"Of Mice and Men": Do the poor (not) have the right to dream? | 5 minutes
Sometimes it seems like a person needs a great deal to be happy: a good home, a good job, enough money, a peaceful life... But there is a need in human life that can be filled neither by money, nor wealth, nor status. This is the presence of someone who understands you and will not abandon you in difficult times.
"Of Mice and Men": Do the poor have (no) right to dream? | 5 minutes
Nobel Prize laureate John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" tells a story about what is necessary for human happiness.
Written in 1937, this work depicts the era of the Great Depression in America. Finding a job is difficult, and people move from one place to another in search of work. The main characters of the work — George Milton and Lennie Small — are also such migrant workers. They have neither a home nor great wealth. But they had one thing that others did not: they were together.
Their being together was deeper than just an ordinary friendship. George protected Lennie and tried to correct his mistakes. Lennie, in turn, brought some warmth into George's life. They needed each other.
The two friends also had another big dream.
They wanted to own a small piece of land of their own one day. There they would work for themselves, not hired by anyone. And Lennie would raise rabbits. George reminds him of this dream over and over again. Every time, Lennie would rejoice and loved to ask about the "rabbits."
This dream was very simple. But for them, it had become the meaning of their entire life.
With this dream, they come to work at the next ranch. Here, too, there are owners of various destinies. Old Candy is afraid of being fired one day because he has grown old. Crooks, a black man, lives isolated from others due to racial discrimination. Curley, the ranch owner's son, tries to assert his power over others. His wife is not called by her name, but only as "Curley's wife," and feels lonely even though she is among people.
Interestingly, there are many people on the ranch, but each has something of their own that is missing. Someone wants money, someone wants their own home, someone wants respect. And someone just wants to talk to someone.
In this sense, George and Lennie's dream affects others as well. When they talk about their own small piece of land, others also draw closer to this dream. Because a person wants to dream together, to unite, and for their dreams to catch on to others. It is often this very feeling that unites people.
According to the author, loneliness is not determined simply by having no one next to a person. A person can be lonely even while standing among people.
This situation feels even more familiar to us today. Now we have hundreds, even thousands of numbers in our phones. On social networks, there is no count of acquaintances, subscribers, and groups. At first glance, it seems as if a person will never be left alone.