Euthanasia In Of Mice And Men By John Steinbeck

Justification for George

Euthanasia was first proposed in 1870 as a solution to quickly end a person's life without suffering. Since 1870 debates have raged on and as of 2010 it has been legalized in all 50 states. The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck explores the challenges of two travelers and friends named George and Lennie. Lennie, being mentally challenged, makes numerous mistakes along the journey and causes George to lose jobs and continuously search for new ones. At the end of the novel, George makes the difficult decision to end his friend's life after he had accidentally murdered a woman. Although many consider George’s decision to be murder because he took someone’s life into his own hands, Lennies murder was justified because of the challenges and choices faced by both Lenny and George.

An argument that can be made is the fact that George took the law into his own hands and should have sought asylum with the authorities. However, a majority of the men on the farm and the authorities would not have treated Lennie with understanding or compassion. Another point brought up is, that George could have sent Lenny away instead of killing him. While this may be true, Lennie could not have made it on his own, whether he would be found by the men from the farm or not. Critics may also argue the fact that George believed Lennie was just a burden to him. In contrast, Curley and the men from the farm would have killed Lennie in a more brutal way, while George made sure Lennie was peaceful and