The title of the play comes from a Robert Burns poem, “Of Mice and Men.” The poem describes the poet’s dismay at the destruction of the mouse’s habitat, and it concludes, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” The play, which was written in 1967, explores the way in which an ambitious plan goes awry, despite the best intentions of its protagonists.
The story revolves around two migrant workers, George and Lennie. One of them has a learning disability, and neither man realizes how much damage he can cause. They meet and discuss the idea of owning a ranch, but Lennie accidentally kills a woman. When George discovers this, he has no choice but to shoot Lennie before he is caught. The story illustrates the devastation caused by the Great Depression and its effects on working men.
Of Mice and Men is a classic parable about the human condition. It depicts the lives of two migrant ranch workers named George and Lennie. They are two very different types of individuals, and their differences make their relationship unique. George is the business-minded one, and Lennie is the slow-witted one. But even if the two of them have very different personalities, they have something in common: their dreams.
In the opening scene, Lennie accidentally breaks his wife’s neck. He then runs off to hide on the riverbank, but he is too late to save her. Candy, meanwhile, is the one who keeps the bunkhouse clean.
