The book, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, has many different emotions in it. There is love, George and Lennie, Hate, lennie and Curley, and even death. But even in the end did George really want to shoot Lennie? In, Of Mice and Men, George was not justified about his decision when he killed Lennie because George loved him and helped him. George didn't want to kill Lennie because Lennie was like family and george cared for him. An example of when George cared for Lennie is when George told Lennie to not talk to Curley's wife because it would get Lennie in trouble. In chapter 1 Lennie says,"I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you.", (Steinbeck 14). The quote shows how George cares for Lennie and Lennie cares for George. George didn't want to kill Lennie but George shot him for Lennie's own good. George didn’t want to kill Lennie because George liked to help him. George helps Lennie when he tells Lennie about his future dreams on the farm. In chapter 1 george says,”Hide till I come for you don’t let nobody see you. Hide in the brush by the river.” Said George ,(Steinbeck 15) In this example, George is helping Lennie by telling him where to go if …show more content…
Lennie was dangerous when he didn’t know his own strength and killed Curleys wife. “Lenine shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.”, (steinbeck 91). Lennie doesn't know his strength when he killed Curley’s wife. But then George had some good reasons to keep Lennie around. Lennie can be a really good helper. Lennie helps a lot on the farm and the other men can't keep up with him. “But I never seen such a good worker” (steinbeck 39) This quote shows how the other men think Lennie is a really good helper. Provided that Lennie was dangerous, he was a really good person to keep around because he was
C/R: It is true that George was only trying to save Lennie from a horrible punishment that the boys were going to bring upon him however, there were other options than killing Lennie. George didn’t have to kill Lennie, they could have run away from the mob that was chasing them, for George got to Lennie before anyone else did. They had time to escape. Therefore, George is at fault for Lennie’s death; if George really thought of Lennie as family, he would have thought of another way to get out of the problem.
In ending of "Of Mice And Men", George kills Lennie after he killed Curley's wife. However, I can still feel sympathy towards George, and see his action as justifiable. In the beginning of the book I had sympathy towards George. The book starts with George talking to Lennie and from this you learn a lot about their relationship. After Lennie asks for ketchup, which they can't get, George gets angry at Lennie and says, “Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble" (6). This shows the reader that George has given up a lot to take care of Lennie. He has given up his job security and a lot of his happiness because he takes care of Lennie. In chapter 3, the reader finds out how George and Lennie started traveling together, and from this the reader can infer that George travels
“I killed my best friend,” was the exact thought that hovered in George as he watched his best friend, Lennie, recumbent, cold, and still, on the grass by the riverbanks. In the book of Mice and Men, George faced the dilemma of knowing that he had killed the one he loved the most. Though it was no accident, it was for the good of Lennie. If Lennie had been allowed to live, he would only face the worst of what life has to offer. So instead of having to watch his best friend in pain, George took the initiative to end all of the cruelty of the world and send Lennie to a better place. Therefore, George was justified in killing Lennie.
That ain’t no good, George.’”(Steinbeck 97). Because Lennie killed Curley’s wife, he committed a felony. George wanted Lennie to be thrown in jail at first. He wanted Lennie to be arrested because he thought it was the best thing for Lennie but then Slim told him it would not be good for Lennie. It would be bad for Lennie because Lennie would not understand his rights because he’s mentally challenged and locking him up in a cage would just hurt Lennie. George then realized he needed to kill Lennie so nobody would mistreat him. George is protecting others from Lennie.”’Lennie-if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before…’”(Steinbeck 15). George has been with Lennie for many years and he knows how Lennie will never learn and he will keep committing bad stuff. George knew something was going to happen at the ranch because Lennie has always done something wrong. George tried to prevent something from going wrong but he couldn’t. As a result he had to put down Lennie so he would not hurt anyone ever again. George felt the hard choice of killing Lennie was the right decision for George because Curley wanted to get his revenge, Lennie would be mistreated in prison and he was
This shows throughout the book with the many different mistakes Lennie makes. Lennie starts off by killing mice, then he kills a puppy and finally a woman! After Lennie kills Curley’s wife George responds by saying “I should of knew… I guess maybe way back of my head I did.”(Steinbeck 94). George knew it was gonna come to this and he probably also had a feeling Lennie was going to continue to kill more people or animals. Plus, when the character in the book; Candy asks who did it, George says “Ain’t you got anr idea?”(Steinbeck 94). That shows that George knew he was gonna have to do something about Lennie. George was going to have to do something about Lennie sometime, and after George killed a woman he knew there would be no other choice that to kill Lennie through non voluntary
If Lennie survived, society would have discriminated against him, even tortured him. Yes, George also committed murder, but he acted out of self-defense and stopped other situations like this from happening. If Curley got ahold of him, he would’ve tortured Lennie. Ultimately, George cared for Lennie, and he would do anything to keep him safe and happy. They were best friends. George didn’t kill him ruthlessly like Curly would have. He shot Lennie mercifully. George simply wanted the best for him. With that in mind, George shot Lennie to help
If you ask people that have read the book on what they say about the book this might be what they say that it wasn't right for George to kill Lennie. It wasn't right because George planed to kill Lennie. George wasn't the only one to kill someone or something in the story. George is only for himself. he protected Lennie, but at the end of the story he killed Lennie.
