Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about two men named George and Lennie. They are determined to fulfill their lifelong dream of owning a farm. This novel follows the two men as they move from farm to farm looking for work to earn enough money to make ends meet. Of Mice and Men takes place in Salinas, California during the Great Depression in The United States. At the end of the novel George faces a moral dilemma and must make a choice whether to kill or keep his friend Lennie alive. George makes the gruesome decision to shoot his best friend in the back of the head. He justified his actions as a mercy killing for Lennie, but there is no such thing. George should not have killed his friend. Several more courses of action could have …show more content…
been taken to save Lennie’s life. George did not kill Lennie to protect him from Curley and the mob that were after him, but he killed him to make his life easier.
George has always been looking after Lennie because of his mental problem. For example, while on their way to the new farm they will be working at George becomes frustrated with Lennie because he continues to forget where they are going. Lennie asks George where they are yet again and George responds angrily, “So you forgot that awready did you? I gotta tell again, do I? Jesus Christ, you’re a crazy bastard!” (4). This shows George’s minimal tolerance for Lennie’s special needs. He instantly loses his temper and treats him like a child. By treating him with little respect and annoyance, George sees Lennie as an inconvenience instead of a friend. George also explains how much easier his life would be without Lennie and blaming him for all his struggles. George says, "...if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An' I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool." Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie's face was drawn in with terror. "An' whatta I got," …show more content…
George went on furiously. "I got you! 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” (11). showing his selfishness and carelessness towards his only “family.” This scene from the novel proves how George just wants to do away with Lennie when he murders him. He has little patience with Lennie and only sees his as a mindless person he cannot get rid of. In no way is it a mercy killing. He puts his needs first instead of trying to help his friend. He believes his only solution is to get rid of his “problem” instead of fixing it. George also had the option of helping Lennie escape.
Before they had to flee the last town they were at because Lennie was accused of rapeing a woman in town, “They ran us outta Weed. he exploded triumphantly. “Run us out, hell,” George said disgustedly. We run. They was lookin for us, but they didn’t catch us” (7). The two fled the town and escaped. If they could escape an entire lynch mob, then George could have figured out a way to sneak Lennie out of the farm safely. George also sets up a safe hiding spot where he can meet Lennie in case anything went wrong. This allows them to get a game plan together to escape if either of them get into trouble. He tells Lennie to observe the area they are in, and that if they ever run into trouble to meet him there. George explains to Lennie, “Well look. Lennie - if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush” (15). Only George and Lennie knew of this hiding spot. Although it would have been tricky to escape, with the help of George the two of them could have gotten away. Instead, George decided that helping Lennie was be a burden he could no longer carry. So he murdered him in that same part of the woods they had agreed was their safe hiding
place. Finally, the reason George killing Lennie was murder is because he knows it too. Before George even kills his best friend you see him doubting it and knowing he could think of a better solution. He instructs Lennie to imagine happy thoughts of their dream farm, while he internally struggles to make a decision, “George raised the gun and his hand shook, and he he dropped his hand to the ground again” (105). By George doubting the decision he is about to make helps prove that he murders Lennie. His moral compass screams not to go through with it, but he does. Once the trigger is pulled Lennie falls to the ground and George is stuck in disbelief as the men arrive. “George shivered and looked at the gun, then he threw it from him...George sat stiffly on the bank and looked at his hand that had thrown the gun away” (107). George knows instantly he has murdered his friend. He almost does not believe he did. By doubting his actions, and being emotionally destroyed after murdering his friend, George's body language almost help admit he is guilty. George murders his best friend for his own selfish benefit. He no longer wants the burden of having to take care of Lennie, so he gets rid of him. He could have helped him escape or shown mercy, but instead he kills him. They both relied on one another and trusted one another and George truly destroys any meaning of friendship in this world. He puts his need in front of his friends. Lennie was the kind of man who needed a kind and enduring soul. Unfortunately, he ended up with George. George does not show mercy by ending Lennie’s life, instead he displays the most ultimate act of selfiness.
