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Ethics on euthanasia
An analytical essay explaining how characters in mice and men influence the plot
Describtion of john steinbecks writing style in the grapes of warth
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You stand there by the hospital bed, staring down at your lifeless brother, with pale skin and dead eyes. You can hear him breathe roughly with a tube down his throat. Your family is yelling in the distant background on whether they should let him go or stay. A decision that would render life or death, but, how could you know what he wants for himself if he can't even let alone breathe. In the novella “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, they face a similarity dealing with mercy killing. After the accidental murdering of Curley’s wife, George figures out eventually that his mental best friend Lennie was behind it. When George finds Lennie, he has to make a fateful decision to whether to kill Lennie or have him be enduring a punishment …show more content…
by a revengeful Curley. The novel shows that mercy killing is not hurtful to the loved one because you are showing compassion and responsibility towards them . George made a promise to Lennie’s Aunt Clara that he would take care of Lennie. In this situation, this is what he feel is right for Lennie at the time, but, it was wrong to betray his best friend and think for Lennie and determine what Lennie would have wanted. When Lennie was born with a mental disorder and kept this disorder all his life. George helps Lennie through Channel 2 this but still is having a hard time learning responsibility.
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 …show more content…
thing. George feels bad for Lennie that he had to murder him, which was wrong cause there are alternative solutions.
In the article “A dangerous euthanasia ruling” by Alex Schandenburg, he states “ Assisted suicide represents an abandonment of people who live with depression who require support and proper care.” Euthanasia has been a problem for a long time, there has been so many court cases discussing this propaganda. For instance, Schandenberg states proof that euthanasia is bad. “Psychological suffering was the reason for the following deaths in the Netherlands; a healthy woman with tinnitus, died by euthanasia, a healthy woman who was deaf died by euthanasia. This supports my argument because these people died for a bad complications that can be helped. Also the use of special treatments and medicine is no longer needed because all the patients who were required to having them were ended with
death. Channel 3 Another article states “ Yet she and her colleagues continue to put the mentally ill to rest, insisting they are respecting their wishes, though as she writes, further studies are recommended” (lane). This statement helps support my thesis by stating that they're unsure if euthanasia is right or wrong to do. Hospitals around the world are still deciding whether to keep euthanasia or let it be legalized. However, there are some who actually agree with the idea of mercy killing and how it is the right thing to do. In the article “ We need to talk about euthanasia” there is a quote that states“ Nine in ten agree a person should not be forced to endure suffering” (warren). When it comes to patients that are truly suffering from pain their families or the patient can acquire mercy killing for themselves. This statement supports a story about deaf spinal complications to two twins in Belgian. Gross states “Marc and Eddy Verbessem 45. They were diagnosed with incoming blindness, upon this diagnosis, they decided that their lives were not worth living anymore and they were legally euthanized Dec.14” (Gross). They had severe pain mentally and physically; it was right for them to be euthanized because they authorized it. George kept a promise and he didn't break it till he had to murder Lennie; George thought it was the right thing to do, but there were so many other routes and plans that he could've taken. Euthanasia has a negative effect in both Of Mice and Men and the local communities. Overall mercy killing is wrong and basically showing that you have given up or can't be helped. For most cases it's not the victims authorization, but the parents or loved ones and that is exactly what George did. He thought that it would be best for Lennie, but not knowing that he was kind of doing it for himself as well; it was a harmless killing or a revengeful Curley. So he chose the less painless way instead of trying to figure a way out.
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
Why would you kill your best friend that has been with you through thick and thin? Lennie Small was killed by George Milton at the end of the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place....With us it ain't like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us” (Steinbeck 13-14). That quote basically describes Lennie and George's relationship to each other. Murder is something done with anger and to end a person’s life that should have not been ended. George had all the aspects of a murderer, he basically planned the murder of Lennie Small. George was not even accused for killing Lennie, everyone was happy and that is not right. Also George should have let Lennie escape to the cave and let Lennie live freely. Being said, George in all right, should be considered a murderer and not a savior.
