Mercy Killing And Murder In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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“Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law… allows doctors… to write lethal drug prescriptions for terminally ill people” (Briggs). The controversial topic of the difference between mercy killing and murder is brought up in John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men. George and Lennie, the main characters in the story, are two migrant workers looking for a job and a place to stay. Their work in the past has not worked out well because of Lennie’s mental disability. Although Lennie is tall and strong, he has the mind of a child. George and Lennie end up finding a nice ranch to work on and make some friends. That is when disaster struck. Lennie accidentally killed the boss’s son’s wife by snapping her neck. Lennie ran off to a place George told him to …show more content…
This is one-hundred percent false. In fact, when Lennie was killed, he wasn’t suffering at all. Right before he was shot, Lennie uttered “le’s get that place now”, referring to George’s fantasized dream home where George would let Lennie tend the rabbits (Steinbeck). Whenever George told him the story, Lennie would instantly become content and happy. The house represented a better place, and a better future for the two of them. To take his life when he felt happiest is a sin. It would be different if Lennie was feeling depressed about the struggles he had been through in his life, or if he would end up dying a painful death because of his illness. But neither of these things were happening. Imagine being shot right now because of a mistake. A mistake such as breaking a vase or a glass. This is what it was like for Lennie. He made an innocent mistake but paid the ultimate price. Lennie would never hurt a fly on purpose. He wouldn’t hurt anything or anyone on purpose. Clearly, George isn’t as caring as Lennie. The difference between mercy killing and murder is a big deal because the loss of a human life is a very serious issue. Murder is not merciful, it is immoral and wrong. When George killed Lennie, it was absolutely murder. Murder may happen for all the right reasons, but it’s still murder. If someone means so much, it’s definitely worth it to take the necessary steps to end their
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