Of Mice and Men, a novel written by John Steinbeck, ruthlessly portrays issues of the society in the 1930’s, and the impossibility of the “American Dream”. Although every character is shown to have a goal in life, their lack of understanding the society and harshness of it, makes them extremely vulnerable and on the path towards failure, even without knowing it. Furthermore, although it begins on a positive note, with Lennie and George talking about their dream life and their plan to achieve it, we are quickly introduced to other characters, and transferred back to the reality of life & impossibility of the dream. Steinbeck uses the most controversial issues in the society (sexism against Curley’s wife, racism against Crooks), in order to portray a pessimistic image of the life in the 1930’s and the legitimacy of the dream,meanwhile employing the character of Slim as as an ideal & respected character with an optimistic outlook on life.

The main protagonists of the novel, George and Lennie, play two very important roles in the novel. They symbolize “The American Dream”, and represent the newfound hope & optimism of achieving it. Additionally, although an unlikely duo, George and Lennie symbolize companionship and they reflect the mutualism (two organisms benefiting from each other), in nature. At first, Lennie is seen to annoy George and make him lose every job that he gets, suggesting a father & son relationship between the two. However, we quickly realize that George and Lennie actually work together quite well, with Lennie providing George with both company, and an extra income (both their salaries allow them to earn even more money), essentially saving him from the never ending “cycle” of hope and failure, and a life full of loneliness. Essentially, what seems as a basic theme, loneliness was actually a big part of the “American Dream”, and in the end, the failure to achieve that dream, which is represented through both Curley’s wife and Crooks.

           The most under-appreciated character in the novel, Curley’s wife is yet another character symbolizing loneliness, in addition to showing how sexist and awful the society was in the 1930’s. Although she is the only woman in the novel (apart from the briefly mentioned girl in Weed), the way she is described  not only stereotypes what men thought of women in the 1930’s, but it also shows how unique her character is. Just like every other character in the novel, Curley’s wife has a dream. However, unlike all the other characters, her dream is truly impossible to achieve. Through the eyes of the men on the ranch, she is seen as an object; through her husband’s eyes, she is seen as a possession. All the men describe her as a “tart”, and the fact that she doesn’t even have a name, but is referred to as Curley’s, just adds onto her not being seen as an actual human being; but rather an obstacle for other men. In addition, the way she is treated by almost everybody on the ranch shows how all the men have the ultimate power over her. All except for Crooks. Throughout most of the novel, she has a very positive attitude towards the other characters, although they ignore her presence & treat her badly. Nonetheless, as soon as Crooks tries shaming her for character, we see a very protective and angry side of her. I personally believe that Steinbeck uses Crooks and Curley’s wife in order to show racism against sexism and which one was worse in the 1930’s. Thus, her attack on Crooks proves how even the most shamed women still had authority over african-americans.

Apart from Curley’s wife, Crooks is yet another character representing loneliness, besides showing how awfully racist the society was in the 1930’s. Although he is not the only worker on the ranch with a disability(there is also Candy), he is the only negro on the ranch, isolating him from the rest of the workers even further. Although his disability (his hunched back) prohibits him from any hard labor on the farm, it still doesn’t ensure for  him to be treated like a proper human being. As one of the examples, in comparison to Candy, who received $250 after he lost his hand in a farm accident, Crooks still has to sleep on a “long box filled with straw”, although his back is hunched (also from a farm accident). Furthermore, although Crooks’s name isn’t Crooks, the other characters just call him that way because of his appearance, insinuating the fact that the discrimination against african-americans ensured everyone had power over them. Additionally, Crooks is yet another major character representing loneliness. The fact that he “accumulated more possessions than he could carry” shows how unlike the others, Crooks is a more permanent resident and doesn’t really have a dream in life.  Moreover, “And he had books, too: a tattered dictionary” suggests that he might have had a dream in life, but the discrimination made him surrender to reality, and “and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905” implies that although he was intended for a somewhat of an equal treatment as the rest, the restricted amount of rights and freedom furthermore detached him from his dream and retracted him back to the reality of life. All in all, Crooks’ outlook on life is mainly pessimistic, and not even the “ideal” ranch worker, Slim, can change it.

Despite all the pessimism in the novel, the character of Slim still manages to represent the optimism of achieving your dream & living a life you enjoy. Although he doesn’t live a dream life, his compassion, generosity, and respect towards the other characters portray him as an “ideal” ranch worker. He is the only person who manages to get George to talk about the incident in Weed, and the problems he has with Lennie, thus gaining George’s trust. He is the only character(apart from Lennie) respectful towards Curley’s wife, showing how he doesn’t necessarily care about losing his job over a conversation. In addition, not only does his personality perfectly correspond to the one of an ideal ranch worker (kind hearted; yet honest, understanding; yet realistic, simple; yet sophisticated), it also allows him to be an extremely respected & loved character. Hence, although he might not have a dream in life, his good heart & open mind make him seem as if he is living the dream life.

In conclusion, although pessimism, loneliness, sexism, and racism are all recurring themes in the novel, portrayed by George, Curley’s wife, and Crooks, Steinbeck still manages to represent the hope of living the life you enjoy through the character of Slim. Thus, the novel is written in an enjoyable mixture of pessimism and optimism, while also remaining realistic, leaving it up to the reader to decide whether or not the dream was truly achievable.