Ethics is a performer balancing on a rope swaying to moral or immoral depending on the step. In ethics something can be moral or immoral depending of the situation. In Steinbeck's novel “Of Mice and Men” Steinbeck plays with the ethics of murder when George kills his mentally handicapped friend, Lennie. Reality speaking, Lennie would’ve received a worse fate if George didn’t intervene, Lennie is too dangerous, and Lennie can’t live alone without George. George killing Lennie was an act of mercy. If not for George’s mercy, Lennie would suffer a painful and horrible fate. After Lennie kills Curley's wife, the men get in a group for the purpose of hurting or killing Lennie. “I’m gonna get him. I'm going for my shotgun. I'll kill the big …show more content…
That can lead him to do wrong things that can get him sick or he will starve without food. Steinbeck makes a reference that without George telling him to stop be would continue to drink large amount of that dirty water. "Don't really seem to be running, though. You never oughta drink water when it ain't running, Lennie,’ he said hopelessly. ‘You'd drink out of a gutter if you was thirsty." (Steinbeck 325). One of Lennie’s character traits is finding and eating dead mice and other animals that may carry diseases. If George didn't take the mice away, Lennie could’ve gotten sick. "Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George. I didn't kill it. Honest! I found it. I found it dead.’ ‘Give it here!’ said George. ‘Aw, leave me have it, George.’ ‘Give it here!" (Steinbeck 328-329). Without George taking the mice away from him Lennie could contract any diseases, “By their very nature and design, rodents make excellent “vehicles” for harboring and rapidly transporting diseases.” (Victor). All in all, Lennie can’t take care of himself. His lack of intelligence will cause him to …show more content…
Lennie was a good person and didn't need to die. Lennie’s life was taken without do process of law However, killing Lennie in this case is right choice. Lennie being free lets him to continue to go out and hurt innocent people. Lennie being a good person does not negate the fact he kills Curley's wife, so he should receive a punishment accordingly. “Don’t you go yellin',' he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.” (Steinbeck 472). Courts will send Lennie, and people like him to mental intuitions or insane asylums, where they are tortured in hope of a cure.
In conclusion, George made the right decision. The ethics on the rope swayed to morality and mercy. George did the right thing because Lennie will suffer by the hands of other men, Lennie can continue to hurt more people, and Lennie can’t live alone without George. What George did to Lennie is an act of mercy for a
George shouldn’t be put in jail for killing Lennie because if your killing somebody or a animal that is usually not legal to kill and you don’t want to see the animal or person suffer then you should take it out of its misery.
George and Lennie were best friends for a long time, more like brothers. Lennie is about as bright as a 2 watt bulb, so George couldn’t really get mad at him when he accidently killed Curley’s wife while feeling the softness of her hair. “…’I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know’”. The two had planned a future together—a future in their own dream ranch, a ranch where no trouble would ever bother them. “’You…an’ me. Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em’”. Then after he tells him about the rabbits that Lennie is so fond of, he shoots him in the back of the head where he knows it will not hurt him, and Lennie will not know what hit him. This is the peaceful alternative to what Curley had in store for him. Curley's exact words were "shoot the bastard right in the guts." George's euthanizing of Lennie makes the mentally incompetent Lennie die with dignity. Had Curley gotten to Lennie first, Lennie would have suffered. This shows you how much George cares for Lennie, no matter what he does or the crimes he commits. He’d always be there to help Lennie get right back up to his feet, make him forget all his worries, and move on like nothing happened. I strongly believe George was the right person to kill Lennie, and made the right decision in doing so, rather than to let him suffer in the hands of Curley.
After Lennie has inadvertently murdered Curley’s wife, Curley’s lynch mob go out in search of Lennie. George’s decision is almost inevitable to spare Lennie’s life, rather than let Curley and his gang destroy the bit of life Lennie has.
If lennie would of ran off into the woods he would have died of starvation or even worse. Letting lennie off would have been in a bad spot either way, so by ending lennie’s life it took a load off of george and the crew. George took lennie's life quick and painlessly and it was almost tit for tat if you look at it, Curley’s wife for lennie's life makes it justifiable. He basically Puts lennie in a better place so lennie and george wouldn't have to run away any more and cause trouble. If he wouldn't
Lennie needed to be punished, but at the same time it needed to fit the crime; no torture or humiliation that he would not understand that George with Lennie , I believe George should of killed
First here are the events leading up to lennie’s untimely death. Well lennie and george find a ranch but there is tension between curley and lennie because of his size. One day curley's wife and lennie are in the barn alone and lennie accidentally broke her neck killing her so lennie runs off. Curley sets out to find lennie and this is when george killed lennie. You might be saying the events don’t make it right. Well curley would have killed lennie one way or another.
