Socratic Circle Discussion Questions 1.) After lots of thinking, I have decided that George did not do the right thing by shooting Lennie. From an article written about euthanasia, it says, “ Taking someone’s life and calling it ‘merciful’ does not change the fact that you are taking someone’s life” (Fiano). This quote shows that Fiano would agree that George had made the wrong decision by shooting Lennie. Why would it be okay for someone to decide for others if they get to live or not? In comparison to Of Mice and Men, when George shoots Lennie, he does it very painless and quick. But before Lennie dies, he is trying to tell George about their American Dream. During the scene, Lennie says, “ Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now” (Steinbeck …show more content…
Two characters to be analyzed in terms of their male relationships are George and Lennie. An article describes the friendship between men, and how most of the time it is more than just a normal friendship. The author states, “The heroic friendship was a friendship between two men that was intense on an emotional and intellectual level” (McKay). Guys have a stronger relationship than just being able to hang out and have fun. They have a bond that they are emotionally involved in, meaning they really love each other but not in anything more than friends. They also are connected on an intellectual level, which means they know everything about each other and they are able to open up whenever they need a friend. There are a lot of scenes from Of Mice and Men that show George and Lennie’s friendship. One scene is when George is telling Lennie how most people are alone trying to get through life, but they are different. They have each other. George says, “ If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us! An' why? Because… because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why. He laughed delightedly” (Steinbeck 40). This quote from Of Mice and Men shows that George and Lennie connect on an emotional and intellectual level. They both know that they have each others back for no matter what they go through …show more content…
“Male friendships were seen as more noble than marital love with a woman because women were seen as inferior” (Mckay). This quote means that some men have a better relationship with their best friends than they do with women because they are seen as lower in rank. This reminds me of George and Lennie because they put each other over women for anything. Even on the ranch, they would both ignore Candy’s wife because they didn’t want either one of them to get in any type of trouble. In Of Mice and Men, it says, “Lennie’s eyes moved down over her body…’Don't you even take a look at that bitch. I seen ‘em poison before’…’I ain’t trying to cause no trouble” (Steinbeck 32). This quote is so important because it shows that George and Lennie would pick each other over any girl that comes along. They keep each other safe and out of trouble. George is always looking out of Lennie to make sure he doesn’t get hurt. That just shows how much George would sacrifice for Lennie. Male friendship is a very strong
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
“My ultimate aim is to make euthanasia a positive experience” (Jack Kevorkian). Of Mice of Men by John Steinbeck shows has a very dramatic ending with the main character George, killing the other main character Lennie. George and Lennie are great friends, but it had to happen. This quote connects to what happened with George and Lennie because George did the best he could to make the euthanasia a positive experience for Lennie. George did this to Lennie as a friend, and he knew he had to do it because of Lennie's previous actions. The act of George killing Lennie was an act of euthanasia rather than murder. More specifically it is an act of non voluntary euthanasia.
George kills Lennie because he did not want to witness Lennie being hurt or killed carelessly, run off by in his own and not being able to take care for himself, and Lennie’s mental disorder will never change how Lennie reacts to certain situations. Many believe taking the life of another without consent is unacceptable but in certain situations like George’s, he has to decide due to Lennie’s mental disorder that was leading him into unpleasant situations. George is an admirable character who choose to protect and do justice to his distressed friend,
What were you thinking when you killed innocent Lennie? Some people believe that the killing of Lennie was like the killing of his puppy. Others feel it was comparable to the killing of Candy’s dog. Lennie, like his dog, was innocent and unaware of the cruel world around him. However, Lennie, with his physical strength, also killed many innocent beings, including a weak and innocent puppy and, killed a human being. In contradiction, Carlson killed Candy’s dog in an act of compassion to relieve an old and suffering animal. Did Lennie then become like Candy’s dog and killed by you in an act of kindness and compassion? There is debate weather or not your decision to end the life of your best friend was valid. As a reader your actions were portrayed as an act of courage. The decision to put Lennie to rest in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men was a courageous act because it enabled Lennie to be freed from the cruel world in which he lived and to live in the make believe world that he and you had dreamed of. Killing Lennie also saved you from another situation like the one in Weed; however, is Lennie’s death also the death of your dream?
