Caring For The Rabbits In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Caring for the Rabbits

John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men has captured an abundance of readers of all ages due to its intriguing representation of the hardships of early America. At this time, citizens could not achieve the “American Dream” as a result of their race, physical ability, along with the amount of money someone owned. In his novel, he demonstrates his two main characters as impoverished, white skinned, laborers who regularly find their way into dilemmas and often argue. George Milton and Lennie Small are characters in the novel that travel together as well as work together in hopes to achieve the American dream. Large numbers of scholars criticize George for his harsh treatment to Lennie and the tragic conclusion of the novel. Throughout the novel, George’s actions like protecting Lennie, giving him an incentive, saving Lennie in death, and the story of their future, display George's devotion to guiding Lennie.

In Of Mice and Men, George frequently mentions that his life would improve immensely if he does not have to babysit

Avoiding the tragic ending, some say, is the correct solution to the problem. In George’s defense, this could not have bypassed. Although some may argue, George assures Lennie in his final moments and makes it peaceful. George concedes, “No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know” (Steinbeck 106). This makes Lennie’s last moments jubilant, unlike Candy’s dog's concluding moments. George was protecting Lennie from an agonizing death by killing Lennie himself instead of having Curly murder him. He even had difficulty raising the gun behind Lennie’s head. This substantiates George’s adherence to Lennie due to the fact that he struggled to do what was best for his chum because he did not want to lose him. Therefore, George made the correct decision to assassinate Lennie, guarding him against an apprehensive