The title of John Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" alludes to Robert Burns' poem, 'To a Mouse". Steinbeck's title was inspired by Burns' verse "The best laid schemes 'o mice an' men/ Gang aft agley". In standard English the verse translate to "The best laid schemes of mice and men/ Go often awry".
How are the novel "Of Mice and Men" and the poem "To a Mouse" related?
AM.
To a Mouse
Robert Burns
On Turning up in Her Nest with the Plough, November, 1785
Wee, sleeket, cowran, tim’rous beastie,
O, what a panic’s in thy breastie!
Thou need na start awa sae hasty,
Wi’ bickerin brattle!
I wad be laith to rin an’ chase thee
Wi’ murd’ring pattle!
I’m truly sorry Man’s dominion
Has broken Nature’s social union,
An’ justifies that ill opinion,
Which makes thee startle,
At me, thy poor, earth-born companion,
An’ fellow-mortal!
I doubt na, whyles, but thou may thieve;
What then? poor beastie, thou maun live!
A daimen-icker in a thrave
’S a sma’ request:
I’ll get a blessin wi’ the lave,
An’ never miss ’t!
Thy wee-bit housie, too, in ruin!
It’s silly wa’s the win’s are strewin!
An’ naething, now, to big a new ane,
O’ foggage green!
An’ bleak December’s winds ensuin,
Baith snell an’ keen!
Thou saw the fields laid bare an’ waste,
An’ weary Winter comin fast,
An’ cozie here, beneath the blast,
Thou thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel coulter past
Out thro’ thy cell.
That wee-bit heap o’ leaves an’ stibble
Has cost thee monie a weary nibble!
Now thou’s turn’d out, for a’ thy trouble,
But house or hald,
To thole the Winter’s sleety dribble,
An’ cranreuch cauld!
But Mousie, thou art no thy-lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
Still, thou art blest, compar’d wi’ me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But Och! I backward cast my e’e,
On prospects drear!
An’ forward tho’ I canna see,
I guess an’ fear!
Standard English Translation
Small, sleek, cowering, timorous beast,
O, what a panic is in your breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With hurrying scamper!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering plough-staff.
I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
And fellow mortal!
I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal;
What then? Poor beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.
Your small house, too, in ruin!
It's feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse grass green!
And bleak December's winds coming,
Both bitter and keen!
You saw the fields laid bare and wasted,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel plough past
Out through your cell.
That small bit heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter's sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.
But Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leaves us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!
O, what a panic is in your breast!
You need not start away so hasty
With hurrying scamper!
I would be loath to run and chase you,
With murdering plough-staff.
I'm truly sorry man's dominion
Has broken Nature's social union,
And justifies that ill opinion
Which makes thee startle
At me, thy poor, earth born companion
And fellow mortal!
I doubt not, sometimes, but you may steal;
What then? Poor beast, you must live!
An odd ear in twenty-four sheaves
Is a small request;
I will get a blessing with what is left,
And never miss it.
Your small house, too, in ruin!
It's feeble walls the winds are scattering!
And nothing now, to build a new one,
Of coarse grass green!
And bleak December's winds coming,
Both bitter and keen!
You saw the fields laid bare and wasted,
And weary winter coming fast,
And cozy here, beneath the blast,
You thought to dwell,
Till crash! the cruel plough past
Out through your cell.
That small bit heap of leaves and stubble,
Has cost you many a weary nibble!
Now you are turned out, for all your trouble,
Without house or holding,
To endure the winter's sleety dribble,
And hoar-frost cold.
But Mouse, you are not alone,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes of mice and men
Go often askew,
And leaves us nothing but grief and pain,
For promised joy!
Still you are blest, compared with me!
The present only touches you:
But oh! I backward cast my eye,
On prospects dreary!
And forward, though I cannot see,
I guess and fear!
"Of Mice and Men" and "To a Mouse" are relative to each other in many ways - both greatly and in minor details. In the first stanza of the poem, it essentially details the fast - paced lives of both Lennie and George as they move place to place to avoid trouble. Furthermore stanza 7's "But Mouse, you are not alone," directly equates to the theme of loneliness as observed in "Of Mice and Men". Going more in depth, Mouse is capitalized - which is where Steinbeck may have placed his emphasis on the death of the mouse in the beginning of "Of Mice and Men". Last, "And leaves us nothing but grief and pain, For promised joy!" of stanza 7 serves as the foundation of the main plot in "Of Mice and Men". "Tell it how it is" proves this in that what George tells Lennie is indeed a falsified fantasy (alliteration!). The duo undergo "grief and pain" constantly as George must cope with Lennie's mental disorder and its repercussions. And so, one may infer that through these examples, "Of Mice and Men" and "To a Mouse" share many characteristics (much more if each line was analyzed!).
ReplyDeleteTo point out the obvious, the title "Of Mice and Me" was inspired by this very poem. Not only the title, but the whole foundation of the story is built behind the ideas of this poem. Lennie and George have one goal, to get a place of their own and to get there they must work until they have enough money. This premise is explained perfectly in "To a Mouse" stanzas 41 and 42. "lea’e us nought but grief and pain, For promis'd joy". The long working hours Lennie and George put in are ridiculous but they think it is worth their fantasy. It's very upsetting that both the story and the poem illustrate that happiness is a myth that give our lives meaning. This is one of many ways "Of Mice and Men" is related to "To a Mouse" considering that the book is based on the poem.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting response - makes one think of every day life and the average daydreamer. But yet, happiness may not be a myth after all - simply the way of life; how life can be a wild ride physically and emotionally. Of course in the case of Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck creates a gritty outlook to remind others of the bitter side of life, and even the value of life and to uphold morals.
DeleteThe poem "to a mouse" and the book "of mice and men" are closely related in many aspects. some of these aspects include the opinion that George had the right to kill Lennie's as seen in the second stanza "an' justifies that ill opinion" allutes to the fact that George killing Leannie is a bad event to have and opinion about justifying "ill opinion". another thing that I found interesting that compares these two works of literature is in the second-to-last stanza burns notes"for promis'd joy!" meaning that George promised Lennie with the farm story that he fabricated to Lennie and that he promised to Lennie that they would achieve the goal of owning the farm by themselves.
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