How Does George Kill Lennie Friendship

One of the defining components of humanity is that humans are able to develop close relationships with one another, unlike any other species. Although sometimes diversity limits who we befriend, despite everything friendship is one of the most powerful bonds. People will go to great lengths to protect their friends. Similarly in the friendship of Lennie and George in which they have to surpass many obstacles to protect one another. In the novella Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses the characters of Lennie, who is strong and faces many predicaments with his mental health and George who is intelligent and sympathetic. These two individuals demonstrate that friendship has no boundaries, it is clear that Lennie has a disability making his relationship

The mob of the ranch workers want more than to just kill him, they want to torture him to death. Before George kills him, he makes Lennie visualize the land and bunnies, they were supposed to buy. As he is telling him about their future together " George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head . The hand shook violently , but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger"(Steinbeck 106). George by the end of the story has no more optimism left to take care of Lennie because no matter how many times George tells him not to do something he does it anyways. He knows that his best option is to kill Lennie even though this would be considered a heartless act. George has no other alternative because he cannot run away with Lennie, since he assassinated someone they would look for them and Lennie might just commit the same felony wherever they go. After George kills Lennie the ranch workers come and find Lennie dead and they ask George how he did it and “[when he replied] George’s voice was almost a whisper. He looked steadily at his right hand that held the gun” (Steinbeck 107). Somewhere deep down George knew that killing Lennie was the best option for Lennie's sake.

Murder is murder, no matter what and him killing Lennie makes him just as cold-hearted but for him it is much more dreadful because he knew exactly what he was doing. When he kills Lennie you can sense that a part of George dies as well. The price of having a best friend is that you will do anything to keep them from pain and sadness, even if it means killing them and a part of yourself. In the end he lost his best friend and a part of himself. All in all George and Lennie reveal the hardships of friendship and the dilemmas they can cause but everyone needs a best friend. Friends look out for one another and will give up anything to make each one another happy. When one picks friends one puts the differences aside and looks for the good qualities because in the end no one is perfect. Lennie and George understand this and they make it clear that mistakes do not define us because once something is done there is no turning