards. In fact, the novel demonstrates that dreams give life meaning. George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm provides them with an undying sense of motivation. Because their story takes place during the Great Depression, the pair, like many other workers at the time, struggle to find a light of hope during difficult times. However, this dream enables George and Lennie to sustain …show more content…
For George and Lennie, their dream of owning a farm provides them a willingness to continue fighting for their hopes and gives them motivation within their friendship and their jobs. Candy, who shares a similar dream, takes part for a different reason; it gives him the opportunity to distract himself from his personal struggles and the thought of his lost companion. Similarly, Anne Frank was able to endure difficult situations with great courage and fierce determination because she had dreams to give her hope. Despite the hardships that the characters in Of Mice and Men must face during the Great Depression, many are able to sustain themselves through them simply because they have a dream, even if the likelihood of achieving it is little to
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