To a mouse vs. of mice and men

To a mouse was a poem about how anything that one works hard at can be destroyed, whether it is a mouse's home or a country's economy.  I think in Of mice and men, several things were worked hard on and got destroyed, which is why Steinbeck named his book of mice and men.  I think one of the things George worked hard on was Lennie, who eventually died.  George took care of Lennie, made sure he had food and work and made sure he was safe.  George had done that for so long and worked so hard but when he shot Lennie, all his hard work was kind of for nothing.  I think the title suggests how mice and men are similar in a few ways and maybe in the 1930's, that title made people think about their own lives.  I think in general, Steinbeck was trying to say to value life, even when times are tough like in the great depression.  I think he was trying to say when the thing that you worked hard on gets destroyed, you have to move on. 

alternate ending

The sun was slowly setting as Lennie ran from the barn.  Lennie looked at the Salinas River, dreaming of the cold water running down his dry throat, but he kept running.  "Gotta run to the spot", Lennie said, keeping himself determined, "or else George won't let me tend those rabbits".  Lennie turned left of the road onto the forest path and started to slow down.  The sun had finally set behind the mountains and a cool shade fell onto the forest.  Lennie spotted a heron, standing calmly on a rock and stared at it for a while.  He walked closer to the heron but it flew away.  Dissapointed, Lennie kept on walking down the path alongside the river, listening to bird's wings flapping and the sound of the waves of the river crashing.  Lennie found a calm pool of water suitable for drinking and put his hands in the water.  Satisfied with the temperature, he dipped his head in the water, letting the cool water go soothe his throat, face and lips.  He walked out onto the path again and started to jog, feeling less tired. 

George followed behind Curley, eyeing his shotgun.  "Come on Curley, the big bastard probably didn't mean to hurt your girl, and what good would shooting him do anyways"? 
"It would get my respect back" Curley said without turning around to face George.  "Ever since that bastard broke my hand, i'm nothing, i don't get no respect no more."  George didn't reply.  A twig snapped to his left and he saw Lennie, rocking back and forth, murming to himself, out of view from Curley.  He looked down in his coat pocket at the stolen luger.  Looking once more at Lennie, he turned back to Curley and shot him, right in the centre of the back.  George ran through the bush to where Lennie sat on the chair.  "George, i didn't forget, i would never forget what to do George".  "I know, you big confused bastard, i know".  "Can we still get the farm George?"  Lennie said, "and can we still get the alfalfa for the rabbits and live of the fata the land"?  "You know what, i think we can"  George said.  "We gonna get out of this forest, grab Candy, Slim and that stable buck and we gonna go South.  They started to walk back towards the road, parallel to the Salinas River.  The heron was back on the rock, standing calmly and Lennie spotted a water snake smoothly slipping into the water.  They entered the road and walked towards the barn.  "Your my brother George"  Lennie said.  "Your the only person i got". 
George paused, unsure of what to say.  George put his arm around Lennie shoulder and looked up at the clear night sky.  He stopped walking and gazed at the bright stars and the moon.  "We're family Lennie" George said, and they continued walking.  In a world where everyone was on their own, George had Lennie, and Lennie had George.