Dreams Turned into Nightmares: Reimagining the American Dream in John Steinbeck’s <i>Of Mice and Men</i>

Abstract In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream of material success and economic stability is interpreted as a nightmare devoid of reality. The existential concerns of the ranch workers in this novel and their dire poverty shatter their faith in its seemingly unattainable ideals. Throughout this narrative, Steinbeck suggests that this Dream has transformed into a horror for diligent workers who harbor little optimism about achieving their aspirations in a violent and morally corrupt society. Marxist critics, among others, view the American Dream skeptically, arguing that it suppresses the awareness of the lower classes by attributing their failures to laziness, thus perpetuating their exploitation by capitalists. The characters’ harsh existence in Steinbeck’s narrative dismantles the widely held belief that hard work inevitably leads to success, prompting skeptics to question the validity of this national promise of prosperity, home ownership, and job security.