Anyway, a picture is worth a thousand words, so to help a little more, I threw something together to illustrate some ways to tighten your writing and clarify it. I recommend you read this, then go back and edit what you had. It really shouldn’t take you that long. No need to copy what I had even if you wanted to. By reading it you’ll get the gist of the points I’m making. Hey, good luck!

One in three Americans feel they are not living the “American Dream,” and nearly half of them believe it is unattainable. For these people, the American Dream is a myth or a nightmare. This sentiment is expressed in John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men,” through the circumstances in which four characters find themselves: (1) Curly’s would-be actress wife, (2) Lennie’s and George’s ill-fated dream of owning a ranch, and (3) Crook’s belief that attaining this dream is unreachable and pointless.

Steinbeck first explores this theme through the character of Curly’s wife. Curly’s wife (does he give her a name?) dreams of becoming an actress. “Could’ve been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes,” she laments. “Could’ve been in the movies, and sat in the big hotels.” It was not to be. The story takes place during the Great Depression—a time when it is virtually impossible to break into this career. More than half the population of the United States is poor. It is a difficult time in which the population is busy just trying to stay alive. She does not fulfill her dream. Instead, she is a mistreated “tart,” and gains little attention.

The second context in which this theme arises is when George promises Lennie a ranch if they work hard. “Someday we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs and we’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens.” George tells Lennie this dream is within their grasp. Of course, they will never own their own land. Not now, not tomorrow, not in the future, and especially not during the Great Depression.

Through the character Crooks, Steinbeck shows that the American Dream can be an American Nightmare. Crooks is cynical; he is sure there is no dream to attain. “Hundreds of ’em, go and quit and go on,” Crooks says, “Every one of ’em got a little piece of land in their head and none of ’em ever gets it.” Crooks express the idea that the American Dream is a lie. Anyone who pursues this dream is deceiving themselves.

In conclusion, the inability to realize the American Dream is a strong theme in Steinbeck’s novel as demonstrated by situations in which the author places Curly’s wife, George, Lennie, and Crooks. As in the time of the Great Depression, today there are many Americans who refuse to believe the American Dream is a reality for them–including many willing to work hard to reach it.