Of Mice and Men

The Characters in Of Mice and Men are often mistaken as individuals when in actuality each represent a certain group of people, all marginalized in society and denied the American Dream. Lennie, Crooks, and Candy are three perfect examples of characters that represent a group of people. Similarities include disabilities and the fact that each character has planned a way to reach a specific goal there are a myriad of other semblances, but differing circumstances that could halt or completely destroy their chances of reaching their dreams. Being sympathetic to the characters is warranted, because each group has a crippling defect, not by choice, buy from birth that deters them from achieving the happiness the American dream is consorted with.

Lennie represents the mentally handicapped. He is misunderstood by the population of the era, just referred to as "a crazy bastard!"(Page 4) by George and wrote off as stupid, and nothing better than a migrant worker. Lennie has a dream of being with George on their own farm living off of the land, no one to call boss and no schedules to confide to. Lennie unfortunately has a mental disability and cannot control his strength when he is scared. He closes the opportunity to see through his dream when he kills Curley's wife on accident, and that is the sad final downfall of his life as George is forced to mercy kill Lennie.

Crooks the stable buck represents the African American population of the time period. Working as slaves, unpaid, mistreated, as if he was an animal. Disconnected from all communication with the white population, when Lennie ponders why he is not wanted by the rest of the migrant workers, crooks only knows to answer it one way, simply put, "'Cause I'm black."(Page68). Crooks' version of the American Dream is going back economically to where he was as a child before his father died, on a simple farm without being called a "Nigger" and treated without respect. In the 1930s African Americans did not have the opportunities America has in this day in age, and once Crooks hurt his back working on the ranch his limited mobility closed what was left of the contingency. Crooks cannot by rationally blamed for his circumstances, he was born African American, and when his father died, his family lost everything they owned and he was forced to work on the ranch.

Candy is the oldest of the migrant workers, but there is more to complicate the completion of his dream, Candy lost one of his hands on the ranch. He represents the physically disabled. Candy admitted to Lennie and George when talking about buying the ranch for the three of them to life off the land "I ain't much good with on'y one hand" (Page 59). With Candy's age, simplicity brings a great deal of happiness. His American Dream, simply put, is just not to be forced to work by a schedule for the short term life he has left. Candy's dream is left

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