In Steinbeck’s Of Mice of Men, George is confronted with the troubling conflict of ending his best and only friend’s life. In the depression stricken 1930’s, George Milton and Lennie Smalls are saving money until they can buy their dream homestead. This dream comes to a screeching halt when Lennie kills the boss’s son’s wife. George decides to end Lennie’s life while describing their dream homestead one last time . George should have killed Lennie because Curley would have tortured him, lennie was his responsibility, and he would have continued to do bad things.
Everyday people face the challenges of life and others, but it is not what we think but it is our actions that define our character. In the story, “Of Mice and Men”, George is faced with an ultimate decision of, running off with his friend Lennie, again like he has done numerous times or ending it all and starting a new life but unfortunately taking Lennie’s in the process. At the end of the story, George does decide to start fresh, and I believe he made the right decision. There are only so many chances a man gets in this world and Lennie could not grasp that concept.
“If he tangles with you, Lennie, we’re gonna get the can. Don’t make no mistake about that. He’s the boss’s son. Look, Lennie. You try to keep away from him, will you? Don’t never speak to him. If he comes in here you move clear to the other side of the room. Will you do that, Lennie?” (Steinbeck, pg. 29) John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men is a tale about what it means to have a relationship. Steinbeck's story of George and Lennie's goal of obtaining their own ranch, and the challenges of reaching that goal, shows the nature of dreams, dignity, loneliness, and sacrifice. Lennie, the giant with mental issues who makes George's aim of owning his own ranch beneficial, ironically becomes the biggest challenge to achieving that goal. One of the most important characters in this story is George because he is different from all the other men of his time. The two words that best describe this character are bossy and diligent.
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.
By killing Lennie in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice And Men, George protected himself, prevented unnecessary harm from coming to Lennie, and ultimately, he let Lennie die happy.
In Of Mice and Men, George was right to kill Lennie. In the novel, Lennie killed a mouse, a puppy, and a woman. Lennie could have been charged with rape on two separate occasions. In Weed, Lennie grabbed a woman and ripped a part of her clothes off. At the farm, in the barn, Lennie stroked her hair and accidentally killed her. George killed Lennie, because Candy told George he wished he would have shot his own dog, Lennie killed Curley’s wife, the puppie, and the mouse, and the lynch mob would have done worse things to Lennie.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is a compelling novel set during the Great Depression. The novel teaches itś readers about the value of companionship, sacrifice, and dreams. In doing so, it includes several examples of euthanasia, or mercy killing. At the end of the story, George has to kill Lennie to protect him. Despite the fact that Lennie was George's best friend, George did the right thing because if Lennie wouldn't have been shot by George then someone else couldve gotten to him first and made him suffer. Also, If George wouldn't have killed Lennie, then Lennie would have been locked away, frightened and all alone.
In the digital, literary, and real world, good friends support each other with encouraging words and pep talks. Parents, however, might be harsher and lecture their child or make decisions for them. To most people, a father or mother is not a best friend. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George is a bad friend to Lennie because he acts like a parent and treats Lennie like a child. Various situations throughout this novel show how George feels like the father of a handicapped child and is obligated to take care of Lennie. This new role he takes on makes George act out against Lennie.
“‘Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ‘em.’ ‘Le’s do it now. Let’s get that place now’” (106). These are the last words that filled the air between George and Lennie, their last exchange preceding a pivotal moment in both of their lives. They conversation calms and soothes Lennie, who hopes to finally get the farm that he and George dreamed about for so many years. Yet unbeknownst to him, Lennie would soon be set free from his earthly bonds by his long-time friend; a bullet, shot from the barrel of George’s gun, would enter Lennie’s head and kill him instantly. That bullet was not one of self-gain and moral disrepute, but one of freedom and liberation from worldly restraints. While this remains a hotly contested topic in classrooms reading Of Mice and Men, George’s intentions in killing Lennie were overwhelmingly good-natured.
After reading the novel, Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck, I felt relieved and shocked. The novel ends with George shooting Lennie in the head because he killed the bosses sons wife. Lennie was born with a mental disability causing him to look up upon George. When Lennie killed Curry’s wife, a whole lynch mob was on the look out for him. George saw no other choice but to take Lennie out of his misery. I felt relieved because it wasn't the first time Lennie had caused a scene, previously they had to leave town because of an incident Lennie had caused. George already knew Lennie could not control himself and some point he couldn't try to control Lennie forever. In the last chapter is states “George still stared at Curley’s wife. “Lennie never done it in meanness,” he said. “All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.” He straightened up and looked back at Candy. .. He said sharply, “I ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie.” George loves Lennie unconditionally, this makes him choose to kill Lennie
George was the most important character in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; if he was not in the book Lennie would not have had anyone to guide him in the right direction. George also changed the most throughout the duration of the book. He went from a determined working man, whose only worries were caring for Lennie and finding a job, to a man whose end goal was completing his dream of living on a small farm with Lennie and Candy, owning rabbits and other livestock so they could “.. live off the fatta the lan’” (Steinbeck 14)
Throughout the book, “Of Mice and Men”,George and Lennie have faced many difficulties and problems. But they never quite gave up on each other. In the book, “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck stated many things to prove the main idea. Throughout the book, John Steinbeck shows the difficulties that George and Lennie have to deal with. He states on how they are different, their problems and what keeps their relationship stable. Friendships may be difficult and put you out from the rest, but it has it’s values.
Author John Steinbeck creates some of the most realistic characters in literature in his novelette Of Mice and Men. George, Lennie, and Curley’s wife are examples of both strength and weakness. In the end, each of them are pushed beyond the limits of what a normal human being should endure. Curley’s wife is a victim in her own life. Her dreams of becoming an actress are crushed, she is lonely, and she is murdered by Lennie.
George the smaller leader and Lennie the mentally challenged friend. They travel around looking for jobs. They get a job at a farm when Lennie accidentally kills curley's wife. Which makes George do the unthinkable and kill his friend. This all takes place in California during the dust bowl. George is the protagonist in the book of mice and men by John Steinbeck. Lennie is the antagonist in the novella.
“And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.” George has just killed his best friend (Steinbeck 106). In John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men, George Milton and Lennie Small are a pair of pals that travel across California in search of work in the 1930s. With Lennie’s simple-minded thinking, he runs George and himself into trouble which costs them their job. The pair finally settles at a ranch somewhere in rural California after getting chased out of their last job. After a while, the inevitable happens and Lennie does something that does not look good for him, which causes men from the ranch to go chasing after him with the intent of killing him. Lennie flees to a nearby river where George meets him. To spare Lennie from the mental suffering of people always getting frustrated with him and criticizing his mistakes, George takes his life in an act of mercy.