Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck. It is set in California during the Great Depression. The story follows two ranch hands who travel together and are very poor. Throughout the novel we see many different philosophical references. Many different types of characters from this novel are reused in today's society. Steinbeck also writes eloquently about man's diverse emotions, aspirations, and dreams. The title of this novel originates from Robert Burn's poem “To a Mouse” written in 1785. Steinbeck's book shows comparisons to this poem. One way he demonstrates this is through the helpless and doomed fate of the mouse who has no control over what might happen to him based on his condition (“Reith”). Steinbeck originally titled the book Something That Happened. It was originally supposed to be a children's book. This was mainly due to the childlike innocence given by the characters. However, the theme proved to be much more complex and adult than originally anticipated ("The Making"). In the poetry of Robert Burn, he wrote about how man's plans and ideas can and often do go astray. This provided the inspiration for the theme and title of Steinbeck's book. This proves that the best plans and thoughts can be thwarted. These plans can be destroyed by many innocent distractions. Even if the best intentions were sincere, it still ends unpredictably (Scarseth). Steinbeck was inspired to write this book in the summer of 1922 through his experiences at the Spreckels Sugar Company Ranch. He worked there with Filipino and Mexican labor. The landscape of the book was familiar to where he worked. He worked on an oasis type river and renamed the place to a place called Soledad which meant solitude (Hays)...... middle of paper...... elitist John Steinbeck has sometimes been criticized as sentimental. Duncan Reith discovers the grim political pessimism behind his novel about ranch life during the Great Depression, of mice and men." The English Review November 2004: 6+. Literary resources from Gale. Web. 11 January 2012. Scarseth, Thomas. "A Good Teachable Book: Of Mice and Men." Ed. Nicholas J. Karolides, Lee Burress and John M. Kean Press, 1993. 388-394. Ed. Diane Telgen. Gale, 1998. Literary Resources from Gale Web, January 11, 2012. “Stage and Screen.” Twayne Publishers, 1995. 64-81. Twayne's Masterwork Studies 147. Literary Resources from Gale Web, January 11, 2012. Steinbeck, John Of Mice and Men, 1993.