OMAM dreams Flashcards
(10 cards)
intro
- a source of hope and a reflection of the harsh reality faced by the characters
- they offer escape and meaning in a world marked by isolation and despair
- Steinbeck reveals how dreams can motivate but also ultimately highlight the unattainable nature of The American Dream for marginalised individuals during The Great Depression.
topic sentence 1
Through the shared dream of owning a piece of land, Steinbeck portrays George and Lennie’s deep bond, illustrating how their dream provides them with a sense of purpose and hope in an otherwise bleak and uncertain world.
topic sentence 1 quotes
‘living offa the fatta the lan’ - they have ambition to be self-sufficient, their dream gives them confidence in difficult times and a sense of purpose
‘tell me. Please, George. Like you done before’ - they have spoken of this topic many times before, contrast between the consistency of their dream and the instability of their jobs as migrant workers
topic sentence 1 context
symbolizes the American dream but their failures highlight the unattainability of it during the Great Depression.
St argues the American Dream is a myth - their dream of self sufficiency contrasts against the other workers lack of goals, steinbeck having worked on ranches would have seen the monotonous, purposeless lives of workers
topic sentence 2
Steinbeck uses Crooks’ fleeting hope of a better future to emphasize the crushing impact of racial discrimination, showing how the dream of belonging and equality is a rare and ultimately unreachable aspiration for marginalized individuals like him.
topic sentence 2 quotes
‘a hand to work for nothing - just his keep’ - he only became interested in the dream once he heard Candy’s money was involved
‘I wouldn’t want to go no place like that’ - he realises he can never truly escape the marginalisation he experiences on the ranch
topic sentence 2 context
shows full detrimental effects of the Wall Street crash as many lost their jobs and life savings, so the power of money was at a new height - 1/3 of the work force unemployed
St named his novel after Robert Burn’s poem, its most famous line (…..) highlights man is doomed but not only because of obstacles like poverty and exploitation but also human nature
topic sentence 3
Steinbeck portrays Curley’s wife as a symbol of lost dreams, showing how her aspirations for a better life are crushed by the isolation and oppression she faces as a woman in a male-dominated society, leaving her with nothing but a yearning for attention and validation.
topic sentence 3 quotes
‘coulda been in the movies’ - plants a seed of ambition into her, we see her in a more sympathetic light as her vision of paradise was cruelly snatched away from her
‘she was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young’ - in death she has been reduced to the perfect ideal of feminine identity with stereotypical traits of feminine beauty - no description of her strength or personality,
topic sentence 3 context
symbolises the rise of Hollywood in the 1930s where the films were dominated with images of The American Dream which had long since vanished after The Wall Street Crash.
her death symbolises failed dreams as she is the way she is because of her failed dream, and with death she causes Lennie and George’s dream to fail -> femme fatale
bleak depiction of femininity, St uses it as a scathing indictment of society to give a problematic portrayal of femininity in the 1930s, St is a politically aware writer so uses CW to shine a light on the harsh treatment of women
