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Euthanasia In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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According to Christian beliefs, euthanasia is the same as getting an abortion, it’s sinful, and is considered murder. In this novella, Of Mice and Men by the well-known author John Steinbeck, a man named George kills his friend-a mentally slow man named Lennie in a so called act of euthanasia. In that, Lennie’s death by George is considered murder. Lennie absolutely loved life and didn’t intend to kill or hurt anyone, ultimately he was planning on “living off the fatta’ the land” with George and just living his own American Dream. Despite the ownership George felt towards Lennie, much like a dog and it’s master have a specific relationship, George had no right to kill Lennie. Lennie didn’t even do anything wrong to that girl in Weed, she was overreacting and he was scared. Even though Lennie's death was an act of euthanasia, Lennie's death was murder because George had no right to kill Lennie and Lennie just wanted to live his American Dream. …show more content…

Just because George is in charge of him, he cannot decide Lennie’s fate for him. Lennie is not a pet, although he has doglike qualities, and he shouldn’t be put down like a rabid animal. George did not buy Lennie and therefore isn’t legally allowed to just kill him. He might have a brain the size of a pea but he is still a human being and has the right to live as much as George, keeping his crimes in mind. Lennie was mentally disabled and couldn’t help himself when Curley’s wife let him touch her hair, not knowing that he would’ve accidentally killed

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Comparing Euthanasia In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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So it is considered murder either way you look at it throughout the book. Do you think this book is for students? Well if not I have another piece of evidence I have to give you. Another one would be Euthanasia, Euthanasia is known as mercy killing, which is what George HAD to do to Lennie so he wouldn’t suffer. Other people like you maybe would see it as murder like I said in the other evidence, but in this situation I would say it's not murder its euthanasia.

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George Should Not Have Killed Lennie's Death

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Another reason Lennie should not have been killed for what he did was because Lennie doesn't know his own strength. George should not have killed Lennie because he should of taught him that he is stronger, when the first accident happened in Weed. George should have taught Lennie how to control himself when he was little.

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George Was Right To Kill Lennie In Of Mice And Men Analysis

1278 Words | 6 Pages

Although Lennie knows his role, To stay quiet and not get into trouble, He is no longer capable of doing that basic task. So his caretaker and life long friend, George, is asked to do an unspeakable deed, to euthanize Lennie. Euthanasia is killing someone who is ill to prevent any further suffering. George has very good intentions when killing Lennie which, is why he was allowed to kill him.

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276 Words | 2 Pages

George made the right decision because Lennie wasnt good to himself nor others. The same problem happened with Candy's old dog that was shot earlier in the novel. " He ain't no good to you, Candy. An he ain't no good to himself"(44). Another reason why I agree with George killing Lennie is because Curley was going to kill Lennie himself.

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Examples Of Persuasive Essay Of Mice And Men

532 Words | 3 Pages

The main reason George killed Lennie is because Lennie would have killed somebody again. And the evidence is clearly there, the pet mice that he killed, the poor puppy that he accidently hit to hard, and especially Curley’s wife. He almost killed the girl in weed if he had gone any further. The sad thing is is that he doesn't know how strong he really is, nor does he know what he’s done wrong in the first place.

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Examples Of Euthanasia In Of Mice And Men

627 Words | 3 Pages

In the novel, Of Mice And Men, written by John Steinbeck, the idea of euthanasia is introduced to the readers. The first killing is for Candy’s dog; the second, Lennie, the main character. Both of the deaths are involuntary and only occur because one or more people believe the better option is death. There are certainly things worse than dying and people who know that have relieved themselves of a painful life. The killing of a living being is considered merciful because the killer is giving the person less pain.

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As Slim tells George “...an’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain’t no good, George” (Steinbeck, 97), George realizes that when Lennie is caught, he will be locked up and put in a cell alone. They are right, this is not any way for a man to live, especially not Lennie. George killing Lennie was a mercy killing.

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How Does Steinbeck Present Euthanasia In Of Mice And Men

632 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout life, experiencing loss and grief is something that most will find inevitable. It will always be hard to see someone you love pass on, however, there are less painful ways for bystanders to watch loved ones go. Euthanasia, more commonly known as mercy killing, is one of these painless treatments that allow patients to put an end to their incurable suffering, while also giving their companions a chance to move on. During John Steinbeck's classic novella, Of Mice and Men, this controversial topic has come about on multiple occasions and will surface again in the most impactful final chapter. Chapter 5, the chapter previous to the ending chapter, is the turning point for this acclaimed novel and is where the spiral toward euthanasia

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933 Words | 4 Pages

The police could execute him in numerous ways and make Lennie suffer. Also, Lennie could even hurt himself, either by getting caught by the cops or just self-inflicted injury. Since George is afraid Lennie might hurt himself in a way, he does not want him to suffer. Therefore, he kills Lennie to spare him from whatever might have happened if they

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337 Words | 2 Pages

He was also human! Killing another human is never right. I do understand that george was trying to protect lennie but killing him is certainly not the right way to do it. Lennie may have problems with accidentally killing things but george didn't have to kill him for it. George promised to protect lennie and by killing him George broke that promise.

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There are two routes for Lennie-- and it’s up for George to decide which path he takes. George compassionately decides to pull the trigger of Carson’s gun, sending Lennie to tend rabbits for eternity. Though George is severely depressed by Lennie’s death, he made the right choice in putting Lennie to sleep. No matter the killer, Lennie would have been killed. Curley had wrath surging through his veins, and nothing would have been able to silence his rage.

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Although others might argue that it was murder because of how George went through with it, George uses euthanasia to kill his close friend Lennie. Being

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Examples Of Euthanasia In Of Mice And Men

1408 Words | 6 Pages

Milan Kundera once said,“Dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important: euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death.”. Kundera references the act of euthanasia where animals and people are killed in a painless manner. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, chapters two and three display an example of euthanasia being used where dogs are euthanized to prevent a life full of suffering. The plot follows the main characters George and Lennie who find work at a ranch during the Great Depression. In chapters two and three Slim is forced to kill puppies since he is unable to feed all of them and they won’t live a healthy life.

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The Role Of Euthanasia In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

760 Words | 4 Pages

“If I had terminal Cancer, I had a few weeks to left to live, I was in a tremendous amount of pain-If they just effectively wanted to turn off the switch and legalize that by legalizing euthanasia, I’d want that.” Prime Minister of New Zealand, John key, wants the freedom to be able to choose whether to live or die. Euthanasia is the killing of a patient out of kindness and sympathy to end suffering. In the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, Mercy killings or euthanasia is a prominent subject, main character George took it upon himself to take the life of main character Lennie because he knows if he doesn't Lennie will die in a horrific death. Euthanasia should be legalized and be socially accepted if someone has no further future from a

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The Role Of Euthanasia In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

923 Words | 4 Pages

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Euthanasia can be defined as “the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals.” John Steinbeck offers two examples of euthanasia in Of Mice and Men. The first example is when Carlson shoots Candy’s dog because it was getting old. The dog was old, beginning to cripple, and in some amount of pain. Candy did not want to let Carlson shoot his dog, but he believed that by allowing him to he would be helping to put his pet out of pain.

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