Pink Poogle Toy Forum

I loved Of Mice and Men. I hadn't the faintest clue where the title came from until the teacher told us the quote of "the best laid plans of mice and men" can sometimes go awry, or something. And I thought it was really sad, when you apply the quote to the book.

After all, it's just two friends who want a place of their own. And they can't have it. Friendship, loyalty, dreams versus reality -- who hasn't had a dream they couldn't realise? A lot of things seem like they "just don't happen anymore", but who's to say they don't? Not the exact same situation, obviously, but the essential meaning. (And I'm sounding more and more like a prat, so I'll wind up quickly.)

It's a classic not because the time period it's dated in and the language of that time is necessarily in use and existence now. It's because the ideas and the feelings transcend time. They happen again and again and again. Maybe the characters don't seem real because you can't imagine their surroundings and they seem to belong to a past that has nothing to do with you. But if you think about them as if they were real, as if this was a real story, and treat the characters with some compassion, maybe it will actually feel real and not "outdated".

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.”

It's from a poem by Scottish poet Robert Burns, To a Mouse.

We read Of Mice And Men in Year... 9 or something and I loved it. I nicked the school copy (I've still got it somewhere) and I still read it sometimes.

It's not very uplifting though. Probably why I like it.

I had to read that for English when I was at school many years ago.
I don't remember much apart from I thought it was very boring.
I should read it again now I'm 21 not 12 I might appreciate it more.

You can tell you listen to that...crap emo band. Forgotten their name.

i liked of mice and men, but grapes of wrath was better (yet so so so much longer). gotta love that steinbeck and his 20-page nature descriptions.

I thought Of Mice of Men was very good. It made be cry at the end when George had to kill Lenny. Cause as much Lenny got on his nerves he stilled loved him as a friend and that had of been a very hard thing to do. I think thats what I liked about it so much.