Of Mice And Men Ethical Dilemma Essay

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Of Mice and Men’s Ethical Dilemma Describe: The novel, Of Mice and Men, describes a story of two friends, George Milton and Lennie Small. Lennie is a strong, large but mentally disabled man, and George is his caretaker. Set during the Great Depression, this story describes two ranch workers who toil to save money to buy their own ranch. Due to his mental limitations, Lennie often causes trouble at the places he works, causing the duo to flee from ranch to ranch. When the story takes place, Lennie has accidently broken the neck of Curley, their boss’s daughter-in-law. Out for revenge, Curley leads a mob and vows to lynch Lennie. George, who desires to protect Lennie, is unsure what he should do. Discern: The main moral dilemma revolves on how George should respond to Lennie’s crime. Since he is the primary caretaker, he has the moral responsibility to protect Lennie, especially …show more content…

Utilitarianism considers the wellness of the general population as compared to deontology which seems to only focus on the actions of individuals; therefore, it does a better job at conserving society. Another strength of utilitarianism is that it provides a “no-nonsense advice on practical matters of what one should do” while deontology simply tells people what they cannot do in any situation (Goodin, 25). Because utilitarianism provides an end goal to judge actions upon, it a better tool to determine the best action in George’s dilemma. Also, the end of increasing happiness/minimizing pain is an important value, because no rational being can argue that happiness is morally wrong. So, while shooting Lennie may make George commit the moral crime of murder, it is the best decision in this scenario, as it increases the safety of other civilians, prevents Lennie from the unjust death of lynching, and allows George to fulfill his role as a

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