Essay On Of Mice And Men Friendship

Friendship Between Two Men Do you think you have a true friendship? Would you kill your friend if it was the better option for them? In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George Milton had to make this tough decision. George is friends with a mentally disabled man named Lennie Small. Lennie pushes George to his limit many times, but he stays by Lennie’s side throughout the book because they are the only true friend they have. Lennie’s mistake of killing a woman causes George to killing his friend. George and Lennie definitely have a true friendship because George takes care of Lennie even when it is tough, they have dreams of a future together, and George killing Lennie and why he kills him. Friendship is about having your friends back and always being there for one another. George definitely has Lennie’s back and tries to help him through everything no matter what the situation. George says to Lennie, “When I think of the swell time I could have without you, I go nuts. I never get no peace.”(12 Steinbeck). In this quote, George says that he never gets any

Lennie is George’s responsibility so George thought the best thing for Lennie is to shoot him. If George did not shoot Lennie, he can be sent to a mental asylum, tortured by Curley, or George and Lennie would have to leave another farm and Lennie would do something wrong again. It was a constant relapse to town to town, so George decided it was in the best interest to shoot Lennie. Slim says to George, “You hadda, George. I swear you hadda” (107 Steinbeck). What Slim is inferring is that he had to kill him, and it was the best for Lennie even though George did not want to kill him. George killing Lennie was a mercy killing. Just like Candy regretting not shooting his own dog because the dog was in pain, George thought he should take the responsibility in ending his friends’ life than seeing him