Killing In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

On pages 63 to 65, Lennie struggles internally over his own unrealized strength. After Lennie crushed Curley’s hand, Lennie sat cowering in the corner. He’s scared that he did something wrong but he never meant to hurt Curley. He only fought back because George told him to. George and Slim assured George that it wasn’t his fault and that he didn’t do a bad thing. On pages 44 to 48, Candy undergoes a personal struggle. When Carlson tells him that his dog is old and suffering and should be put down, Candy does not want to give up his dog. After Slim agreed that Candy’s dog should be put down on page 45, “Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slim’s opinions were law.” After being defeated by Carlson’s reasonable argument, Candy finally forces himself to give up his dog, knowing that he won’t have to suffer any more.

The remarks respectively made by Carlson then slim shows a contrast between the two characters, as the fact that Candy only later agrees for them to shoot the dog after Slim’s words shows his high authority and how his words are what all men are to take, once again using Carlson to show the level of Slim’s respect within the men’s of the

The way the characters react towards the shooting of Candy’s dog reveals a lot abut the characters that we might not have expected. Carlson offers to shoot the old dog, complaining many times of the smell. The shooting of Candy's dog shows the callousness of Carlson and the reality of old age and infirmity. Carlson typifies the men George describes as “the loneliest guys in the world”. He is outwardly friendly, but essentially selfish. He finds the smell of an old dog offensive so the dog must be shot. He shows very little regard to the dog’s owner, Candy. He relentlessly pursues the dog’s death, more for his own comfort than to put the dog out of its misery. However, Steinbeck does show some sympathy in Carlson, when he suggests “he won’t

The characters’ fates in the novel develop individually through separate journeys all controlled by power. The scene depicting Carlson influencing Candy to let him kill his dog represents the idea of power, and the concept of the characters’ journeys with power. Candy is an old man, and because of this, he does not have a powerful position in the social structure on the ranch. Carlson and Slim have power over him because of their younger age and physical abilities. Slim agreed with Carlson’s idea and had the last word on the matter when the book states, “Slim’s opinions were law” (45). Candy knows that he does not have any power over the situations or even himself as he becomes obsolete on the ranch. The dog symbolises Candy and represents the end of Candy’s life journey and the loss of power and worth due to old age when Slim states, “I wisht somebody’ed shoot me if I got old and’ a cripple” (45). The idea that Candy has no power over himself because of his social status and

Violence plays a key part in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice And Men, and there must be a reasoning behind this. In this essay I will pick apart some of the acts of violence that feature in the book, and try to explore why Steinbeck has included each one, how it develops the novel, the characters in it and helps him convey the key themes or messages he wishes to incorporate in his “valley of the world.”

In the foreshadowing Carlson shoots Candy’s dog. Carlson's reason for doing this is that it’s too old and doesn't have fun anymore. When Carlson does it Candy say “ I ought to have shot that dog myself George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.” (61).George probably took this and put it in perspective with Lennie. If he would’ve let Curley shoot him then things would've been worse because he would've suffered more. Another reason the reader thinks he did the right thing is because of what slim says.

During 1929, the Great Depression became the event that shook America. People lost their jobs, which resulted in unemployment and homelessness. Hobos and “Okies” tried moving to California did not accept the jobless migrations because they feared their opportunities for success would be lost. In Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men several characters experience cruelty because society outcasts them. These characters include Lennie, Candy, and Crooks. Of the three characters, Crooks has the least opportunity for success because he's African-American and handicap.

As the defence lawyer for George Milton, I argue that my client should not be convicted for the murder of Lennie Small based on the structure of his relationship with Lennie and his pure intentions.

In the book, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there are many human and animal deaths all throughout the book. The most significant death was when George went against his will and killed Lennie. Lennie’s death was unjustified since he was never given any opportunity to make up for it or to just run and get away. After Lennie killed Curley’s wife no one could trust him and with that the workers on the ranch believed it was Lennie’s “turn” to die. Over the course of human history there have been many unjustified deaths leading to no charge against the assailants. Such as, death row, self-defense and euthanasia, these types of deaths are all unjustified and there are many reasons to authenticate it.

“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.

In John Steinbeck 's classic novella, Of Mice and Men, one of the predominant themes that govern the story and characters in the book is friendship. One of the ways in which friendship plays a large role is in the area of mercy killing, which affects the main characters as well as the supporting ones. The two major mercy killings that occur in the book are those of Carlson 's killing of Candy 's old dog, and of George 's killing of Lennie. In both of these examples, the killer kills the other out of mercy and love, not for the usual motives of hatred, rage, anger, etc.

“I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too. I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.” - Anne Frank. This quote shows that even in the darkest of times, cruelty will eventually go away. The book mice and men describes the story about how George and Lennie look to find jobs after having Lennie accidentally break the law. Lennie then does another bad thing and gets in trouble with their bosses son. The theme of mice and men explains how cruelty and death differ from another. It can be merciful for the person and for other people to have death than to live.

People often act out in violence because they are insecure about their appearance and their abilities. Everybody has their own way of reacting to violence whether it's unintentional or intentional. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck he shows violence through Curley, Lennie, and George. Curley answers to a problem through violence and threats. For instance, Curley got offended by Lennie laughing at him and candy fighting, Curley takes advantage of Lennie and starts to fight him knowing Lennie can't fight back, Curley “slashed him with his left and then smashed down his nose with a right”(63).

Death has a ripple effect. Having a loved character in die when in desperate times, is what The Outsiders by S.E.Hinton, and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck both prove this point from some of their main characters. Sadness, loneliness, and desperation connect all of these deaths together because it is something they all share. Guns are a symbol in these books that represents trouble for ones without them. The characters in both books primarily die from getting shot or acting gallant. A few of the deaths came from saving lives or standing up for themselves, but the deaths that came from others being killed are truly the most sorrowful ones. Dally, George’s heart, Bob, Curley’s wife, Johnny, and Lennie are the ones who died in these books

An example of a mercy killing, is when Lennie dies and it wasn't meant to happen. Another example, would be when Candy's dog dies. Candy didn't mean to kill him it was a accident. Mercy killings is something that most people go for or should.