Defining A Good Person In Of Mice And Men, By John Steinbeck

“What matters isn’t if people are good or bad. What matters is, if they’re trying to be better than they were yesterday” (Michael, The Good Place). There are several definitions of what a good person is. One might define a good person as an individual who does not lie, cheat, or break the law. Others definition may be someone who treats others with nothing but love and respect. The Good Place proposes that the only important factor to be a good person is to attempt to improve upon their previous bad actions. Even though everyone has a separate thought of what it means to be moral, the basic consensus seems to be that good people do not try to cause conflict. But, can you still have a kind-heart while causing others to writhe? If a mentally

In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, it is shown that even if someone causes another person mental or physical harm, that does not directly mean that they are a bad person. Foremost, George can be seen as verbally abusing Lennie. As soon as the two main characters are introduced, it is apparent that Lennie struggles with a mental disability. George, Lennie's only companion, is always telling Lennie how much better of a life he would have if he was not responsible for him, even though George voluntarily assumes the responsibility as a caretaker and confidant. When George sees Lennie playing with a dead mouse, he goes off on a tangent about his potential good life made impossible because of Lennie, as Lennie cowers before him. Soon, George realizes that he was being harsh towards his friend. Knowing that, he remarks, “‘No-look! I was jus’ foolin’, Lennie. ‘Cause I want you to stay with me. Trouble with mice is you always kill ‘em.’ He paused. ‘Tell you what I’ll do, Lennie. First chance I get I’ll give you a pup’” (Steinbeck, 13). By

It is apparent that even though George can be seen as negative towards his best friend, he still supports Lennie and promises to do what is best for him. As well as George, Lennie is shown as a kind man through his actions of being seen as nice by others, along with not wishing any harm on someone who is causing him derision. By every definition of what a good person can be, from being kind and thoughtful to just trying to be better than they were the last day, both Lennie and George can be described as such, in spite of the fact that they can be seen as harmful by