In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck why is it called of mice and men?
In “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck why is it called of mice and men?
Top 2 Answers
Favorite Answer
I got this from Wikipedia…
“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.”
Hope that helps 🙂 There’s more info on the book on that wikipedia page…
0
It’s taken from a Robert Burns poem, “To a mouse”, which contains the words, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley’ which is Scottish for ‘often go wrong’. It’s a reference, I believe, to humans’ ultimate inability to control their future. The poet accidently destroys a mouse’s nest, so are our plans often destroyed by fate.
0
