The title of the book comes from a poem by the 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. It is about a mouse, which carefully builds a winter nest in a wheat field, only for it to be destroyed by a ploughman. The mouse had dreamed of a safe, warm winter and is now faced with the harsh reality of cold, loneliness and possible death. Part of the poem goes:
The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men,
Gang aft a-gley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promised joy!
Which pretty much means:
(The best laid schemes of mice and men
Often go wrong
And leave us nothing but grief and pain,
Instead of promised joy!)
This is an appropriate title for the novel because George and Lennie had the same dreams and plans as the mouse. They wanted to have their own place and live their life free of society’s harsh grasp. But, as the poem states, the best plans often go wrong and leave them with nothing but sorrow and pain. When Lennie accidently killed the puppy, he was deeply disappointed, thinking that George will not let him have the rabbits he so loved. However, when Lennie killed Curley’s wife he was forced to run to the safety of the bush near the river, where George would come looking for him.
From the moment Lennie killed Curley’s wife, George and Lennie’s dreams were shattered and left George grieving, as he had to kill Lennie in order to protect him from Curley’s madness and anger.
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