Ambition- "of Mice and Men" | Ambition- "of Mice and Men"

In the novel "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck, two men undergo the struggles of surviving in an age of poverty. When Lennie and George, our main characters, come across some obstacles, there are patterns in their behavior that portrays a reoccurring theme within the novel. At many parts of the story Lennie asks George to reiterate to him their plans for the future, which don't seem at all realistic. But they are driven by ambition, which ties their hopes and dreams together. Their ambition to accomplish something in life other then being a mere pair of migrant workers. With only the prospects of a brighter future to encourage them to continue dreaming and have hope, I feel that one of the their ambitions are a key theme to the novel. Also, when people are going through difficulties in their lives as well, having goals and aspirations are good to encourage them to strive for something better. My poem, told from Lennie's point of view, represents he would express himself if able. A few example of the theme within the novel would be in chapter one when they first speak of their promised land, chapter three when they come close to gaining it, and in chapter six when George is about to kill Lennie.

First, from the first chapter of the book we can see already that the men are destitute and working through some hard times. George seems very hostile and upset in all his actions and how he commands Lennie around. It doesn't seem like they have much to be happy about. After George renders Lennie to tears however, he feels obligated to make him feel better. He then describes to them what they will eventually own and that for some reason excites him, which is characterized in the line "It keeps me driven, this constant dream." These visions give Lennie hope and tell him there is something better that they will achieve if they keep working and dreaming. Just like in everyday life there are people in desperate situations that have a person, a hope or hope to motivate them.

Another example of their hopes would be in chapter three, in the boys bunk when George is one again speaking to Lennie about what they will have and Candy proposes that he take part in their plan as well. George began speaking to Candy about the costs and although George had been telling Lennie about the property they wished to owned, their total savings was far from sufficient. When Candy suggest he makes a contribution the entire lot begin to feel that they may actually accomplish what they had been fantasizing about all along. In this instant their unpromising future is illuminated by a single person hence the line "My optimism is like the rising tide." In real life, a person's hopes can increase dramatically just from a mere change in circumstance.

Finally in the last chapter of the novel, when Lennie mistakenly kills Curley's wife, all their dreams are smashed and there seems like nowhere for George to turn. His dilemma is whether or not he should let Lennie live. Instantaneously all thoughts of ever gaining the land for the group was over. But when George finally does make the decision, he and George are a lone together in the forest where the story all began. And Lennie, who is slower then most people, comprehends the intensity of the situation. He once again asks George to tell him of their promised land and as George is in the midst of the description he painfully shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Although this may not seem like a form of their ambitions, Lennie made this choice of compassion and careful thought. It could have been he had hoped Lennie would have something better in death, because of the toll he would have face otherwise. The last line of my poem "George, you know that all I got is you," shows the deep bond between them and how as a friend George was forced to take action. Even in death, Lennie was dreaming away.

In conclusion, these were the reasons why I felt ambition was such a major and reoccurring theme within the novel. In almost every chapter there was some form that tied to the matter and demonstrated how highly the men were hoping. If you were to relate this novel to everyday life, there are still migrant workers out there and many other impoverished that are working at potentially building their lives to something more. The reason why I wrote my poem on this theme is because it seemed very important to me to be able to represent what they men were feeling. Lennie in particular because although he may be slow, like some maybe completely broke, he was still dreaming and working away at hopes on one day fulfilling his dream and being able to live life the way he wished.