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Hayden Barrett
Ms. Plocharczyk
Honors English 9-6
2 February 2016
Land Of Lost Dreams
Land ties are connections that people form with the land they live on, work on, or dream
about. Many people can develop ties to the same piece of land, however, their connections can
be very different. One person's tie could be a memory of joy, excitement or freedom, whereas
another person could have a sad, angry, or resentful tie to the same piece of land. Places can
carry many emotions, the emotions perceived are different for every person.
The ranch that George and Lennie come to work on is one of the few places that they
ever feel tied to. The ranch means a steady job which to them, as migrant workers, is very
important. With a job that is more secure than in the past, they will be able to ‘roll up a stake.’
However, Curley's wife has a less pleasant view of the ranch. Where George and Lennie see
opportunity, she only sees loneliness. She is the only woman on the ranch and no one ever wants
to talk to her. Candy also has a sad story; for him the ranch symbolizes many losses. The root
cause is the loss of his hand which occurred at the ranch. “ I ain't much good with on’y one
hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch”(Steinbeck 59). As a farmworker, Candy is much
more expendable with only one hand. Candy continues on to say that he thinks the boss will
kick him out pretty soon and that he really needs to find a permanent place to stay.
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When George and Lennie let Candy in on their idea of the dream ranch, he is all for it.
He even says, “ Maybe if I give you guys my money, you'll let me hoe in the garden…”
(Steinbeck 60). With this offer, he inevitably becomes tied to George and Lennie's dream farm.
For him the ranch is somewhere where he won't eventually be kicked out, better yet it is a place
where he is actually wanted. For Lennie the ranch is actually just a dream and he doesn't know
that he, George, and Candy may actually be able to buy the farm. Lennie has fantasized about
the ranch so much that when he thinks about it, all he thinks about is the rabbits. “Let's have
different color rabbits, George” (Steinbeck 16). Lenny knows that it isn't possible to have the
color rabbits that he dreams about, he wants red, blue, and green rabbits. He also says that he
wants a few mill...
