The author of Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, focuses on the idea that the extremity of suffering is greater than that of death. The ending is foreseeable and bearable because Steinbeck crafts the whole book so that it builds up and prepares readers for the ending, the most profound action that exemplifies this main motif. To create such a book, he foreshadows Lennie’s fate, includes an event where Candy has to make decisions similar to those in the end, and compiles a series of instances throughout the book regarding Lennie’s misunderstanding of his own physical strength and death itself. Foreshadowing of the events that occur at the end of the book include Steinbeck having George show where Lennie is to hide if he were to do …show more content…
After George reprimands Lennie for killing mice, the book states, “Lennie looked sadly up at him. ‘They was so little,’ he said apologetically. ‘I’d pet ʼem, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and then they was dead–because they was so little.’”(10). The foundation is set in place for Lennie’s eventual crime with this quote by showing that Lennie does not understand his own strength and what taking a life truly means, and he only understands that when it is not moving it is dead and that George will be mad at him for it. Comparatively, this is a relatively modest crime and does not shock the reader, instead easies them into Steinbeck’s overall plan to make the reader eventually decide their opinion in the most extreme case of his implied inquiry. After killing the puppy, Lennie says to it, “Now maybe George ain’t gonna let me tend no rabbits, if he fin’s out you got killed’... his anger arose. ‘God damn you,’ he cried. ‘Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard” (85). Lennie’s true, unfiltered thoughts penned by Steinbeck near the end of the book reveals Lennie’s shallow understanding, how he thinks that it is the puppy’s fault that it died. The author also superimpose his lack of comprehension with the puppy’s death angers Lennie because he knows how irritated George will be when he finds out and he might threaten to not let him have rabbits. This is the epitome of his childlike ignorance and shows that Lennie is neither virtuous or immoral, he does not understand what death is. These two killings happen from smallest to largest in magnitude and chronology. Steinbeck is able to prepare
One week after Lennie's death, George sits in the dark corner of a bar. The room is all but empty and dead silent. All the windows are shut, through the small openings come beams of dull light that barely illuminate the room. George stares at his glass with an expressionless face, but a heavy sadness in his eyes. The bartender comes towards him and asks if he would like something else to drink.
Lennie dreams of living on a wide open ranch with George where he tends to the fluffy little rabbits he loves so much. Nevertheless, Lennie sadly never reaches his ultimate goal as his flaw finally becomes his fatal flaw. Lennie kills Curley 's wife by shaking her so hard that her neck breaks. He does not kill her on purpose but Lennie does not know his own strength. He is only shaking her like that because he wants her to stop yelling. Curley 's wife observes that Lennie is "jus ' like a big baby" (Steinbeck 99) and invites him to stroke her soft hair. Lennie begins to feel her hair and likes it very much indeed, which leads him to pet it too hard. When she started to complain, he panicked and started to try to silence her. He was afraid that George would not let him be part of the dream anymore if Curley 's wife got mad at what he did. So he 's shaking her to try to protect his part in the dream but he kills her and the dream too. Lennie observes that he has "done a bad thing" (Steinbeck 100) and covers her body with hay. Lennie is hiding in the brush where George had told him to hide when he got into trouble. George finally emerges to get Lennie while he is an emotional mess. He then tells Lennie to take off his hat as he continues to recount "how it will be" (Steinbeck 104) for them. He orders Lennie to kneel and pulls out Carlson 's Luger. As the voices of the other men in the search party near their location, George tells Lennie one more time "about the rabbits,"(Steinbeck 106) tells Lennie that they 're going to get the farm right away, and shoots his companion in the back of the
In the words of Jack Kevorkian “In quixotically trying to conquer death doctors all too frequently do no good for their patients’ “ease” but at the same time they do harm instead by prolonging and even magnifying patients’ dis-ease.”. His excellent quote shows one that mercy killing can help a person stop suffering with a prolonged death.In Stienbecks novella Of Mice And Men Lennie falls victim to his impulses and makes himself suffer and George suffer the concequences. George reveals how mercy killing is necessary in some cases because it stops suffering, prevents worse from happening, and may help society continue working.
