Universal Theme
If it's possible, go for it, but if you know it's not realistic, don't waste your time.
Of Mice and Men
In the book, Of Mice & Men, the author tells the readers that going after your dreams is difficult at times, but doesnt mean you should give up. There will always be a bump in the road you can't fix, but it shouldn't stop you from going around or making it over the bump. The author shows both a negative and positive side of going after your dreams. Steinbeck uses an example to show that some dreams are worth going the extra mile for and also shows that some dreams just weren't meant to happen
In the book George and Lennie had to work to earn enough money to buy their dream home and had an opportunity to buy a home that was perfect for them, but it seemed like they weren't going to buy their dream home anytime soon. When speaking about it Candy over heard their conversation and said, " I ain't much good with on'y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch. That's why they gave me a job swampin'. An' they give me two hundred an' fifty dollars 'cause I los' my hand. An' I got fifty more saved up right in the bank, right now. Tha's three hundred, an' I got fifty more comin' the end a the month. Tell you what- S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hundred an' fifty bucks I'd put in." And then perceeded to say, "Maybe if I give you guys my money, you'll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain't no good at it." (Page 59 & 60) Delighted George and Lennie agreed to it and it gave all three of them hope and something to look forward. Then later on Lennie's dream was destroyed once he got into some trouble which lead to George having to kill him at the end of the book.
The Necklace
The author of the books tells the readers that sometimes dreams can be unrealistic, nearly impossible to reach, hopeless, and undeserving when you are being greedy and inconsiderate towards others. This also shows that some people will do just about anything to make their dreams come true not realizing that it may not happen in the end. The author also shows more of a negative side about chasing dreams for the story leads to misery at the end.
In the short story Madame Louisel was a selfish woman who dreamed of being wealthy. She often used her husband for money to spend on luxurious things to feel rich. When she got invited to a fancy party she found a great opportunity to look wealthy. She used her husbands money to buy an expensive dress and asked her friend is she could borrow an expensive looking necklace. When she attended the party she got many compliments about how wealthy she looked, but by the end of the night she lost the necklace. In panic she looked for the necklace, but didn't find it anywhere. She didn't want to face her friend and tell her she lost it so she made up an excuse to buy time to hopefully find it. After much searching she lost hope and decided to replace it using her husbands money of course. They gave the replacement to her friend, but since the replacement was so expensive her and her husband had to work it off for the next ten years. She lived a miserable life, but ended up running into her friend she borrowed the necklace from and found out the necklace was counterfeit and wasn't worth much. This shows that eventough she did everything she could (mainly bad things) to live her dream to become wealthy, it just didn't work out and ended up causing her to live a life she didn't want at all.
The Climb by Miley Cyrus
In the song Miley is telling us that there is always going to be some trouble when chasing your dreams and it may not go your way, but you have to keep going no matter the struggle because if it's worth it then go for it. Also it's not about how fast you get to your dream, but the struggle you went through to get there. The singer (Miley Cyrus) shows a more positive side about chasing dreams and encourages people to go after them.
So what? Impact
The theme impacts not only all three of the examples, but society. Some people have dreams that are worth going after and actually achieve it, but often times some dreams are unrealistic and end up going down the drain. Nothing should stop you forming chasing your dreams, but sometimes you have to face reality
Credits:
Created with images by Wokandapix - "thanks word letters"