Of Mice and Men and the Grapes of Wrath, written by John Steinbeck, winner of the 1962 Nobel Prize for Literature, both describe harsh conditions of life and difficult difficulties. Migrant farm workers faced during the period of the Great Depression. In the short story Of Mice and Men, two men named George and Lennie go looking for work on a ranch in California, hoping to one day have their own farm. However, Lennie is mentally retarded and always causes trouble, ultimately leading to George's mercy killing of Lennie, an action which ends their pursuit of the American dream. In this latest novel, the Joad family, like many other poor Oklahoma farmers, is forced to leave their land and travel to California, in search of jobs, land, dignity and a better future. Although the family works diligently, their dreams are crushed by cruel realities, including the separation and death of family members, poor job prospects, and mistreatment by wealthy California farm owners. Some of the recurring themes, shared by both novels, are the inhumanity of humans to others, the powerful nature of relationships, and the impossibility of the American dream. In both novels, humans display inhumanity towards each other, even though some of them are the victims. of this predatory nature. The author takes the voice of a used car salesman: “My God, if only I could get a hundred cars. I don't care if they run or not. » (Chapter 7 GOW) When farmers are in trouble, crooked car salesmen deceive their urgency to buy cars, taking advantage of the weak and showing the inhumanity of human beings. This inhumanity also manifests itself through selfishness and animosity towards...... middle of paper ...... to change their lives in a positive way. George and Lennie want to own a farm. Curley's wife wants to become a movie star. Curley wants his wife's love. Crooks wants to be treated equally. However, by the end of the book, none of them achieve their dreams, which supports the line: The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. (To a mouse) As the three recurring themes of the books become clear, our understanding of the ideas contained within the lines of the books also becomes clear. Even with all the difficulties presented by the themes of both books, I think Steinbeck still wants us to view these challenges as valuable experiences and richest opportunities to ultimately achieve the seemingly impossible American dream. In a narrower context, what both books taught me are: Be kind. Be optimistic. Be yourself. These words are grossly cliché but totally true.