Novel Reflection: Thinking Foward

We have investigated many captivating themes that exist in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men over the last few weeks.  You have explored the desperation and poverty of the American 1930s through pictures and video.  You have witnessed how John Steinbeck used naturalism to portray certain characters as "human beasts" acting on impulsiveness and instinct for self-preservation.  You have examined how the author used literary devices such as sentimentalism, diction, tone, parallelism, and foreshadowing in order to propel these themes.  You have close-read and analyzed the text digging deeper and deeper for evidence of themes such as Power vs. Powerlessness, Individual vs. Community, The American Dream, Euthanasia, Racism, Loneliness, and maybe even a little Sexism.  Pat yourself on the back!  You have been critically thinking about this novella on so many different levels.

For this week's blog response, you need to make some pretty serious decisions!  We are quickly approaching the time where you will be expected to write your Research Paper based on a topic of interest from Of Mice and Men.  If you have been keeping up with your reading, completing your notes, participating in conversations and activities during class on the various themes, and completing your blog responses this choice will be fairly easy!  If not, you may be in for a struggle....

What topic or theme that we have touched on during this unit has "hit home" with you the most?  Which theme or topic has a personal connection for you?  Which did you find most captivating or interesting to discuss and investigate during this unit?  Select a topic/theme from the list above that peaks your interest, and, in this week's blog response, discuss why you find it fascinating, which moment in the story you think about when reflecting on this theme, and how this theme is relevant in today's world.

The theme that really "hit home" with me the most is the American dream, or the "impossibility to the American dream" as I like to call it. There are many ways that this theme is showed through the book. One being George and Lennie's dream to own their own farm. If the boys would be able to invest in some land, it could be able to help sustain their lives, assist them in receiving some profit off of crops, and could give them protection and happiness from what seemed to be a miserable-like lifestyle. Though it looks as if there dream can indeed be accomplished, it turns out that bitter Crooks' theory is right: nearly every American dream is just a mere unreal utopia. Also, another part that shows this theme is Curley's wife and her dream. When she grew over the years since she was a young girl, Curley's wife always wanted to become a movie star. With her mother strict accusations, her dream became nearly impossible. When she had no choice but to finally marry a man to hopefully push her fantasy in the right direction, it turned out that it impelled it even deeper into the ground. Yet again, this proves that some people may not even get to see or live though their imagination of a perfect world by the time they have to leave this world.

Check out this TIME magazine article that I found on the American dream!