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InequalityandtheAmericanDream:
ThecomparisonandcontrastofInColdBlood

andOfMiceandMen

InequalityisasdeartotheAmericanheartaslibertyitself.

WilliamDeanHowells
ThisquoteholdstrueforbothworksofOfMiceandMen

andInColdBlood

.OfMice

andMenisanovellawrittenbyAmericanauthorJohnSteinbeck.OfMiceandMen

isatragic
fictionthattakesplaceinthe1930sinSoledad,California.Thestoryfollowstwomigrant
workersGeorgeMiltonandLennieSmallsandtheirquesttomakealivingduringthe1930s
GreatDepression.

Thenextnovel
InColdBloodisatruecrimenovelwrittenbyTrumanCapote.
ThenoveltellsofthemurderofthefourmembersoftheClutterfamilyandthekillerswhodidit.
Capotereconstructsthemurder,thecapture,thetrial,andtheexecutionofthekillers.Though
bothnovelstelloftragedyanddespair,CapoteandSteinbeckstillhaveanunderlyingmessage.
BothnovelsspeakoftheinequalityoftheAmericandream.Therefore,theliteraryworksOf

MiceandMen

andInColdBloodbotharguetheAmericandreamisadreamthatmanyhopeto
achieveandveryfewaccomplishduetotheenormousamountofinequalityhowever,John
Steinbeckof

OfMiceandMendoesamoreeffectivejobofarguingthistheme.
Bydefinition,theAmericandreamistheideathatallpeoplecansucceedthroughhard
work,andthus,allpeoplecanhavethepotentialtolivehappyandsuccessfullives.However,the
Americandreamcanneverbetrulyachievedduetothefactthatinequalitystillexistsin
everydaysociety.Bothauthorsof

InColdBlood

andOfMiceandMenmainlyfocusonthe

inequalityoftheAmericanDreamandhowtheircharactersareaffectedbythedream.
CapoteinInColdBloodbelievesintheinequalityoftheAmericandream.Capoteshows

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evidenceofthisdreamwhenhedescribestheClutterfamilyinthetownofHolcomb,Kansas.In
thenovel,theCluttersaredescribedastheperfectfamily.Mr.Clutterisdescribedasagood
fatherandhonorablemanonpage6(Capote).TheClutterkidsNancyandKenyonClutterare
describedasperfectsmartchildrenaswell.Nancyissaidtobethetownsdarling(Capote7).
Kenyonisdescribedasanintelligentstudent.TheCluttersalsoownanicehomewithagood
amountofland.Overall,theCluttersseemlikeafinanciallyinshapeperfectfamily.Thereare
otherfamiliesdiscussedinthenovel,buttheyarenotpraisedandhighlythoughtoflikethe
Clutterfamily.TheCluttersarealsolocatedinthetownofHolcomb.Holcombisdescribedasa
villageinalonesomeareathatotherKansanscalloutthere(Capote3).SincetheClutters
arethemostrespectedandhighlyesteemedfamilyinHolcomb,theyaretreatedlikeroyalty.The
CluttersareobviouslyasymboloftheAmericandream.Capotefromthebeginningofthenovel
putstheClutterfamilyonsuchahighpedestalandmakeseverythingintheirsurroundingsless
important.Thisshowsthesocioeconomicimbalancefromtherichandpowerfultothepoorand
lesspowerful.CapotesantiAmericandreambeliefmakestheCluttersbeingaperfect,rich,and
powerfulfamilyandtheAmericandreamasinandmustbepurgedfromsociety.Thereforeby
theCluttersbeinggone,itrestoresbalancetothisvillagesociety.TheAmericandreams
inequalityisoneofthemajorreasonswhyCapoteshowsadislikingtothedreamhimself,since
hewasaffectedbythedreamsinequalitybybeinganopenlygayman.Capotealsoshowsthe
AmericansdreaminequalitywhenhedescribesthemurdersoftheClutterfamily.
WhenCapotedescribesDickHickockandPerrySmithsbackground,heisvery
empatheticaboutthemenspast.CapotedescribesPerryschildhoodasPerrybeingan
abandonedandneglectedchildwhoneverreceiveddesperatelywantedschooling.Healso

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describesDickasnothavingthebestlifeeither.Dickissaidtohavebeeninacaraccident
resultinginanegativechangeinhisbehavior(Capote292).Capotesdescriptionofthemen
makesthereadersfeelverysympatheticforthemeventhoughtheyaremurders.Capoteeven
makesthereaderquestionwhetherthemenslifecouldhaveturnedoutbetter,ifnotfortheir
backgroundandtheirlifeexperiencesmakingtheblamebeingputonsociety.Capotewantsthe
audiencetoseethatachievingtheAmericandreamisnotthateasy,especiallyiflife
circumstancesmakeithardtoachieve.CapotemakestheAmericandreamlooklikealottery.
SomearefortunateenoughtowinthelotteryandbecomeliketheClutterswhileothersarenot
fortunateenoughtowinthelotteryandbecomemurders.Capoteseesthissocioeconomic
imbalance,andtherefore,stronglypushesthisideainhisbeautifullywrittentruecrimenovel.
InOfMiceandMen,SteinbeckarguestheAmericanDreamishardtoachieveinthe
presenceofinequality.Steinbeckprovesthispointthroughthedescriptionofhischaracters.
Steinbeck,inthebeginningofthenovel,focusesonLennie.Lennieisoneofthemaincharacters
ofthenovelandisoftenpickedonbecauseheismentallydisabled.Onpage62,Lennieisseen
beingbulliedbyanotherrancherwhodislikesLenniefornoapparentreason(Steinbeck).Lennie
isworkingattheranchinordertomakeabetterlivingforhimself,butheisbeatenbrutally.
SteinbeckusesLennie,amentallydisabledperson,toshowthatnomatterwhoapersonis,there
arealwaysgoingtobesocietalobstaclesalongthewaystoppingapersonfrompursuinghisor
herhappiness.
SteinbeckfurtherarguestheAmericandreamsinequalitywhenhedescribestheother
minorcharactersinthenovel,suchasCandy.Candyisanoldranchhand.Afterhearingabout
theLennieandGeorgesdreamtoownafarm,heofferstopaythemajorityofthepriceonly

