plz can someone mark my mice of men essay. grade and mark out of 40 plz

E-mail it to your teacher. No-one on here is qualified to mark this accurately.

In Of mice and men, Steinbeck showcases dreams as futile and an escape from reality. Steinbcek utilises the characters, George and Lennie, curleys wife and crooks to emphasise the vitality of dreams as a source of hope for these characters during the great depression- a period in which economic and social distress took part.
Steinbeck portrays the futility and source of escapism through the character Curley's wife. When curley's wife describes her dream of being an actress to lennie she makes a “small hand gesture” this gesture illustrates her passion for acting; she was trying to showcase her ambitions to lennie to receive some hope and assurance that she had the ability to become a famous movie star. Her need for assurance emphasises the lack of rights and inability to pursue her dream, because during the 1930s women's rights regressed and were property of their husbands.These gender roles and societal expectations trap her in a life of isolation, so her dream symbolises her crave for independence and recognition. She would unlikely be able to achieve her dream without her husband's consent, so by her gesture she knows her dream is unachievable but persists in believing it will be. Furthering this steinbeck shows that curley's wife's dream is unattainable when she says” i coulda made something off myself” this reinforces the idea that she believed she could have become an actress if she wasn't married to curley or living on the ranch, however as robert burns says that dreams are a “promised joy”. In of mice and men dreams are an illusion and for curley's wife, her dream is a fantasy to escape from her oppressive and loveless marriage it serves as hope to believe her life will be more than a stereotypical marriage and unhappiness. Supporting that all dreams of mice and men are a “promised joy”; curley's wife enters the barn with “ mules with red ostrich feathers”. The colour “red” symbolises death and has a fatalistic tone, this establishes that her dream of being more than curley's wife was unattainable and ultimately a fantasy and a source of hope.
Steinbeck also refers to dreams as being necessary to survive the working conditions for itinerant workers during the great depression and ultimately achieving the american dream through the characters of george and lennie. In chapter one, George describes the dream to Lennie and states” we got a future”, this establishes that George realises that other itinerant workers aren't actively pursuing their dream, as they are habituated to their lifestyle. A national ethos that many itinerant workers believed was the American dream. This was the belief that hard work leads to independence and success. By George stating that they have a “future” signifies the companionship between them which was rare during the 1930s as many people were only interested in bettering and helping themselves. The dream George and Lennie share give them a sense of agency and respite from the misery of their daily lives working in hard labour and earning little to nothing. This phrase serves as hope for George as he believes they will achieve their American dream. This is further established when Lennie states “ an live off fatta the lan”. Lennie's childlike repetition of this phrase is seen as a mantra, showing his reliance on this dream. This dream shields him from the brutal reality of his own life. This phrase also shows that they have carefully planned their dream and are very familiar with it, emphasizing that this is a fantasy and a source of hope. Lastly George again describes the dream to Lennie when he says “ all kins of vegetables in the garden… wed jus live there. Wed belong there”. George recites the dream to Lennie to support and motivate him, however George is similarly affected as he lists in detail to make it real to himself, giving him faith.
Finally, Steinbeck conveys dreams as unachievable and unrealistic for a black American during the 1930s, he does this through the character Crooks. Due to Jim Crow laws and normality of racism, black Americans faced severe racism and prejudice. The Jim Crow laws stripped away their rights as human beings and belittled them to nothing. The laws included separate toilets to white individuals, separate churches and for crooks separate living accommodation. All of the itinerant workers lived in the ranch together, however crooks who was labelled the stable buck lived in a “little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn” instantly this shows that any dreams or aspirations crooks have are extremely unlikely due to the little rights he has compared to the other itinerant workers. Steinbeck uses crooks' situation to symbolise his isolation and marginalism, emphasising that he is not only physically in an inferior place, the societal barriers stifle crooks aspirations and showcases the fragility of dreams. Supporting this when crooks say “ nobody never gets to heaven and nobody gets no land”. Crooks is suggesting that due to the fact they are itinerant workers and are controlled by powerful forces their dreams are futile; and as for him his dreams are pointless due to his race. The itinerant workers worship and believe their dream to be like a religion, as they have no other aspirations so they cling onto the American dream, to persuade themselves they will be the person to leave their repetitive and depressing lifestyles. At the end of chapter four Crooks says” i didn't mean it, just foolin”; demonstrating that crooks feels unworthy of having a dream, his hope of feeling belonged, was broken once the reality of his situation was undeniable.Due to the racism and prejudice he faced, he had no dreams due to him believing he was undeserving of what he desired for himself.
In conclusion, Steinbeck critiques the idea of dreams and belief in the American dream, as they are futile and a promised joy. Dreams are an escape and illusion for the characters; it offers the characters hope and feeling of agency from their miserable lives.