Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men is one of Steinbeck’s masterpieces that reflect his ability to accurately transform social perceptions into narratives. It tells the story of how the protagonists George and Lennie attempt to pursue their “dream of land” only for it to end in failure. This widely acclaimed book is one of the ten most-read classics in American education. In the beginning of the century, British readers have nominated Of Mice and Men as one of the top 100 best-loved novels in the United Kingdom.

The title, Of Mice and Men, was inspired by the poem “To a Mouse” by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. A famous line in the poem reads: “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” This line can be used to describe the fate of the novel’s main characters - George and Lennie’s fate in the novel: no matter how hard they work and how carefully they act, their hope of saving up always falls through because of Lennie’s innocent mistakes. They are forced to be constantly on the run, drifting from place to place until an irreparable mistake, causing their dream to be completely shattered.