Dreams, even unrealistic ones, encompass and motivate everyone. In the short story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, each main character has their own dream to propel them forward and each of these dreams is cleverly used by Steinbeck to introduce his theme of the dream-tearing Great Depression. To determine whether major dreams have been destroyed, one must analyze what each dream was, the realistic possibilities, each person's motivation, and the opposing forces. George and Lennie's dream of a future life seems entirely possible because they are motivated and close to their goal; however, upon closer inspection, the impossibility of their quest is discovered. The Second Major Dream Curley's wife's dream is presented as a failure and upon investigation the reader understands why. Thus, each of the important dreams presents a sense of reality due to its necessity for the character, but is easily suspended as the characters continue on their path through life. Protagonist George and antagonist Lennie share a powerful friendship formed when they were children playing together. and at the center of this friendship is a dream. Their dream was born from their desire to have their own place, something that Crooks, the stable boy, points out as "never seen before" (Steinbeck 62) despite his years of working on farms. Their wish for a new home, their own, also rejects their disdain for not depending on anyone for a job, because they would rather be their own boss, as George says: "And no one will tell us what to do" . (Steinbeck 81).However, this dream is all the more necessary for both of them as it would become a sanctuary for Lennie, the main character who, due to mental retardation, is unable to cope.... ... middle of paper ... ...takes his life. Up until this point, she has continually tried to succeed because she has nothing else to do and she hates her current environment. Thus, Curley's wife's dream becomes unrealistic because, in the process of succeeding, she finds herself in a situation quite opposite to her goal. Overall, Steinbeck presents several dreams of different characters in order to depict how dreams are torn apart. Through the story, the reader followed the main characters George and Lennie, as well as Curley's wife's dream through the short story and understood that "even the best laid plans of mice and men rebel." (Burns Corporation)Works CitedAlexandra Burns Corporation. “To a Mouse – A Poem by Robert Burns.” Poem by Robert Burns - "To a Mouse" Toucher Design, and Web. March 19, 2014. Steinbeck, John. Of mice and men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.