How do Arthur Miller and John Steinbeck present the themes of hopelessness and the failure of the American Dream, through their texts, Of Mice and...

In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck presents George as a picture of a man who is hardworking but has an extremely heavy burden, taking care of Lennie. He speaks frequently of getting enough money to get himself a place of his own to farm, along with Lennie. Candy also is intrigued with this idea, offering to put up half of the money. Yet George seems to lose money rather than save it, not being...

In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck presents George as a picture of a man who is hardworking but has an extremely heavy burden, taking care of Lennie. He speaks frequently of getting enough money to get himself a place of his own to farm, along with Lennie. Candy also is intrigued with this idea, offering to put up half of the money. Yet George seems to lose money rather than save it, not being able to stay in any one place for long because of Lennie. His “release” from Lennie through the latter’s death, shows that being free and independent comes at a great price, especially in loneliness and despair.

In The Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller shows Willie Loman in the same position. He is constantly traveling, trying to make enough money to take care of his family and get ahead in the world. Yet his job takes him away from his family, causing sacrifice of the very security he is trying to earn. He has become invisible in a society that is progressing around him. As his wife says, “Attention must be made!” The sacrifices and labors of Willie Loman are symbolic of the loneliness and “invisibility” of the suburban male. Both Steinbeck and Miller thus depict the common American male is struggling to survive at the cost of companionship and belonging.