Does anyone who why the book 'Of Mice and Men' is called 'Of Mice and Men?

Question

The book is by John Steinbeck.

Answer 1

The title is taken from Robert Burns' famous poem, To a Mouse, which is often quoted as: "The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry (or astray)." (The original Burns rendition of the same idea in Scots-accented English is: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men / Gang aft agley.") The name for the book is an ironic literary allusion to the problems of the main characters, at the same time making reference to an episode in the story in which one physically powerful but developmentally disabled character accidentally kills a mouse while trying to pet it, foreshadowing a manslaughter which will later happen in the same way.

Answer 2

From Bartleby.com http://209.10.134.179/59/3/bestlaidplan.html:

The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

No matter how carefully a project is planned, something may still go wrong with it. The saying is adapted from a line in “To a Mouse,” by Robert Burns: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” 1

For the poem: http://www.robertburns.org/works/75.shtml.

I don't agree with most of the first Google hits regarding the significance of the proverb in Steinbeck's work, however. He was a sensualist and a symbolist - I imagine he admired the childlike rhythmn of Burns as a poet but also the frantic efforts of the animal kingdom and their vulnerability like the migrants in this story for such paltry rewards.

Search Steinbeck at very bottom of The Roll & Shuffle for the best links and a few excerpts of other works: http://pokerpulse.com/news/viewforum.php?f=12.

Answer 3

Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck, first published in 1937, which tells the tragic story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers in California during the Great Depression (1929-1941).

The title originated from the poem by a Scottish poet Robert Burns (1759-1796) called "To a Mouse - On turning her up in her nest with the plough, November 1785". Burns tells us how even ,,the best-laid plans o` Mice an Men" may come to nothing.

The name for the book is an ironic literary allusion to the problems of the main characters, at the same time making reference to an episode in the story in which one physically powerful but developmentally disabled character accidentally kills a mouse while trying to pet it, foreshadowing a manslaughter which will later happen in the same way.

Steinbeck originally titled it Something That Happened, however he changed the title after reading Robert Burns' poem, To a Mouse.

The novel was banned from various American school libraries or curricula - for promoting euthanasia and for being full of racism, profanity, and foul language. Due to the novel's content, it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number six. his book is still banned in some American states

the top ten banned nooks (2006) is as follows
1.Scary Stories (Series) by Alvin Schwartz
2.Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
4, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
7. Harry Potter (Series) by J.K. Rowling
8. Forever by Judy Blume
9. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
10. Alice (Series) by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Answer 4

Two reasons I came up with when asked the same question for an English exam!

From the personalities of Lenny and George, and from the phrase (Burns, I think) 'The best laid plans of mice and men, oft gae astray'

Of course, I had to expand that to about 500 words, but I got an A!

Answer 5

If there is a John Steinbeck website, try looking on there, as the information will be from the author themselves. Saying that, I know it is part of a longer "saying", but don't remember the rest of it.

Found it!
I knew it was part of a poem.

Answer 6

SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!



I think it may come from the fact the George plans out a future small holding with Lenny and Candy, only to have his plans ruined by Lenny when he accidently kills Mrs Curly. The fact that Lenny always trys to pet the mice but kills them is definately part of the tital

Answer 7

It comes from the quote - 'The best laid plans of mice and men will surely go awry..' By Rabbie Burns

It means that no matter how good our plans/intentions they can still not come to fruition.. Think Lenny..

Answer 8

Lennie had a thing about mice?

Answer 9

"The best-laid plans of mice and men gang aft astray." An aphorism expressing that things go wrong despite our best efforts and intentions.

Answer 10

Because of all the analogies comparing Lenny to animals