Everybody has a dream which they wish to attain during their lifetime. During the Great Depression, a common dream which was shared among many due to harsh economic times was fulfillment of the well-known “American Dream.”  People were desperate for opportunity, employment, and prosperity. Throughout the novella Of Mice and Men, which takes place during a period of economic succession where many workers migrated in search of employment, the author John Steinbeck continually shows support for this message of the widespread desire for the American Dream through the fictional character’s portrayed need for happiness and a better life for themselves. Of Mice and Men accurately conveys this well-known idea of the American Dream as it is presented through literary devices such as imagery, characterization, and the use of symbolism. Throughout the duration of the story, the two main characters George and Lennie are out in search of their dream. They wish to one day possess land they can call their own. George states: “We gonna get a little piece of land We’ll have a cow An’ we’ll have maybe a pig an’ chickens an’ down the flat we’ll have a little piece of alfalfa” (Steinbeck 102-103).  In this specific part of the text, Steinbeck clearly uses imagery to describe to the readers the American Dream that Lennie and George share. Their reason for working is to eventually save up enough money to be able to buy this land of their own. Additionally, in chapter three, George says: "All kin's a vegetables in the garden, and if we want a little whisky we can sell a few eggs or something, or some milk. We'd jus' live there. We'd belong there. There wouldn't be no more runnin' round the country and gettin' fed by a Jap cook. No, sir, we'd have our own place where we belonged and not sleep in no bunk house” (Steinbeck 56). The idea of the American Dream is clear through this imagery that Steinbeck uses because it allows the read