Glad you've already written an essay! Seems you have a
good start. I obviously won't write an essay for you, but I'll give you some points to
consider.
Steinbeck's title is borrowed from a line in
Robert Burns' "To A Mouse," a poem whose speaker has just overturned a mouse's nest with
his plow. As the speaker observes how quickly he has just ruined the mouse's hard work,
he notes that the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry (translation).
Steinbeck obviously uses this idea to shape the characters and plot in his
novel.
The most obvious example that supports the idea
that dreams can be futile is the dream George and Lennie have to own the farm. It's
clear from the beginning of the novel that Lennie can't really function in society, and
the story George tells Slim (about the incident in Weed) forshadows Lennie's killing of
Curley's wife in Chapter 5.
Further, readers understand
that because Curley's wife's dreams of becoming an actress never materialized, she is a
lonely woman who is resentful of her role as an emotionally-starved wife. Because she
married Curley, she is unable to have a meaningful relationship with anyone and feels
that she never achieved her true potential.
You might also
look at Crooks, since the fact that he is black keeps him from interacting freely with
the other ranch hands and living the kind of life he wants to live. Similarly, Candy
voices a concern that because he is old and can't use his hand, he won't have a place on
the ranch for much longer. Both of these characters (Candy moreso) express interest in
leaving the ranch to go with George and Lennie to the farm.
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