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The Theme of Friendship and Loneliness in of Mice and Men
How is the theme of friendship explored in the novel of mice and men
How is the theme of friendship explored in the novel of mice and men
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Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a novel about two farmers, Lennie and George, who try to achieve their life dreams of having their own farm. George is small and quick and is the "leader" of the two. The other is Lennie, who is big and strong, but has a bit of a slow mind. Throughout the book, Lennie and George go through many problems that get too dramatic that George has to kill Lennie. Some viewers may think George's actions were unjustified for shooting Lennie. However, George was justified in killing Lennie. This is because Lennie had previously hurt living things; Lennie is unable to rejoin society so to help Lennie's problem, George had to do what is right. One of the main reasons why George killed Lennie is that Lennie hurts
Many characters have hopes and dreams which they wish to accomplish. Of Mice and Men has two main characters that go through obstacles to get what they want. In the beginning it is George and Lennie running away trying to get a job. Once both George and Lennie have a job they try to accomplish their dreams. Unfortunately they both can't get their dreams to come true since lennie does the worst and George has to shoot Lennie. Steinbeck uses characterization, foreshadowing, and symbol as rhetorical strategies to make George's actions justified.
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
John Steinbeck wrote a story about two men that only had each to depend on. Many of George and Lennie's struggles come from things they cannot control such as Lennie's mental issues. George and Lennie are very poor and they work on farms together, but they have to move a lot because Lennie always does something stupid. The greatest tragedy in Mice and Men was when Lennie was left alone with Curley's wife. She was the reason why Lennie ended up being killed. She knew of to manipulate others to get her way and that is what she relies on most of the time.
“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.
How would you feel if one of your close friends killed one of their friends, but had a reason for doing it? Would you see them as a murderer? As my class is discussing the book ¨Of Mice and Men¨ George shot Lennie and most people believe that George had a justification as to murdering Lennie. I personally don’t agree with that; I believe George murdering Lennie wasn’t justified because it goes against The Bible, the law, and it was premeditated.
Of Mice and Men is written by John Steinbeck. The story is about these two men, George and Lennie, and they find work at this ranch. Within a few days, Lennie, a tall bulky man with the brain of a young child, gets in trouble, making his traveling buddy, George, do the unthinkable. George shoots Lennie to make his death a more "joyous" one than the one he would've received from Curley, the man that wanted to kill him the most. It was right for George to shoot Lennie because Lennie died suddenly, was thinking about the dream, and was shot by a friend.
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.
The novella Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck introduced the reader to the character George. George is faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to kill his best friend. His best friend, Lennie has a mental disability that resulted in his brain not fully developing. In the 1930’s no one respected people with a disability. George had to constantly run around trying to get Lennie out of trouble and he never had time to himself. Finally when Lennie was getting hunted down by a lynching party for the second time, George thought maybe it was best if Lennie wasn't around anymore. George was devastated that he would no longer have his companion by his side but he could no longer look after Lennie. His decision was tough but he killed Lennie out of love.
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.
than strict justice.”In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George decides to shoot Lennie instead of having Curley mercilessly torture and kill him. George makes the right choice by deciding to kill Lennie, if he didn’t, Curley would torture him and ultimately kill him because of his anger and hatred.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is of two men who care for each other very deeply. They have their financial struggles and one partner with mental disabilities. They battle their hardships together, but when Lennie, the mentally disabled, makes a mistake and kills someone, it forces George to have to take away Lennie’s life. Critics believe George Milton committed cold-blooded murder when he killed his close companion, Lennie Small; I disagree and believe George’s heroic journey instead lead him to the mercy killing of Lennie.
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.
Of Mice and Men is John Steinbeck’s plead on behalf of those suffering with their mental health. When reading the novel, multiple incidents occur that show the Lennie’s needs. For example, when Slim, a co-worker or Lennie and George’s inquires, George says, “Sure he’s jes’ like a kid. There ain’t no more harm in him than a kid neither, except he’s so strong” (22). Lennie kills mice, a puppy, and even a woman, without any ill intentions. Lennie does not mean any harm, but simply does not know quite how to act
The reasonable causes behind making a tough decision can often times torment an individual. In the literary artwork, “Of Mice and Men”, by John Steinbeck, the reader is introduced to the odd relationship between two men traveling together while facing immense disasters during the Great Depression in America. One of the men named George Milton is depicted as the guardian of the other who is named Lennie Small. Lennie suffers from having the mentality of a child and emotional disputes as this disability gradually becomes a burden for George. Due to Lennie’s mental illness causing him to unknowingly harm others, and continuously making the same mistakes without learning from them, George is justified in killing Lennie.
During the story Of Mice and Men, George once said, “he aint no cookoo. He’s dumb as hell, but he aint crazy” (Steinbeck39). George was sticking up for Lennie. Then later on in the story, George and Lennie’s boss once told George “I have never seen one guy take so much trouble for one another” (Steinbeck22). Proving George takes care of what he is responsible for. During the story, Lennie often tends to get himself into trouble, but George never got mad. He accepted the fact that it happened and gave up whatever he had to enable to keep Lennie safe. Not to mention, George also stood up for Lennie by saying “poor bastard didn’t know what he was doing” (Steinbeck98). At this point in the story, Lennie killed his bosses’ sons’ wife. Lennie then ran to the river like George him to do earlier in the story. The boss and his son went looking for Lennie. But before they could find him, George got to him, but since Lennie was George’s responsibility, George took it to himself to solve the problem by killing Lennie before the boss and his son could do it themselves. George and Lennie are responsible for one another, not to mention all the sacrifice, both George and Lennie make for one