George felt though an extremely difficult choice, killing Lennie himself was the right decision. Curley was gonna get his revenge and George did not want that because he did not want Lennie to die painfully. “‘I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot him in the guts.’”(Steinbeck 96). When Lennie killed Curley’s wife, Curley wanted to give him the most painful death. Curley wanted to shoot Lennie in the stomach which wouldn’t kill you at first, Instead you would bleed out slowly and painfully. George didn’t want Lennie to suffer so he knew he had to get to Lennie before Curley did and kill Lennie the fastest and least painful death he could which he did. Lennie would be arrested and thrown in jail for
“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 and Lennie were as close as brothers, wishing to purchase a ranch and live independently. However, Lennie carried a mental disability, not knowing how to control his own strength, which caused him to do “bad things”. These bad things result in both men constantly on the run from authority. Lennie eventually makes a fatal mistake, strangling the boss’s wife, Curley. In the end, George must decide between taking Lennie’s life or letting him live. He peacefully shoots Lennie in the back of the head. George’s decision to kill Lennie was moral because it put Lennie out of misery and harm’s way.
After Lennie makes his mistake of killing Curley's wife the other characters want to brutally kill him being led by Curley but George who realises that this is a cruel way for Lennie to die and that he can’t save Lennie he decides that Lennie must have a merciful death. The reader infers when Curley says “ ‘I know who done it,[...][It was lennie].I know he done it. [...] I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun[...]I’ll shoot him in the guts’ ” ( 96). In this quote we understand that Curley plans on killing Lennie but in a more painful way than Lennie deserves. Thus George realizes that Lennie is about to be killed in a horrific way so he intervenes and kills Lennie in a peaceful way. This shows that mercy killing is to be done over the horrific way that Curley wants to take out Lenie. Because Lennie would have a much worse death than needed and Lennie could have put up a fight, George completes a mercy killing as the safest
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,
In fact, near the ending of the story, he unintentionally snapped Curley’s wife’s neck trying to quiet her (91). Failing to recognize his own strength, Lennie accidentally took her life, proving that he was perilous. By shooting Lennie, George prevented Lennie from accidentally injuring or killing anyone ever again. His verdict was correct in view of the fact that he sacrificed his friend’s life with the intention to protect the lives of others. Furthermore, George’s decision protected Lennie. As a punishment for his deeds, The workers wanted Lennie executed. George realized this and told candy, “Curley’s gon’ta wanta get ‘i'm lynched. Curley’ll get ‘im killed,” (94). In consequence of killing Curley’s wife, Lennie unknowingly put himself in harm's way. Curley’s motive for wanting to kill Lennie was spite and revenge. So, instead of allowing Lennie to be murdered alone and afraid, George took matters into his own hands and made sure his friend died knowing he was cared for and full of hope. Through it's ironic, George’s choice protected Lennie from the malice of others, thus keeping him unafraid and unharmed. However, others may believe
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.
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
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.
Should George have shot his friend Lennie? George probably did the right thing by shooting Lennie. How can we condemn George for sparing his friend Lennie the pain and fear of being killed by someone else? He did something society sees as wrong, but he did it for a good reason. Lennie didn’t deserve to die, but there was no other alternative. Curley wanted to kill Lennie, and since George cared for Lennie, he figured the best thing would be for him to put Lennie out of his misery.
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 attack. He had the moral clarity that let him see that killing Lennie was the best thing for him. When George kills Lennie, it’s a kind of mercy killing.
This is the reason what George did in Of Mice and Men is acceptable even if not liked. After the killing of Curley’s wife, Curley was mad and was obligated in his own mind to find moral retribution that would never be settled until Lennie was suffering and, after suffering, dead. This is a astonishing example of when George was obligated as primary carer and close friend to Lennie to help him pass as quickly and painlessly as possible. In a situation where someone is suffering, like Lennie, from some condition, we are obligated to help the person pass as painlessly as possible. This is why George has necessity to help Lennie pass and why mercy killing is justifiably acceptable.