Section 1: ThemesTheme 1: Despair Despair is not a common theme in novels, mainly because it is difficult to write a desperate novel that can still hold the reader's interest. Nevertheless, John Steinbeck managed to write Of Mice and Men, a desperate book from the start, but it nevertheless remains one of the most popular stories ever written. Steinbeck creates the illusion of hope by introducing their dream in the first chapter. However, it is hinted that this will never be achieved, on page seven, "Lennie looked perplexed. “Like I did in Weed?” "Oh, so you forgot that too?" Well, I'm not going to remind you, I'm afraid you'll do it again.'" George speaks in the second half of the quote and foreshadows that the events in Weed are destined to happen again. Other clues throughout throughout the book also reinforce this statement, but it is the first one we encounter Once we see how Lennie is such a problem to society, through the events of Weed, it is obvious that they will not be able to. never achieve their dream. Because Lennie is holding George back, they cannot advance far enough in life to live on their own. From the beginning, we know that Lennie must either undergo a significant character change or be removed from society. t's a hopeless situation because we, as readers, hope more than anything that the Lennie-George continuum will succeed. Once Lennie disappears from the picture, our hope is lost. Even if Lennie changed characters instead of dying, that. would have the same effect because readers love Lennie as a child and not as an adult. Of Mice and Men is the only tragedy that was studied this year, therefore the only one containing the theme of despair. However, the theme of hope can also be found in Theme Two: Dream...... middle of paper ......ary. It will be more rewarding if you don't push your responsibilities onto others. Later in the book, Candy discovers George and Lennie's dream of buying and living on their own farm. This gives Candy false hope for change, but it also gives her a reason to live. Over the next fifty pages, we see Candy build on the dream, until it collapses when Lennie kills Curley's wife. The last time we see Candy is when he talks to George shortly after the incident, wondering if they can still live on their farm. George states that he knew they could never achieve it, like everyone else with this same dream, eradicating all of Candy's hopes. Candy is a representative character, in the sense that she embodies George's character, as well as his problems. Candy's experiences mirror George's experiences..