George made the right decision by killing Lennie as Lennie could not escape or run anywhere after Curley found out that Lennie killed his wife. Curley wanted to kill Lennie after he saw that his wife died. “ I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot ‘i'm in the guts.” Killing Lennie painlessly was better than Lenny dying slowly and painfully. George killed Lennie because he would not be able to watch Lennie get killed by Curley.
Did George do the right thing by shooting Lennie? That’s a good question, and to me I think he did. If it wasn’t going to be George who shot Lennie, then it would’ve probably been Curley. The way Curley wanted to deal with Lennie was by making it as long and as painful as it could’ve been for Lennie. Towards the end, the author mentions Lennie having a happy laughter before he was shot and that to me is a humane way to be killed with all the other options being considered.
So it is clear that George had to kill Lennie so Curley couldn't do anything to him. If George didn't kill Lennie then the state would have sent him to the insane asylum. ¨An' s'pose they lock him up an' strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain't no good, George¨(Steinbeck 97).
Lennie is an individual with great size and strength, much like the fictional character shrek. Lennie has a mind of a child, he does not have the capability to think for himself. Making him quite vulnerable to manipulation, which then could make him quite dangerous. Lennie’s strength goes to the extreme causing him to cause “accidents”. In the book “of mice and men” lennie kills curley’s wife by mistake. After fleeing george had come to the decision to kill lennie to prevent anymore “accidents”. Whether George’s decision was justified or not can be debated and defended either ways. I feel that it was indeed a justifiable decision. His actions were against the law, but weighing the pros and cons I feel it was a justified decision. If had he
Is killing someone right or wrong? In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck readers are conflicted with this question all around the world. George killed Lennie after Lennie accidentally killed Curley’s wife.George and Lennie had known eachother for a long time they even traveled together. George helped Lennie out of multiple situations and killing him was the best way he could think of in the instance of Lennie killing Curley’s wife.Even though Lennie and George were friends, George was justified in killing Lennie because Lennie was undisciplined and unsafe.
Lennie would never be able to survive without George, Lennie would be miserable alone and scared.Lennie would have been tortured by Curley if George had not killed Lennie.Before George killed Lennie says "I remember the rabbits,George”.George and Lennie would not been able to get away since last time they had a head start . Lennie would suffer regardless with George even if he came to see him in prison.Lennie has no way out in this so George did the right thing by putting Lennie out of his misery by killing him.Curley would not just kill Lennie he would have made him suffer by torturing him because Lennie had humiliated Curly twice.
In Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, George was overall morally justified for shooting Lennie because he had good reasons to do so. George did take Lennie’s life but he did it to save Lennie from the pain of Curley’s wrath. If George did not kill Lennie, then he would have had to suffer through life in jail or an asylum or torture from Curley. Many people think that George was responsible for Lennie, so the murder was not justified. However, George was justified because Lennie had hurt others before and had strong potential to hurt again.
It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt at this point, Lennie's innocence is not very accepted with the world because of his size, age, etc. He can’t really learn to change his ways due to his disabilities. Lennie can’t even understand why the bad things he has done are bad. Also, the fate he would meet at Curley's mutilated hands is enough to convince George that his only real option is to make Lennie's death as quick and painless as possible. Lennie would have died at the hands of Curly anyways, which would have been a much more painful and dehumanizing death for Lennie. He couldn't be taken to a mental hospital and in the depression, these were basically non-existent and spending a life in jail would be even more torture for a mentally ill person than death itself. George did what was right because he prevented Lennie from doing anything this terrible again, he stopped Lennie from a more painful death, and he really didn't have any other responsible
George promises Lennie many things once they get their own farm, “’O.K. Someday- we’re gonna get the jack together… ‘Specially if you remember as good as that.’”(15-16). So George killing Lennie was for his own benefit and it was a very immoral thing to do.