It is very apparent that each of the four characters in the two friendships feed off of each other. In Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie are very different, yet they need one other. George is a very independent, loyal, and caring person who takes care of Lennie because Lennie is unable to take care of himself. Although George makes it seem like he would be better off without Lennie, George makes it clear that without him he would be better off. This is evident because of this conversation h regularly had with Lennie” I could go get a job an’
Lennie’s unintentional mistakes resulted in the sudden end for him, but was done in the best way possible. As Lennie would’ve been subjected to a life of loss, running and suffering, George correctly made the decision in euthanizing him. While contemplating whether or not to euthanize him, George knew he very well could but it wasn’t the easiest decision to make on his part. If George wouldn’t of made the decision he did, Lennie would’ve had to run for the rest of his life with no account of what happened or what to do due to his mental illness. He would’ve been seen as a criminal and hunted down like animal which is inhumane and cruel. Although his mishaps weren’t meant to be as extreme as they were, the consequences were foreshadowed throughout
In conclusion, George killing Lennie was a murder because of lack of consent and Lennie was not suffering physically. In this society, people are scared of the unknown, and that is how they lived. No one realized what they were doing was wrong. But Lennie was just like everyone else, only different because of a small, mental setback. The characters did not seem to realize that Lennie believed in a future ahead of him, and that he had hopes and dreams just like them. Life is incredibly short, and no one should deserve
“Friends show their love in times of trouble, not in happiness.” The quote said by Euripides emphasizes how friends should be loyal to each other even when times are rough.. This need of friendship is present in Of Mice and Men through characters such as George Milton and Lennie Smalls. Lennie has a mental disability which makes him slow and childish. George and Lennie are both farmhand workers who are struggling achieve their dream together. Their dream is to buy some land with a house and buy a farm where Lennie can tend the rabbits. Due to Lennie’s mental disability and ignorant behaviors, he is accused for raping a woman in the town of Weed and causes George and Lennie to escape and look for a job on a ranch. The presence of friendship
Do you know what the meaning of friendship is? In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, you learn about George and Lennie taking care of each other. They also support one another in striving after their shared dream. George and Lennie make sacrifices for one another and are responsible for one another. George and Lennie’s relationship shows us the true meaning of friendship.
Lennie and George’s companionship meet and transcend all the needed requirements. They are a textbook example of loyal friends. They, together, are like peanut butter and jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Lennie gives George someone to talk to and someone to keep him on track. George gives Lennie insight on the world and someone that will respect him even though he isn’t intelligent. They, more importantly, give each other something to live for. If George wouldn’t have met Lennie he would be a drunk in a whorehouse dying of cirrhosis. If Lennie didn’t meet George he would of died soon after his aunt did, because he would either have got himself in a bind with no one to help him or he would of simply wondered off and died of loneliness.
Whether or not the men have a stable friendship with others determines some of their actions. George and Lennie’s friendship is very strong, so they base off their actions on the other persons. The have been staying together for many years. The two moving around and living together is great for Lennie, because due to
George’s relationship with Lennie has made him selfless; his conversations, with and with out Lennie, are generally revolving around Lennie, although in the case of their dream-ranch George seems to find fulfilment for himself as well. Due to these altruistic tendencies that he shows throughout the novel, a danger is bestowed upon George; he tends to care for Lennie far too much, and too little for himself. In occasional moments, he escapes his sympathy and compassion for Lennie, and realises the burden that he causes. This usually results in George taking his frustration out on Lennie, which can often harm his simple mind, leaving Lennie upset and forced to confess to his own uselessness, and George feeling guilty for what he has caused. We can learn very little about George through his actual conversations, which made it necessary for Steinbeck to focus the novel on him in particular, and let the reader gain an closer insight on him through his actions. Generally, he seems to be caring, intelligent and sensible, but is greatly worn by the constant attention Lennie requires. This illustrates a major theme in Of Mice and Men, the dangers that arise when one becomes involved in a dedicated relationship.
Factions are products of human nature, but the purpose of government and law are to control these often insatiable desires of self-interest. Detailed within James Madison’s address to the people of New York, “The Federalist No. 10”, are the destructive and counterintuitive ideas of factions to a democracy. Agreeing with that notion, factions are detrimental to the idea of a democracy due to the separation of people and ideas; and the subsequent establishment of tiers of power and status within both political and economic systems.
This is the main conflict. As the two men move throughout the novel, it is apparent they are clinging together in the face of loneliness and alienation. George and Lennie are insecure, with no permanent jobs, no real home, and separated from their families. Also, in the end, it was society which leads to George into killing Lennie. 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 attacks. He had the moral clarity that lets him see that killing Lennie is the what is best for him. When George kills Lennie, it’s a kind of mercy killing. It’s clear that killing Lennie is the right thing to do, and George is manning up by pulling the trigger. We know this because Steinbeck gives a contrasting example of Candy, who says that he "shouldn 't ought to of let no stranger shoot [his] dog" (39). Second, Slim says, "You hadda, George. I swear you hadda" (107), and Slim is the novel 's ideal man. His Struggles against society carry on even after Lennie’s death. He now faces living alone without friendship or hope. It is also the death of his dream; owning a shack on an acre of land that they can call their own.
The article states, “We may not define it as Aristotle did- friendship among the already virtuous.” (May,1). In the excerpt it states, “‘No,-look! I was just fooling Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me. Trouble with mice is you always kill ‘em.’ He paused, ‘Tell you what I’ll do, Lennie. First chance I get I’ll give you a pup.’...‘If you don’t want me, you only jus’ got to say so, and I’ll go off in those hills right there.’” (Stenbeck, 1). This shows true friendship, because the reader can pick out how they are both being virtuous towards each other. Lennie is upset, and wants to leave, so George wants to show how much he cares to keep him around since he enjoys him. They truly care, and do not expect anything from each other, just the careness within the bond they have. True friendships are rare, and showing that they have this in the novella, Of Mice and Men, completes it. Therefore, this friendship not only carries the weight of the excerpt, but the novella’s conflict as a whole.