John Steinbeck’s, Of mice and men explores ideas of: the American dream, Male friendship and broken dreams. When George shoots Lennie, the way these ideas are communicated in the story changes. This moment was vital in the overall ideas that are being communicated in the story.
The moment that George shoots Lennie is the climax of the story. George felt he needed to shoot Lennie after Lennie accidently killed Curley’s wife in order to protect him from suffering a worse fate: being lynched by the other men and Curley. All of the ideas being explored in the story are impacted on by this moment.
The plan to have ones own property and live off ‘the fatta the lan’ symbolises the idea of the American dream. George, Lennie and Candy shared this dream and had a plan to save enough money and leave.
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Lennie had to be held accountable, and the way George killed him was the most humane way that it could have been done. With Lennie’s death, George was free from the responsibility of Lennie and was now able to live the life he had previously talked of. Despite ridding George of one burden, Lennies death now left George with the burden of killing a man, whom was also his best friend. It is likely that after the moment George wouldn’t have stuck around the ranch long and may have lived his life riddled with guilt over killing Lennie.
Evidently the text Of mice and men is a good example of the idea that a moment changes all. The moment, in which George had to kill his friend, Lennie, changed the way many of the main ideas in the book were connected. This moment not only killed an important character of the story but also had harsh impacts on the lives of the characters around him. The moment that changed all, was also the ending of the book, it expresses the idea that every ending is a new