As George becomes aware of the situation he begins to ponder what will happen if Lennie gets away. George understands that Lennie would not be capable of providing for himself out in the wild. As George contemplates allowing Lennie to be free of all the men, he “[is] a long time in answering” (94). George is one of the few men who understands Lennie’s mental limitations, he knows Lennie would not remember how to survive and “the poor bastard’d starve” (94). He
George shoots Lennie because he sees what the other people on the ranch would do to Lennie. After asking Curley if he could not shoot Lennie, Curley tells George that, "'I’m gonna shoot the guts outa that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand. I’m gonna get ‘im'" (50). This shows that the others on the ranch weren't going to consider that Lennie was disabled, and Curley would try to make his death very painful. This gives George a motivation to kill Lennie: so he could make his death as painless as possible. This makes the reader have sympathy towards George. Additionally, the result of George killed Lennie, who would be the closest person to George to die at his hands, leaves George devastated that he had to do something like that to his best friend. Even though it is the best option and if I were in that scenario, the thing I would do, it understandably still makes his feel heart-broken. Ultimately, the whole book has made me feel sympathy towards George, but the ending makes me feel so much
George and Lennie were lifelong friends and had varying personalities even from the start. Lennie thought about how his Aunt Clara said he should have been more like George. At the time when the story took place, the two men were travelling together, and had been for some time, working and then moving on to search for the next job they could find. They were like many other men in search for work, except it was rare for men to travel together. George felt a need to take care of Lennie because he was somewhat slow. George was an average man of the time. He was a good size, nice, but firm, and he had aspirations to be more than just a nomadic laborer. Lennie, on the other hand, had always been a little different. He was big, goofy, clumsy, but sweet. They were also both good workers. George was concerned with working and getting his money before they got into trouble and had to leave camp. Lennie was the one who normally started the trouble. He was a hard worker and lived to appease George, but he got distracted easily which angered George. George told about how they would own a house and a farm together and work for themselves. Lennie loved to hear the story and think about the possibilities, even though nobody knew if any of it was a possibility. George and Lennie's differences in part led to George's inclination to kill Lennie. Despite their dissimilarity, the two men needed each other probably more than they realized.
George wanted to be alone, away from Lennie because he could earn a lot more money without worrying about Lennie. George wants Lennie gone so he could live life without getting into so much trouble like Lennie does. When Lennie gets into trouble then they both get into trouble. George needed Lennie gone in general weather he had to kill him or
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about loneliness and the American Dream. This book takes place during the Great Depression. It was very difficult for people to survive during this time period. A lot of people hardly survived let alone had the necessities they needed to keep relationships healthy. Of Mice of Men has a common theme of disappointment. All the characters struggle with their unaccomplished dreams. The migrant workers, stable buck, swamper, and the other men on the ranch had an unsettled disappointment of where they were at in their lives. George and Lennie, two newcomers to the ranch, aren’t like the other guys. They have each other and they are the not loneliest people in the world. Lennie has a dream though he wants to own a farm with plenty of crops and animals one day. The only problem is his blind curiosity of people and things around him. George wasn’t justified for killing Lennie because Lennie was innocent and never got the chance to find out what he did wrong.
Of Mice and Men is written by John Steinbeck. The story is about these two men, George and Lennie, and they find work at this ranch. Within a few days, Lennie, a tall bulky man with the brain of a young child, gets in trouble, making his traveling buddy, George, do the unthinkable. George shoots Lennie to make his death a more "joyous" one than the one he would've received from Curley, the man that wanted to kill him the most. It was right for George to shoot Lennie because Lennie died suddenly, was thinking about the dream, and was shot by a friend.
Throughout the story George recites a description of how easy his life could be if he didn't have to keep up with Lennie. "God a'mighty," he could "get a job, an' work, an' no trouble (pg. 11)." At the end of the month, he could take his 50 bucks and go into town and buy whatever he wanted. George says these things like he's only teasing, but in actuality he's dead serious. George started building his alibi when he first arrived at the farm. He wanted to seem like he deeply cared for Lennie, and that Lennie was an overall good person. George then strengthened his alibi, and gave a glimpse of his true motives when he talked to George about why he stopped making fun of Lennie. George said that he told Lennie to "jump in," and that Lennie did it and "he damn near drowned (pg.
