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Compassion In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Imagine, a small, nearly silent hospital room filled with quiet apprehension about what is about to happen; the silence masked only by soothing voices trying to bring the room to a state of peace. A man lies in bed, only kept alive by the life support that his been sustaining him for days. Then in a moment, the life support is gone and so is the man, released in a harsh act prompted by mercy, compassion, and good intentions. In John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, a another situation is prompted by compassion, but the result is a cruel act. Lennie attempts to show caring and tenderness to Curley’s wife, but it leads to her death in an example of situational irony. In addition, the kindness and compassion George shows to Lennie must end with Lennie’s …show more content…

The last line of Of Mice and Men is said by Carlson. In regards to Slim and George after Lennie’s death, he says, “Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?” (Steinbeck 108). George is clearly negatively affected by what has happened. It makes it clear, George was not selfish in his act, but wanted only to show Lennie compassion and give him a gift. The mood conveys the good intentions that George had even in his brutal act of killing Lennie, further supporting the message that the most cruel vicious acts can stem from compassion and …show more content…

Compassion and good intentions can often lead to the cruelest, harshest actions. Despite this, people still strive to do what is best for others and be selfless, even if it means making a decision that nobody wants to

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959 Words | 4 Pages

‘Lennie begged, “Le 's do it now. Le 's get that place now.”’ George concurs, places the Luger on the back of Lennie’s head, and shoots him. One of the most controversial aspects of George Steinbeck 's novel Of Mice and Men, was the death of Lennie by his friend’s hands. Many believe that George murdered him in Lennie’s best interest, yet many others believe that George was being selfish and with his act, removed the burden of Lennie.

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841 Words | 4 Pages

Lord have Mercy on Your Soul “Nonetheless, many [people] still live in fear that they'll have no control over pain and suffering in the face of death” (Lynch). This exemplified John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Lennie, who has a mental disability, is mercy killed by his partner and friend, George. George took it upon himself to take Lennie’s life, and he did it out of a sense of companionship and friendship to spare him from what Curley might have forced upon Lennie. George decided to end his best friend’s life in order to prevent him from being tortured, and this is because he killed Curley’s wife.

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616 Words | 3 Pages

Furthermore, after George killed Lennie, his co-workers commented,”Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin’ them two guys?”(Steinbeck 107). George was not celebrating the death of his best friend, he was mourning since Lennie was no longer with him. George’s co-workers do not necessarily understand what he is going through since they have never truly been close with somebody. George wanted the best for Lennie, he would not have killed Lennie out of amusement and been upset about it, he only wanted for him to die

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622 Words | 3 Pages

In Of Mice of Men, a novel written by John Steinback, George's decision to end Lennie's life was a difficult one, but ultimately the right one. Lennie, due to his mental disability, had a tendency to get into trouble and cause harm to himself and those around him. George, as Lennie's caretaker, was the only one who could take the necessary steps to protect Lennie from himself. George didn’t want Lennie to suffer a long painful death from being shot in the guts, or from being locked up in a cage being beaten by Curley and the farmhands, or perhaps suffer from loneliness from working on a ranch: “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family.

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701 Words | 3 Pages

By the end, it’s determined Lennie has become a danger to society. Considering the fast progression of Lennie’s behavior, George takes it upon himself to do something about

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406 Words | 2 Pages

Lennie had peacefully and happily died, which wouldn’t had been his experience if he had been found by Curley first. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, George consistently shows the qualities of a good friend by dealing with the annoyance of Lennie and risking his own life for his. Lennie and George’s relationship has positively changed both of them to become a sensitive and humane

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270 Words | 2 Pages

Self-Sacrifice Is it ever okay for one friend to kill another friend, the only one he has, even if it is for his own good? In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, George and Lennie are wands, who only have each other as friends. Lennie need George, and vice versa, even though George does not show it as often. But when Lennie kills Curley’s wife, he becomes the enemy of Curley. Now, instead of being brutally killed at the hands of Curley, George decides to kill him, for him to go peacefully next to his only friend.

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1027 Words | 5 Pages

According to “Merriam Webster”, the definition of love is having a deep affection for someone, and that is hard to find. The definition of infatuation is having a little passion or admiration for someone, and people experience that everyday. In Of Mice And Men, by John Steinbeck, the main characters are George and Lennie, and they are always on the run. In the beginning, Lennie messed up and touched a girls dress, and the girl screamed rape. George and Lennie had to Leave town to escape prosecution.

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1301 Words | 6 Pages

and he never leaves his side, until Lennie makes the mistake of all mistakes. Now Lennie is a grown man, and you would think that he is responsible enough to take care of himself and make his own decisions but he is so used to George yelling at him orders to do certain things and to not do certain things but when Lennie makes his own decisions all goes wrong. and George has to go find a new ranch to work at, but they just had to get away or they’d be locked up. George told Lennie that if he ever got in trouble come and hide in this area that they had been at the

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785 Words | 4 Pages

George knew that Lennie’s actions could be misconstrued as intentional, and he feared that Lennie’s actions would put him in trouble too. Ultimately, the decision to end someone’s life is never an easy one, and the complexities of the situation mean that there is no clear-cut answer. In George’s case, he had to weigh up the different options and consider the implications of each decision. After George shot Lennie, Slim came running up and said “Never you mind”, and George responded with “A guy got to sometimes.” George’s decision to kill Lennie was a difficult one, but in the end, he acted in the best interest of both himself and

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450 Words | 2 Pages

After all the anger that George has shown towards Lennie, he utters these words now so Lennie can die with a sense of peace. George does not want to pull the trigger, but he knows that the further consequences of Lennie’s actions will only worsen. To save Lennie from Curley’s wrath, possible imprisonment, and perhaps years of suffering, George takes Lennie’s

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667 Words | 3 Pages

The definition of a sympathetic character is one whom the writer expects the reader to identify with and care about, though not necessarily admire. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife, a main character in the book is blatantly portrayed as an unsympathetic character. This is because they only see her through the men's eyes, who only see her as a tiresome object, owned by her husband. Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair and misogynistic because he only displays her as unintelligent and promiscuous, never has a character have a turning point where they realize she’s more than an object, and he never reveals her true name. The first reason that Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair is that he never gives Curley any redeeming personality traits, he only depicts her as unintelligent and promiscuous.

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695 Words | 3 Pages

Friendship is something everyone needs to survive. Without friends, there is no one to look to in times of need; no one to support you . In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, it is clear that George and Lennie are best friends who always stay together, even though their relationship is strained. But sometimes, friends must do what is best for the other. Due to this, it is clear that George was justified in killing Lennie at the end of the novel.

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1047 Words | 5 Pages

George would protect Lennie at all costs even from himself. After Lennie kills a young woman, George decides it is better for Lennie to be dead rather than to be tortured and kept in a cell or a mental asylum. The decision of killing Lennie hit George like a train, but he knew it was something that was in Lennie’s own good. Knowing he could have an easier life without Lennie, George still kept him around because he needed George and George needed Lennie. George tells Slim “Course Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him.”

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194 Words | 1 Pages

At the end of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”, George shoots his best friend, Lenny, in the back of the head. He didn’t have very many other options. What he did, though, could be looked as evil. In the end of the book, Lennie, who is large and dumb, accidently kills the farmer’s son’s wife.

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