What were you thinking when you killed innocent Lennie? Some people believe that the killing of Lennie was like the killing of his puppy. Others feel it was comparable to the killing of Candy’s dog. Lennie, like his dog, was innocent and unaware of the cruel world around him. However, Lennie, with his physical strength, also killed many innocent beings, including a weak and innocent puppy and, killed a human being. In contradiction, Carlson killed Candy’s dog in an act of compassion to relieve an old and suffering animal. Did Lennie then become like Candy’s dog and killed by you in an act of kindness and compassion? There is debate weather or not your decision to end the life of your best friend was valid. As a reader your actions were portrayed as an act of courage. The decision to put Lennie to rest in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men was a courageous act because it enabled Lennie to be freed from the cruel world in which he lived and to live in the make believe world that he and you had dreamed of. Killing Lennie also saved you from another situation like the one in Weed; however, is Lennie’s death also the death of your dream?
Lennie’s illness was seen as common and nothing to take concern over, which pertains to the vague yet soft sympathy from George whom “babysits” Lennie. George was an older brother to Lennie in a sense, helping him to get through life without any mishaps. However for George, Lennie’s illness determined their income and job status. In several incidences, Lennie overreacted in certain situations causing them to lose or leave their job spontaneously. At different points in the book, George became frustrated with Lennie: “You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out” (Steinbeck 12). This showed the overall frustration yet compassion towards Lennie, however extreme concern. According to Lennie, when he killed the puppy he said: “Why do you got to get killed, you ain’t as little as mice I didn’t bounce you hard” (Steinbeck 85). This really brought out the fact that Lennie’s illness was not to be tempered with, as he really couldn’t ever contemplate the harsh, unintentional things he’s done. When George and Lennie arrive at their new job, tension rises in the book and the author brings out that possible aspect of Lennie unintentionally doing something wrong which in turn would cause them to lose their job--or
When Lennie kills his puppy the only thing he can think about is what george will think and whether or not he will get to tend the rabbits (all lennie really ...
Lennie is a massive and powerful man, but is dull-witted, George on the other hand is scrawnier and not as mighty. Both are hearty individuals just trying to survive a tough life. After Lennie’s Aunt Clara passed away George took the responsibility of looking after Lennie. Through good and bad times George has learned to love and protect him. Lennie, an animal lover at heart always takes pleasure from petting them. He loves all small, soft, fuzzy things and cannot help himself from petting them. During their journey to the new ranch, Lennie catches a mouse, “I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along.'; (Steinbeck:6). George hates it when Lennie catches animals and plays with them “well you ain’t petting no mice while you walk with me.'; (Steinbeck:6) because he knows Lennie could end up killing the tiny animal. Lennie does not know his own strength and handles the mouse too rough “you’ve broke it pettin’ it.'; (Steinbeck:9) After the two men spend the night in the woods, they finish their journey and arrive at the ranch.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
Lennie is unintelligent all throughout the story. “‘Uh-uh. Jus’ a dead mouse, George. I didn’t kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead.’” This quote shows that Lennie doesn’t understand that keeping a dead mouse as a pet is not sanitary and not the right thing to do. Another time, George was exclaiming to Slim that he once told Lennie to jump into the Sacramento River and there Lennie went, right into the river. This trait of Lennie’s effects the story because it got him and George kicked out of Weed when he wanted to feel a girl’s dress. It also got him into trouble when they got to their new job. His unintelligence gets him into more trouble as the story goes on making him anything but a sympathetic character.
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two ranch hands, George and Lennie. George is a small, smart-witted man, while Lennie is a large, mentally- handicapped man. They are trying to raise enough money to buy their own ranch, by working as ranch hands. During the setting of the story, they are at a ranch whose owner’s name is Curley. It is in this setting that the novel reveals that the main theme is death and loss.
