“The best laid schemes of mice and men go often askew.” This was from Robert Burns’ poem, “To a Mouse.” John Steinbeck used this quotation as the title of his book, Of Mice and Men. As in the poem, human being’s plans also do not always go as intended. Even in this title, Steinbeck is already foreshadowing what will happen in the story. George and Lennie, in Of Mice and Men, wish to someday own their own farm together. But, Lennie has mental disabilities, such as short-term memory loss. Eventually, Lennie has to pay the price for his issues. Their dream never ends up coming true. This was foreshadowed many times during the novel. This literary technique is described as “A warning or indication of a future event in a piece of literature,” according to Google.com. So, how is foreshadowing used in John Steinbeck’s selection, Of Mice and Men? George and Lennie needed money to buy the farm, so they go to work on a ranch. George tells Lennie not to talk to anyone, so he wouldn't cause trouble and risk them losing their job. George specifically tells Lennie to stay away from Curley’s wife. But, Lennie likes to pet soft things, because he has the mind and maturity of a six-year-old. So one day, Lennie was petting her hair, and he accidentally broke her neck. He killed her because he has no control of his own strength. So now, George …show more content…
But, the house was too small, and it got destroyed. This shows how even for the mice, the plans went off track, and didn't go the way he wanted them to go. Originally, his plan was to survive the cold winter in his temporary house, and move to a new, possibly permanent spot in the spring. The tie between the mice and humans is that their plans will possibly go awry. As in Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie were temporarily staying at the farmhouse for a few months, then seek to build their own house and stay there