Lennie constantly causes trouble. “George told Lennie to keep quiet while George was trying to find them a job”(Steinbeck 35). “Why can't you just let em’ talk?” (Steinbeck 35). It's hard for Lennie to have a regular conversation with someone. He does not understand people well. The boss found it hard to believe that George wasn't trying to fool him by talking about how great Lennie was at working and how strong he was.
George did not ask Lennie if he wanted to be killed. Mercy killings are usually a patient requesting the action, so it’s usually not done without consent like the situation in this book. Also, there were many other options for Lennie like him living in the mountains as he mentions. “‘George gonna wish he was alone an’ not have me botherin’ him.’ He turned his head and looked at the bright mountaintops. ‘I can go right off there an' find a cave,’ he said. And he continued sadly, '--an' never have no ketchup--but I won't care. If George don't want me...I'll go away. I'll go away'"(Steinbeck 100). The evidence proves that there were other options than killing Lennie. He could have lived in the mountains with or without George. They could have hidden in the brush somewhere far away from Curley, and none of these actions would’ve been necessary.
George also knew that Lennie had dug a hole for himself and could never get out. He knew they were looking for Lennie and wouldn’t stop until they killed him. He decided to do it himself in the kindest way he could. It’s like when Candy said about his dog, “I should of shot that dog myself.'; meaning it would have been kinder to the dog. Lennie was lying down, facing away from George and didn’t know he was going to be shot. He didn’t know what was going to happen, just like Candy’s dog.
Lennie shows how his great strength brings harm to him when he kills. George wanted Lennie to be at peace and thinking of good things when he met the end of his life instead of being afraid of being killed by people who did not understand him. It was an act of unselfish kindness at a time when people of mental illness such as Lennie, was seen as undesirable, and often monsters. Does George have the right to kill Lennie? Legally? What about ethically? What does George's action suggest about justice within the play and in the world as a
George sacrifices his morality and emotional well-being for Lennie by killing him. To further explain, George crying preceding Lennie’s shooting, shown by his mispronunciation of words such as family, signals his wretched state and the beginning of his emotional downfall. This ruination is caused by George not having an actual choice of not killing Lennie, as he is so attached to the disabled character that he can not bring himself to see Lennie go through all the agony Curley would have caused him. In this case, it can be presumed that George does not want to kill Lennie, judging by the former’s past actions. Even during the moment of the murder, George is constantly hesitating from the being so emotional and unwilling to end Lennie’s life. Notwithstanding, George kills Lennie and is left immensely distraught. This quotation shows how traumatized George is after seeing his best friend die right in front of him, especially since he had caused it. The reader can infer that George’s devotion to Lennie will last even after Lennie’s death and that George will never move on. Coupled with this fact, the situation is made even more sorrowful as the reader realizes that George, due to Lennie, once and for all shut his window of opportunity to
After getting in trouble in Weed, George takes an or more liability for when Lennie gets in trouble. Following the fact that Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George has to decide if he wants to murder his best friend or leave it up to a revengeful foe. Subsequently Lennie murders Curley’s wife, George knows that this was accidental and he did not mean to hurt her. George pleads “ Don’t shoot ‘Im. He didn’t know what he was doin”( Steinbeck, 98). This quote clarifies my reasoning that Lennie shouldn't of died because he killed Curley’s wife because he didn’t mean it and didn’t know what he was doing at the time. Then again George is trying to think of ways to help Lennie. He states “ Maybe they’ll lock ‘im up and be nice to him” (Steinbeck, 94). So instead of killing Lennie, he could’ve turned him in. This allegation demonstrates that George had alternatives to handle the situation rather than murdering Lennie. In conclusion, George had other options rather than murdering his best friend. That there were reasons to why Lennie would do such a
First off, Lennie is an uneasy character with a mental disability in the book Of Mice And Men. He stays with George throughout the book, but is not a stable companion. He is a sympathetic character that causes more damage than he knows he does, yet he understands what he puts George through. He does not fully understand the main ideas in life, and does not put them together, as to what is right and what is wrong. Lennie often mentions running away from George to go live in a cave because he has so much pressure on him to act like the average man. George has to repeat many times what he has said, because Lennie’s brain cannot process what he is trying to tell him. He often loses control of his emotions, and attempts things he does not consider
Honestly, George did not have a chance with Lennie in his life. With Lennie constantly needing George in everyday life, I find that it would be hard for George to live his own life without having to worry about Lennie in every way of his life. Every time George sets up something for Lennie and George’s “dream” to come true, Lennie accidentally and innocently screws it up. In the beginning of Steinbeck’s novel, the leader brings up a past incident in a town they had previously worked in, Weed. In Weed, Lennie had a mishap with a lady there who did not understand his condition. In his child like state of mind, he simply wanted to feel the softness of her dress, but she took it as he wanted to rape her? I;m not sure how that could be, but just as well, it was probably very frightening to have a large strong man grabbing onto your dress. All in all, they ended up having to flee Weed to keep themselves out of trouble. Later on, George tells Lennie that it is bound to happen again; he wishes it would not. "Oh, so ya forgot that too, did ya? Well, I ain't gonna remind ya, fear ya do it again." A light of understanding broke on Lennie's face. "They run us outa Weed," he exploded triumphantly. "Run us out, hell," said George disgustedly. "We run. They was lookin' for us, but they didn't catch us." (Steinbeck). Characters other than just George knew that Lennie was