Hard Work

One of the most prominent rationalist ideas is the concept that everyone has the ability to achieve greatness.  Rationalists believed that everyone could be successful, but the level of success you achieved could vary.  Only through hard work, could one be successful.  Naturally, everyone wanted to amount to a high level of wealth and value, so there was an emphasis on hard work in society.  At the time, being successful was considered living the American Dream.  This included having a substantial amount of money that you could live off of, having a house, and working your way up in the social classes as high as you could. Many people devoted their whole lives towards working towards this idea in hopes of one day being prosperous.  Rationalist also believed in social mobility, so through the hard work that people put in, not only did they gain money, but they also gained a new social status and could change their way of life.

The book Of Mice and Men is set on a large ranch that requires many ranch-hands.  The business of ranching is almost solely based off of labor, and that is the purest form of “work”.  Labor was the first form of “work,” and for a long time was the only way to earn a living.  This choice in setting sets the tone of the book, and shows the readers that promotions in life; in their jobs, or relationships will be earned through dedication and effort.  All of the men on the ranch are there to hopefully make some money so that they can go off and have a prosperous life once they have earned enough.  George and Lennie travel together, and are hoping to have a ranch and house of their own one day.  George is small, but smart, and Lennie is big and strong, but can’t function up to par socially.  The two are dedicated to supporting each other in life, and their personalities blend together to create a perfect team.  On the ranch, they work hard each day to earn money so that they can live their dream.  This dream is similar to the American Dream, a concept during the time of Rationalism.