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leavingasmallpriceleft.Inexchange,Candycouldliveandhelponthefarm.Candyknows
sinceheisgettingolderthathisuseattheranchwouldbenolongerneeded.Candysees
evidenceofthisonpage45whentheotherworkersonthefarmwanttoputdownhisdogfor
beingoldandofnouse(Steinbeck).Therefore,Candysdreamoflivingonafarmandhelping
LennieandGeorgebybeingtheirranchhandwouldsignifythatheisstilluseful.Steinbeckuses
Candy,anoldworker,toshowtherestrictionsapersonmighthaveforjustbeingold.Candymay
beagoodworkerandstillveryuseful,eventhoughheisold,buttheattitudetheranchmenhave
towardstheold,stopsCandyfromcontinuouslypursuinghisdream.
CrookssharesthesamedreamLennie,George,andCandyhasofowningafarm.Crooks
isablackstablehandandworksinthestablewiththeanimals.Crooksistheonlyblackworker
onthefarm,andheisawareoftheprejudicehereceivesduetohisskincolor.Becauseofthe
prejudice,Crooksistoliveinthestablebyhimself.WhenCrooksistoldaboutthedreamfarm,
heispleasedandimmediatelystartsimaginingalifeonthefarm.HoweverwhenCurleyswife
comesby,shecrushesCrooksdreamandremindshimofhislimitationsofbeingablackperson
andhowinferiorheistoevenher,awoman.SteinbeckusesCrooks,anAfricanAmerican
worker,toshowthatifapersondoesnotmeetthequalificationsofrace,heorsheisrestricted
frompursuinghisorherdream.
Curleyswifehasdreamsandambitioustoo.Shewantedtobeanactress,butherdreams
didnottakeoff.ThisresultsinCurleyswifemarryingCurley,eventhough,shedoesnotlike
himverymuch.Curleyswifeevengoesdownalistofthingsthatshecouldofdoneifshehad
anabilitytofollowherdreamsonpage86(Capote).HoweversinceCurleyswifeisawoman,
shedidnothavealotofoptionsandopportunitiestodoasshepleased.Insteadofpursuingher

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dreamsasanactress,shehadtopickalifeofstability,whichconsistedofmarryingCurley.
SteinbeckusesCurleyswifetoshowhowwomenwerelimitedintheirdecisions.Thisresultsin
womenbeingunabletopursuetheirdreams.
ByexaminingbothworksofliteratureInColdBloodandOfMiceandMen,itisapparent
thatSteinbeckdidamoreeffectivejobofdescribingtheinequalityinvolvedinpursuingthe
Americandream.InOfMiceandMen,Steinbeckmakeshischaractersandtheirsituations
universal.Heachievesthisbyusingcharactersofdifferentdemographicbackgrounds.Steinbeck
usesamentallydisabledperson,anoldman,ablackperson,andawomantoshowhowminority
groupsarerestrictedinpursuingtheirAmericandream.Hedisplayshoweachcharacterhasthe
rugpulledoutfromunderneaththem,astheycometotermswiththeirstatusintheirsociety.For
example,whenCrookswasconversingwithLennieandCandyaboutthefarmonpage78,
Crooksspokefreelyandfeltlikearegularhumanbeing(Steinbeck).However,whenCurleys
wifestartedremindingCrooksofhissocietalcircumstances,Crookslosthishappinessandfelt
therestrictionsputonhimforbeingablackman.Onpage78,thenovelsays,heseemedto
growsmallerinresponsetoCurleyswifecomments(Steinbeck).Steinbeckseesthesesocial
issuesandisnotafraidtocallthemoutevenwhenequalityforminoritygroupswasnotpopular
atthetime.BySteinbeckusingcharacterssuchasCrooks,Curleyswife,Lennie,andCandy,it
makeshisnovelmorerelatable,andthusuniversal.Steinbecksstyleofwritingalsomakeshis
noveleffective.Steinbecksstyleisdescriptive,yetsimple.Thiscanbeseenwhenhedescribes
hischaractersandthesettingofthenovelonpage3(Steinbeck).Steinbecksuseofdictionalso
showsthathehasanunderstandingofhissettingandofhistimeperiod.Forexample,insteadof
Steinbeckusingpropergrammarforhischaractersspeech,Steinbeckuseswestern1930sslang.

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Bydoingso,SteinbecktrulyembodieshowapersonwhomayhavelivedinthetimeoftheGreat
Depressionmayhavespokenandmayhavebehaved.
CapoteisalsoeffectivewhendescribingtheinequalityoftheAmericandreaminhis
novelInColdBlood.However,Steinbeckprovidesmorecasestudiesoftheinequalityofthe
AmericandreamhappeningmakingSteinbeckmoreeffective,andhisnovelmorerelatable.
Inconclusion,bothworksofOfMiceandMenandInColdBloodshowtheinequality
involvedwhenpursuingtheAmericandreamandthedifficultyitistoachieveit.Eventhough,
SteinbecksOfMiceandMenwasmoreeffectiveindisplayingthethemes.Bothworksallowthe
audiencetopullalessonandameaningfromthetwodifferentstories.

WorkCited

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Capote,Truman.InColdBlood.NewYork:VintageInternational,2012.Print.
Steinbeck,John.OfMiceandMen.NewYork:Penguin,1993.Print.