Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men is a novella by American author John Steinbeck, published in 1937. The tragic story, given poignancy by its objective narrative, is about the complex bond between two migrant laborers.

The plot centers on George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to the large and mentally challenged Lennie, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength. When Lennie accidentally kills the ranch owner’s flirtatious daughter-in-law, George shoots his friend rather than allowing him to be captured by a vengeful lynch mob.

The book’s title comes from “To a Mouse,” a poem by 18th-century Scottish poet Robert Burns about a farmer who ruins a mouse’s nest while plowing his field: “The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men / Gang aft agley” (“The best-laid plans of mice and men / Often go awry”).

Steinbeck adapted the book into a three-act play that was produced in 1937. It was also adapted for television several times, including a Turkish-language version, and for motion pictures twice (1939 and 1992). The first of these big-screen treatments was directed by Lewis Milestone and starred Burgess Meredith (George) and Lon Chaney, Jr. (Lennie). It also featured a score by composer Aaron Copland, who would work with Milestone again in 1949 on an adaptation of Steinbeck’s short-story collection The Red Pony. The 1992 film version of Of Mice and Men was directed by Gary Sinise, who played George opposite John Malkovich’s Lennie.