What Events Led Up To Lennie's Death

876 Words2 Pages

John Steinbeck, the American author of the multi-award winning novella, Of Mice & Men, wrote the telling story of two men, George and Lennie, whom are trying to find their way in a dark time during the Great Depression. Steinbeck depicts his novella’s character, Lennie, as a dependant unknowing man that has more in common with a bear, rather than an adult, accompanied by alongside with George who looks after him. The characters are united by their strong belief in the American Dream and navigate their way to it by working on a farm. However, as a result of Lennie killing Curley’s wife, George has an ultimatum to either let Lennie be lynched by the farmer’s, or to mercy kill him and save Lennie the pain. In this essay there will be analytical discussion of the events leading up to Lennie’s death and why we should justify George’s actions. …show more content…

From Lennie’s perspective his goal is to work hard, error free, in order to tend the rabbits on their dream’s farm, elsewise he will be punished by George. But you ain’t gonna get in no trouble, because if you do, I won’t let you tend the rabbits (page 9). From this quote we can see that they only stick by each other to stave off loneliness. Granted Lennie has the upper hand of strength, whilst George has more advanced communication skills; it creates a yin yang aeffect, but Lennie's immature, imbecile ways is beginning to threaten their dream. George as a result is becoming, understandably, sick of having to punish Lennie for threatening the aforementioned. For these justified reasons George emotionally ended Lennie’s life with positive thoughts of the two living off the fata of the lan' (page