John Steinbeck begins the novel with “description of a riverbed in rural California”. In addition, the two main characters of the story are introduced, George and Lennie. George is described as a small, sharp man; and Lennie is most closely related to the “gentle giant”. In the next scene, George is scolding Lennie for gulping too much water from the pound. As the story continues, the reader can infer that Lennie has a mental disability and George acts as his guardian. Because the bus driver dropped the two a few miles away from their destination, George begins to complain that they will be late for their new job at a ranch. When George notices that Lennie is carrying a dead mouse he immediately takes it away from him. This scene is another example of how George cares for his companion. Lennie continuously insists that he meant no harm and all he wanted to do was pet the mouse. The reader can now see that Lennie is in fact dangerous because he is unaware of his own strength. After this, George reminds Lennie that they are traveling to their new job on a ranch. George warns him to remain silent until the Boss sees his capability because George fears that they will lose the job due to Lennie’s disability. He then tells Lennie that he wants to avoid another “Weed incident”. They decide to spend the night in the clearing George begins to prepare beans for the two of them. When Lennie complains that they don’t have ketchup, George loses his temper and accuses Lennie of being ungrateful. This is the first time in which we see that George thinks of Lennie as a chore rather than a friend. George begins to think of a life without Lennie and how easy his life would be if he wasn’t responsible for him. In order to back up his statement, G...
“You crazy fool. Don’t you think I could see your feet was wet where you went acrost the river to get it?” He heard Lennie’s whimpering cry and wheeled about. “Blubbering’ like a baby! Jesus Christ! A big guy like you.” Lennie’s lip quivered and tears started in his eyes. “Aw, Lennie!” George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder. “I ain’t takin’ it away jus’ for meanness. That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and besides, you’ve broke it pettin’ it. You get another mouse that’s fresh and I’ll let you keep it a little while.” (Steinbeck
With his disability, he needs something to feel connected to. He loves to pet furry and soft things. In chapter one in “Of Mice and Men”, Lennie and George are walking along a dirt road, on there way to a ranch. George discovers Lennie playing with something in his pocket. Lennie states to George before the dead mouse was taken away. ““ I could pet it with my thumb while we walked along”” (Steinbeck 6) . In order to prove that Lennie is not smart enough to fulfill the American Dream, Steinbeck creates Lennie to seem as not normal as possible. Steinbeck places Lennie in a state, where he does not understand right from wrong. He does not know nor understand, that playing with a deceased critter is not only gross but unacceptable as a
Since the beginning of the book, Steinbeck characterizes Lennie as a man who sees the world through the perspective of a child, as if it is a dream. Lennie is a big guy, but he acts like a baby. In the beginning of the story, after George threw the dead mouse Lennie was petting, Lennie was “…‘Blubberin’ like a baby!” (9). This juvenile action demonstrates Lennie’s immaturity and childish
Lennie apologized to George for killing the mice; he told him that the reason for killing the mice was because “they bit my[Lennie’s] fingers” but he only “pinched their heads a little”(Steinbeck 10). Lennie’s guilt drives him to apologize about the mice but he appears to underestimate his own strength because he claimed that he vaguely pinched their heads, but Lennie being a vast man, that couldn't have been the case. He didn't know the consequences of pinching the mice even after he had done it so many times. This shows the lack of perception he holds, meaning he can't become cognizant of the things happening around him on his own, causing the reader to initiate sympathy for Lennie. Lennie’s immaturity is so big it can be misunderstood for cleverness. George sharply asks Lennie to give him the object from his pocket but he claims “ I ain't got nothin’”but later on admits he has a dead mouse but [George] insists to “ have it”,but George insisted to have the mouse then he “slowly obeyed”(Steinbeck 5-6). It appears as if Lennie was being clever but by handing the mice to George, his childish behavior is revealed. His ingenuous acts portray identically to a child influencing the reader to gain sensitivity to the way Lennie is treated. The way Lennie understands the world and process thoughts makes him mentally stable, for a child. Not only is he innocent but he is also ironically characterized.