At the end of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George shoots his best friend, Lennie, in the back of the head. George killed Lennie because he believed he didn’t have many options. He loved Lennie, and in a way he felt that he was protecting Lennie from others who wanted to kill him. What he did, though, could also be seen as evil. Lennie is a large, strong migrant worker, but he is also dumb and doesn’t know his own strength, which often gets him into trouble. At the end of the book, Lennie accidentally kills the wife of the farmer’s son, Curly. He goes into hiding, and Curly and the farmhands all go looking to kill Lennie. George knows they are coming to kill Lennie, and he knows they will be very harsh towards him. So George decides that he should be the one that kills Lennie, so he can make it a quick, painless death. …show more content…
Lennie had gotten into trouble like this before, and he and George had had to run away. Lennie had also accidentally killed a few animals on the farm, because he couldn’t control his own strength. But George probably felt that he could not protect Lennie this time, and that running away just wouldn’t work. So he probably thought he had to choose between letting Curly and the farmhands kill Lennie or doing it himself in a quick, painless way so Lennie wouldn’t even know what happened. George decided that the second option was best, so he killed Lennie, after distracting him, with a gunshot behind his
Death, the one thing every person will eventually face, could be seen as an end or an entrance. What is your extent of a friendship? How far are you willing to go to help the person you care for? For many reasons, the majority of people think murder is immoral—especially if it was your own best friend. But sometimes we may have to go to the extreme, as long as we know it was the right thing to do from the heart because that’s how much you know you care. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I strongly believe that George was right to kill Lennie.
Throughout the book we see an interesting bond between two very different men. George is similar to an older brother and has become responsible for Lennie. Because of his mental disorder Lennie is dependent on George and does whatever he says. They both had plans to spend their futures together. It was very difficult for George to kill Lennie, but he did it out of him love for him, which made it even harder. In that moment it is clear how much George really cares for Lennie. Though their friendship comes an appealing finish it is evident that both characters are extremely close to each other and would go to extreme lengths for one
As many people who were out to get Lennie, the only person qualified to kill him was George. George has been there for Lennie, his whole life, “Him and me was both born in Auburn… When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin’. Got kinda used to each other after a little while” (Steinbeck 40). Furthermore, George was only trying to take away more suffering later in the future. Since Lennie killed Curley’s wife,
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.
To George and Lennie, having a friend with them is really lucky, but their luckiness didn 't last very long. At the end of the book, George shot Lennie at the back of his head. That was one of George’s two choices: let Curley kill Lennie or kill Lennie by himself. Like a father, George thought it’s his responsibility to kill Lennie to payback the life of
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.
One reason George had to kill Lennie is because his punishment could have been worse. For example, on page 96 curley said he was going to take a shot gun and shoot him in the guts. “I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun. I’ll kill the big ______________ myself. I’ll shoot ‘im in the guts. Come on guys.” (Steinbeck 96). This states that Curley and other fellow ranchers were going to do horrible things to Lennie. Since George didn’t want Lennie to suffer, George took
Lennie small is a large strong, and un intelligent man. He rarely thinks for himself and can’t hold his own. He does not understand Who you can laugh at or when you can laugh which makes him not have any social awareness. Lennie also never learns throughout the course of this story. He never learns to stay away from some people. For All these reasons we are sympathetic for him.
In John Steinbeck’s work, Of Mice and Men, Lennie is compared to an animal multiple times which degrades from his sense of humanity and leads to a greater gap between George and himself causing Lennie to become almost nothing to the reader, and to the other characters in the story as well. While George has sharp figures and is precisely described, Lennie is shown as more animalistic, and not really given a lot of traits and characteristics. Also, the other people in the ranch/farm approach Lennie with fear and caution.
"I just done it ... took [the gun] an' ... killed him" says George on murdering Lennie (Steinbeck 107). John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men takes place at a ranch near Soledad, California during the Great Depression. George and Lennie are two migrant workers who travel together from place to place. Lennie has a mental disability and likes to pet soft objects. One day, Lennie starts to pet a woman’s hair. After the woman starts to panic, Lennie accidentally snaps her neck and kills her. George then hunts down Lennie and murders him. George murdered Lennie because Lennie didn’t wish to die.
Another reason George had no other choice was that Lennie was not fully aware of his mental abilities as he was his physical strengths which often lead to Lennie getting in trouble like his one one incident that happened in weed before they came to the ranch. Also, aside from Curley’s Wife Lennie has killed other things before such as a mouse that he found, and a puppy on the ranch so Lennie could be a danger or potential threat to others on the ranch which would make sense to why George would have simply no other realistic choice but to kill him.
George and Lennie were best friends for a long time—more like brothers. Lennie isn’t the brightest bulb in the box, so George couldn’t really get mad at him when he accidentally killed Curley’s wife, due to the soft feel of her hair—which he truly adored too much that he killed her by accident. “…’I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know’”(101). The two had planned a future together—a future in their own dream ranch. A ranch where no trouble they’d cross or cross them. Right before George put him out from the back of the head with the Luger, he made Lennie think of their future home—their ranch and the rabbits Lennie would tend. “’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’”(101). This shows you how much George cares for Lennie, no matter how big the crime is. 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 hereby state that I strongly believe George was the right person to kill Lennie, therefore made the right decision to, rather than to let him suffer in the hands of Curley.
George was justified in his decision to shoot Lennie because he was dangerous to the people around him. For example, in chapter one they were running from a mob of people because Lennie did something to a girl at the other place. Lennie also killed Curley’s wife on page 91. ‘’And then she was still for Lennie had broken her neck”. (Pg.91) In that sentence the reader finds out Lennie broke Curley’s wife’s neck. Throughout the book Lennie does more and more to show he is dangerous to the people around him.
Lennie is he only sorta family that george has. “ when you see ,Im don't give ‘Im no chance shoot for his guts that'll double ‘Im over” (Steinbeck 97). This proves that the guys wanted to torture him to death because if you shoot somebody in the guts they die a long and slow death, so they wanted to make him suffer for what he accidentally did for killing curley's
Lennie and George were always together especially after Lennie's aunt Clara died. George explained his relationship with Lennie by saying, "Him and me was both born in Auburn. I knowed his Aunt Clara. She took him when he was a baby and raised him up. When his Aunt Clara died, Lennie just come along with me out workin'. Got kinda used to each other after a little while” (Steinbeck 386). Lennie has always had someone to care for him. George took it upon himself to provide for Lennie after his aunt died. If something happens to George or they get separated Lennie wouldn’t know what to do. George killing Lennie was better off for the both of