George and Lennie in the First Three Chapters of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
1397 Words | 3 Pages
In chapter one, George and Lennie are introduced onto the scene and you get to know them a little bit and you get to see how they are related/ their relationship. When I read this first part, I could tell that George was pretty much Lennie’s caretaker and it was his job to find Lennie a job and make sure he ate enough and stayed a live. He kind of resented having to drag Lennie around (pg 11~12: “Well we ain’t got any!” George exploded. “Whatever we ain’t got, you want. If I was alone I could live so easy… But wadda I got? I got you. You can’t keep a job and you loose me every job I get.”), because Lennie’s a bit slow and he messes up a lot. He tries really hard to be good and listen to what George tells him to do, but in the end of every situation, Lennie forgets what George told him beforehand and sometimes it creates a little trouble (pg 45~46: “Well, he seen this girl in this red dress. Dumb like he is, he likes to touch ever’thing he likes. Just wants to feel it. So he reaches out to feel this red dress an’ the girl lets out a squawk, and that gets Lennie all mixed up, and he holds on ‘cause that’s the only thing he can think to do. Well, this girl just squawks and squawks. I was jus’ a little bit off, and I heard all the yellin’, so I comes running, an’ by that time Lennie’s so scared all he can think to do is jus’ hold on. I socked him over the head with a fence picket to make him let go. He was so scairt he couldn’t let go of the dress. And he’s so strong, you know… Well, that girl rabbits in an’ tells the law she’s been raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day.”). But when you look at them, you can tell that George is...
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Who Is Responsible For Lennie's Death
862 Words | 2 Pages
Does it make sense if someone decided to kill someone else because they thought it was for the best? Imagine being the person shot or the person who pulls the trigger. It may seem hard to comprehend but sure enough this is what happened in the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In this novella, two migrant workers, Lennie and George, are always traveling together to find work during the Great Depression. Lennie is a big, strong man who has an unknown mental disorder while George is a small yet strong fellow who watches over Lennie. Since they have known each other a long time, it creates tragic but admirable ending because of the difficult choice George chooses to end Lennie’s innocent yet troubling life.
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Examples Of Archetype In Of Mice And Men
699 Words | 2 Pages
In this book George is constantly taking care of Lennie and is always reassuring him that they will have their own land and be able to tend the rabbits. George doesn’t actually believe in this dream which shows how he is willing to say anything to make Lennie happy. Also, George is constantly bringing up how easy his life would be without Lennie, he said "God almighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job a work, an no trouble (12). This quote shows how George is aware that Lennie is holding him back from making more money but how he choices to stay with him because they have a genuine friendship. George takes his parental figure role seriously and would never leave him.
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Essay On Lennie's Death
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If someone’s actions are truly innocent, why must someone kill him? Lennie has never done something to inflict pain everything has been unintentional. Lennie was a strong young man, but with a mental illness. Lennie made multiple mistakes, he was murdered and it affected a lot of people including the killer.
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Symbiosis between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men
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George and Lennie need each other to achieve their dream of their own farm with rabbits to tend. Lennie could not take care of his rabbits or even survive without George.
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Why Is Lennie's Death Justified
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About 45% of people in the 1930s believed that mercy killing was necessary for children born deformed or for people with mental handicaps (Moyers). In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the novel ends when George Milton realizes that to save his companion, Lennie Small, from his mental disability, he has to kill him. The book depicts it as a friend saving Lennie from the pain and suffering that he might go through in the future. The action should not be justified as saving him, but rather as a crime, ripping him away from his future and his life. Lennie’s death was a murder, not a mercy killing.
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Steinbeck’s Use of Biblical Allusions in Of Mice and Men
989 Words | 2 Pages
...usions and ideas, however, are not a mere regurgitation of Judeo-Christian values and mores, but rather a powerful commentary about the time following the Great Depression that sees the collapse of traditional social structures in the face of economic hardship. Specifically, through the character of George, his relationship to Lennie and the salient allusions to Christ, Steinbeck reevaluates the classic ideas of brotherhood and sacrifice and notes how these ideals have become underappreciated in the era of Of Mice and Men. Additionally, Steinbeck’s allusions to heaven through the rabbit dream are a literary manifestation in his belief in the power of hope and compassion in a cruel world. Thus, Of Mice and Men, built on its’ framework of Biblical allusions, is ultimately both a celebration of “gallantry in defeat” () and a criticism of the judgments of man’s peers.
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How Steinbeck Creates Two Contrasting Characters In Beginning Of Mice and Men
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During the presidential reign of Hebert Hoover in the early 1930's, America was hit with a severe economic slowdown which was notoriously known as The Great Depression. During this time of crisis, an estimated sixteen million people were left unemployed and many others were left homeless. Even though it was expected that many industries in the United States would be significantly affected as a result of the crash, it was Agriculture that was destroyed. Many landowners were desperate to employ workers on their farm, whilst workers were anxious themselves to find a job to support their family. In this story, two displaced Anglo migrant ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, travel around America in search for a job. We soon realise their goal to pursue the American Dream, a dream that has equal chance of becoming a reality or a mere fantasy. Steinbeck?s novel shows a concern for these two friends as tension is raised over whether they will reach the Promised Land they cherish so much. Much of this concern can be attributed to the contrasting characters that both George and Lennie possess ?Although George is seen as an intelligent caring individual, his companion Lennie, although physically strong, is a psychologically limited man who has a good chance of inadvertently spoiling their hopes and ambitions, primarily due to his mental incapacity.
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Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Analysis
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In a world dominated by men, how will one woman fight the animosity of others just to find a friend? John Steinbeck's celebrated novel Of Mice and Men explores this theme of loneliness in the backdrop of the Great Depression, centering on the unrelenting friendship of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small. While the focus is on the duo's comradery, the reader sees glimpses of other characters who are equally as compelling. One of whom is Curley's Wife. Within this story, Steinbeck excellently crafts a tragic figure whose backstory reveal, search for companionship, and two-sided interactions with various characters - particularly Lennie - pave the way for a harrowing character arc that ends on a gruesome note.
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Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
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John Steinbeck’s portrayal of George and Lennie serve to describe and criticize the misjudgment and mistrust of the rejects of society. Understanding builds trust, a fundamental component of a harmonious society. In this global age, trusts and judgments are more important than ever. Steinbeck’s timeless message made Of Mice and Men a true classical novella.
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Of Mice And Men
612 Words | 2 Pages
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.
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Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George
1823 Words | 4 Pages
Even from the very start of John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the uniqueness of George, as a character, is already noticeable. He is described as “small and quick, dark of face, with restless eyes and sharp strong features” and has an obvious dominance over the relationship between Lennie and himself. This lets the reader know from a very early stage in the book that George is different, and probably the essential character. George’s character seems to be used by Steinbeck to reflect the major themes of the novel: loneliness, prejudice, the importance of companionship, the danger of devoted companionships, and the harshness of Californian ranch life.
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Communism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
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Upon approaching her, the responder can come to the realisation of the symbolic significance of the scene where Lennie is exposed to a force whose present mirrors his future. Steinbeck, in dominating his scene with emotional panic, frames this notion, “Lennie began to cry with fright”, coupled with her constant screaming fills the reader with a sense of unease. It is the accidental death of the wife that leads to the critical point of the novel. Drawing on Marxist ideologies, Steinbeck presents the notion that there are only two outcomes for men: the fulfilment of the American Dream or dramatically, death. This is highlighted in the tragedy of Lennie’s death.
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Of Mice of Men
492 Words | 1 Pages
The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is about two ranch hands, George and Lennie. George is a small, smart-witted man, while Lennie is a large, mentally- handicapped man. They are trying to raise enough money to buy their own ranch, by working as ranch hands. During the setting of the story, they are at a ranch whose owner’s name is Curley. It is in this setting that the novel reveals that the main theme is death and loss.
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Of Mice and Men
1198 Words | 3 Pages
Written in 1937, Of Mice and Men, by John Adolf Steinbeck Jr., American author and Pulitzer Prize winner, follows the lives of downtrodden farmhands, George and Lennie. As with many of Steinbeck's books, the themes in Of Mice and Men include his favored themes of class warfare and oppression of the working class. Steinbeck also focuses his literature on the power of friendship and the corrupt nature of mankind. In 1993, Professor Thomas Scarseth wrote a critical analysis of the novella analyzing many aspects of Steinbeck’s work including the presentation, themes, and writing style. In his essay, Scarseth explains the key themes of the Novella. He noted that the corrupted nature of man, the injustice of life, and the power of friendship were three important themes of the book. Much of Scarseth’s analysis contained numerous thoughtful insights. Were his insights and opinions valid, or were his, and Steinbeck’s, perspectives on these issues flawed?
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What Events Led Up To Lennie's Death

George and Lennie in the First Three Chapters of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Who Is Responsible For Lennie's Death

Examples Of Archetype In Of Mice And Men

Essay On Lennie's Death

Symbiosis between George and Lennie in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

Why Is Lennie's Death Justified

Steinbeck’s Use of Biblical Allusions in Of Mice and Men

How Steinbeck Creates Two Contrasting Characters In Beginning Of Mice and Men

Of Mice And Men Curley's Wife Analysis

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

Of Mice And Men

Of Mice And Men - The Importance Of George

Communism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice of Men

Of Mice and Men

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