Essay About Having Killed Lennie's Death

Lennie was mercifully killed by George in order to save him from a more terrifying and devastating fate. Though many people would see Lennie’s death as avoidable and unnecessary, there was too much in the way of events and consequences that could have saved Lennie from anything worse than death. If he had been caught, Lennie surely would have been lynched, caged like an animal, or shot by Curly. In order to save Lennie and himself, George decides to mercifully end his life. In doing so, George ultimately saves Lennie, makes a morally sound choice based on his environment, and is kinder to him than most men would be.

George’s other possible action could have been to run away with Lennie, just as he had done in Weed. In the end, however, George sacrificed his best friend in order to help both of them. At that time period, the Great Depression and dust bowl were major factors in life, making hard men during hard times. Though George would have preferred Lennie not to die, he decided that he could no longer care for him, and that Lennie could not be held responsible for the bad things he had done. Because of

their time spent together, George showed courage and responsibility in caring for and being merciful to Lennie, even after all they had been through. For example, they had both run from Weed after Lennie grabbed a woman’s dress, and Lennie had been taken away from his Aunt Clara only to be taken care of by George. This proves that George was a moral and wise character.
To the men around him, Lennie was either a “big baby,” or a terrifying brute. When they learned of Curley's wife’s death, they unanimously agreed that they must bring Lennie in, dead or alive. Of course, feeling empathetic towards Curley, most of them were willing to kill him themselves because during that time period, police weren’t expected to be involved in local affairs. Therefore, killing Lennie wasn’t a moral issue for any of the men considering the state of the economy and workforce in America. George, Candy, and Slim were the only men who wanted Lennie to live, yet were outnumbered by the men who worked on the ranch. In the end, Lennie would have been wanted by the police or killed. George’s psychological empathy for Lennie at the river was the most compassion that had been shown to Lennie by anyone, and sent him off happy and content with his life.
George repeatedly says throughout the story, “If I was alone I could live so easy.” Having spent years protecting Lennie, George feels as if he’s wasted or lost a part of his life.

Though he says he hates Lennie, George subconsciously loves Lennie enough so as not to leave him. Lennie may stress George to the brink of insanity, but he still cares for Lennie like a brother. In doing so, George wants to do what’s best for Lennie, and finally decides at the river to kill him. Deep down, George is looking out for himself first, which is human nature. He also wants to save Lennie from suffering at the hands of Curley, or even hurting more innocent people. In the end, George’s best option was to kill Lennie, though he may never forgive himself for betraying his friend’s trust. George and Lennie suffered a lonely past, so George finally decided to end that

suffering
Under the circumstances that George, Lennie, and the ranch hands found themselves in, George made the right choice to kill Lennie. If he had run away again, their past would catch up with them like it had before, possibly ending in a more extreme situation. If he allowed the other men to find him, Lennie would have suffered under Curley’s wrath, or killed more men to escape. Therefore, George’s final option was to comfort Lennie himself, along with saving his future by shooting Lennie. Though it’s not the ending that anyone wants for such an ambiguous story, not all things in life end in happily ever after.