Was George's Decision To Kill Lennie Justified

Words: 652
Pages: 3
Open Document
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck describes the lives and characteristics of two friends during the great depression: George Milton and Lennie Small. George and Lennie are workers during the Great Depression, wandering in search of work hoping to earn enough money to start a new life. However, near the end of the novel, George leads himself to kill Lennie after Lennie accidently murdered the Wife of a fellow worker at a ranch. Personally, I believe George is justified in his decision to kill Lennie. Lennie Small never meant to hurt anyone. Lennie only wished to help people. However, due to his intelligence and immense size, Lennie could not survive in the real world. So, George’s decision to kill Lennie was justified because taking Lennie …show more content…
Also, Lennie was too big to survive in America. George describes how Lennie was so large that whenever Lennie was given a mouse, he “always killed ‘em” (Steinbeck 9). Lennie’s strength is so immense it would be difficult for him to survive in the world since his strength ends up doing more harm rather than good. George’s decision to kill Lennie is also justified because Lennie would face a horrible future if he were not killed. Lennie finds himself one day in the ranch barn, holding a dead puppy. He questions, “Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice. I didn’t bounce you hard” (Steinbeck 83). Lennie discovers his strength is too much for even large puppies to handle. Slim, the leader of the Mule Team at the ranch owns the puppies, and while he would not be as mad at Lennie for accidently killing one of the puppies, he would still be disappointed. The real consequence would come in Lennie’s future plan with George. George always said how Lennie could tend to rabbits in their dream ranch in the future since they were too big for Lennie to kill. But now, Lennie kills a small dog, and will most likely not be able to tend to rabbits. Lennie’s one dream for the future is crushed here, ironically just like the puppy he was holding, and his future from here on out seems
Show More

Related Documents: Was George's Decision To Kill Lennie Justified

Comparing George And Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

published in 1937. The novella is about two friends, George and Lennie, who work on ranches for a living, moving around the country. George is small and clever, while Lennie is large and mentally handicapped. Even with these colossal differences, George and Lennie are best friends and travel together while working, which is not common in ranch workers at the time. During the novella, the two friends work at a ranch near Salinas, California. Lennie is known for accidentally killing small things in his hands…

Words 1199 - Pages 5

How Did George Kill Lennie Justified In Of Mice And Men

If there was people would be running free killing others left and right for sport, with no consequences. When George killed Lennie in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men it was murder. Although others believe George was protecting Lennie from a gruesome death Lennie still did die, and George was the one that murdered him without much thought. George’s decision to kill Lennie was not justified because there were other ways to save Lennie without ending his life. One reason George’s decision…

Words 621 - Pages 3

The Tragedy Of Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

when the decision is up to you. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, George felt this way in the end. Lennie was not the easiest person to handle and control and many say that is not an excuse. However, many do not realize that Lennie was hurting others along with himself and the choice George made was the best in Lennie’s interest and those around him. Therefore, George’s decision to kill Lennie is justified because George had realized that their dream would never happen because Lennie was only getting…

Words 630 - Pages 3

Lennie's Decisions In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

George had a hard decision to make but if he cared about Lennie enough, then he never would have killed him. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Lennie didn’t mean to do what he did and he should not have had his life ended just because of one accident. George promised Lennie’s aunt that he would take care of Lennie after she died and he did the opposite. Lennie also was a good asset to society. He was a good worker and got the job done quickly.Killing is never justified, especially when you make…

Words 521 - Pages 3

How Is George's Decision To Kill Lennie Justified

Is killing ever justified? Is it ever okay? These are questions that were encouraged and well thought on, after the death of Lennie. Some people may think killing is never justified, no matter the situation. Besides self -defense, is it? George was only trying to prevent Lennie from any pain and suffering. George killed Lennie to protect him from a painful death. George would have had to keep on running until Lennie got caught. George killing Lennie was practically an act of kindness. Therefore…

Words 472 - Pages 2

Character Analysis: Of Mice And Men

George's decision Charles R. Swindoll’s quote “We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have.” perfectly sets John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men conclusion with the major character - George - having to shoot someone who's more than just his best friend - Lennie. George had to pull the trigger because the help Lennie needed wasn't available during the time, Lennie's…

Words 862 - Pages 4

Of Mice And Men Argumentative Essay

Killed Lennie? John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, is full of controversial scenes. One of these scenes involves the murder of a old man’s lifelong companion, an old dog, for the convenience of others. Throughout the book there are examples of racism and sexism. There is also a few scenes to make the reader think deeper about what happened. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, the character George makes a controversial decision to kill his best friend, Lennie. I believe George needed to kill Lennie…

Words 935 - Pages 4

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind Essay

income. That influenced the production and the time it took to build a windmill because he was not able to purchase the fundamental materials needed to generate…

Words 643 - Pages 3