24 Classics for 2024 discussion

Was doing some background/context reading as I head to reading it for the second time, and I found this interesting fact about the title.

Probably good to have already read the first chapter before reading this.


"Steinbeck chose the title Of Mice and Men after reading a poem called “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns, in which the poet regrets accidentally destroying a mouse’s nest. The poem resonates with several of Of Mice and Men’s central themes: the impermanence of home and the harshness of life for the most vulnerable.

The struggles of the mouse whose home is destroyed parallels with the struggles of George, Lennie, and other migrant workers whose dreams of purchasing land are destroyed by the trials of the Great Depression. Their own fate is not so different from the poem’s mouse, or the dead mouse Lennie pulls from his pocket—the characters are destined for destruction beyond their control."

Thanks Ruth for your research, really appreciated.

Interesting bit of information, thank you!