In fact, near the ending of the story, he unintentionally snapped Curley’s wife’s neck trying to quiet her (91). Failing to recognize his own strength, Lennie accidentally took her life, proving that he was perilous. By shooting Lennie, George prevented Lennie from accidentally injuring or killing anyone ever again. His verdict was correct in view of the fact that he sacrificed his friend’s life with the intention to protect the lives of others. Furthermore, George’s decision protected Lennie. As a punishment for his deeds, The workers wanted Lennie executed. George realized this and told candy, “Curley’s gon’ta wanta get ‘i'm lynched. Curley’ll get ‘im killed,” (94). In consequence of killing Curley’s wife, Lennie unknowingly put himself in harm's way. Curley’s motive for wanting to kill Lennie was spite and revenge. So, instead of allowing Lennie to be murdered alone and afraid, George took matters into his own hands and made sure his friend died knowing he was cared for and full of hope. Through it's ironic, George’s choice protected Lennie from the malice of others, thus keeping him unafraid and unharmed. However, others may believe
In the novel, Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck used George and Lennie's relationship and the theme of hope to point out the loneliness in the novel. The novel starts off and is set in Soledad which means lonely. At the beginning they get a job working on a farm together. Lennie is a little retarded and has great physical strength that isn't too controllable. As they work from ranch to ranch, Lennie relies on George for guidance and help. Rather than wasting their earnings, they try to save it in the hope of buying a place of their own. While working at one ranch they meet a worker named Candy who tries to help them financially. Before their dream can be fulfilled, Lennie kills the wife of the boss's son. As the novel concludes George must kill Lennie for his own benefit. Later Lennie goes into town and abandons his dream by spending his money.
What truly led up to this, and how would the story have gone differently if George had not killed Lennie? As aforementioned, they lived in the Great Depression, a time where achieving the American Dream was almost impossible to do, especially with all the farms being lost in Oklahoma. Most of the character's perspective of Lennie was that he was most simply a passive aggressive retard. Later in the novel the reader notices that he is incredibly strong which serves to positive and negative effects in the story.
George begins to hear the footsteps of the other men. To prevent the men from killing Lennie, George decides he has to kill Lennie himself. The scene is almost parallel to when Carlson shot Candy’s dog and Candy regretted that he did not kill his dog himself, but allowed a complete stranger to do it. As George talks to Lennie about the dream farm, “.[George] raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. He pulled the trigger.
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.
Despite the frustration that Lennie causes, without him George would probably be a lot like the other men on the ranch; simply roaming the country-side of California looking for work, and although he often prides himself on being different, he sometimes complains, usually after Lennie has caused trouble, and wishes that he could be like a normal guy and not have to live with Lennie’s hindrance. An example of this is seen when George responds sharply to Lennie's constant request for ketchup. "If I was alone I could live so easy…no trouble…no mess at all.
The daily struggle of the working class, fear of loneliness and the reality of putting all your energy into plans that fail are the different themes relating to John Steinbeck's novel, "Of Mice and Men". The characters depicted by the author are individuals who are constantly facing one obstacle after another. The book illustrates different conflicts such as man versus society, man versus man, man versus himself and idealism versus reality. The book's backdrop is set in the Salinas, California during the depression. The two main characters include two men, George and Lennie. Supportive characters include a few ranch hands, Candy, Crooks, Curly, Slim and Carlson.
After Lennie gets into the debacle with Curley’s wife, he runs to the oasis described at the beginning of the book. George fears the men will tear Lennie apart and murder him. He also knew he would be institutionalized, or “caged” if he survived the attack. He had the moral clarity that let him see that killing Lennie was the best thing for him. When George kills Lennie, it’s a kind of mercy killing.