Of Mice And Men Analysis

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Of Mice and Men Question In what ways do people sacrifice things for their friends? People sacrifice things for their friends in many different ways. In Of Mice and Men, George Milton sacrifices a stable life for his friend, Lennie Small. Lennie often gets himself into trouble, which makes it necessary for George and Lennie to run away together. This occurred once in Weed, the place of George and Lennie’s previous jobs. Lennie tried to touch a girl’s dress, but this scared her and caused her to scream. The girl’s scream made Lennie scared, so he held on to the dress. Because of this, the girl accused Lennie of raping her. George had to give up his job to run away with Lennie so Lennie would be safe. George often expresses how much he sacrifices for Lennie, and at one point he says, “I could go into town and get whatever I want…You keep me in hot water all of the time” (11). George says this because he is frustrated, but he loves Lennie so he sticks with him through thick and thin. The ultimate sacrifice from George comes when he decides to kill Lennie after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. George knows that by killing Lennie, he will lose his best friend. However, George also knows that if he does not kill Lennie, Curley will torture Lennie to a slow and painful death. Because of this, George shoots Lennie in the back of the neck so he can die a quick and painless death. A friend of mine, Zack, also made sacrifices for his friend. Zack had a meeting in Washington D.C. to attend that would definitely have accelerated his career. He excitedly planned for this meeting for over a year. However, as the meeting was approaching in a few months, his best friend was diagnosed with cancer and was given only a few months to live.... ... middle of paper ... ... means a lot to him. They believe that since it is old, weak, and useless, it should be killed. Candy also knows that he himself will be removed from the ranch after he becomes old and weak. This causes Candy to be very interested in the new farm he overhears George and Lennie talking about. Becoming weak is one of Candy’s biggest fears because he knows that it is inevitable, and it will mean that he will have nothing to provide for himself with. At the end of the book, Lennie is killed. Although Lennie is strong physically, he is not strong mentally. Because of Lennie’s mental weakness, he is unable to survive in society or on the ranch. He is constantly getting himself into trouble, such as the time he accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Lennie’s mental weakness ultimately leads to his death, much like the downfall of other weak links on the ranch and in society.

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