chapter 6) 40

There was certainly the Great Depression that served as a backdrop for the poverty and desperation in the book. George had a grasp at the American Dream with his dream of buying the small farm and putting down roots. Just having a small place of one's own and a sense of independence was very much a part of the American dream. That dream was destroyed when George had to kill Lennie. Steinbeck's point is that the American dream is largely an illusion. All of these ranch men have similar dreams as George and Lennie but they do not come true.