Euthanizing Lennie In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Is it ever appropriate to make the decision of killing another human being? This is the kind of question the main character ,George Milton, had to ask himself before ending the life of his friend, Lennie Small, in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Some readers may feel that George killing Lennie was acceptable. However, they do not realize that even though George knew that the other men on the ranch planned to torture Lennie, it wasn’t his decision whether or not he should kill him. Therefore, George’s decision to euthanize Lennie is not justified because George was the only one that said he would take care of Lennie, George was selfish and always said that he wanted to be alone, and even though Lennie was not intelligent does not mean that George should have ended his life.

One reason George was not justified in his decision is the fact that he was the only one that said he would take care of Lennie and he had broken his promise. Lennie could not function alone, even though he was a grown man. At one time he relied on the kindness of his Aunt Clara, but now George has betrayed the promise he had made to

Lennie sometimes annoyed George, so George just lost it and started saying that if he was alone it would be way easier. He could get a job and have no trouble. He also said that he could spend his money on what he wanted and not what Lennie wanted. George had made it very clear that all he wanted was to be left alone. For example in the middle of chapter 1 George had said “ God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy”(Steinbeck 11). George’s comment shows his frustration in Lennie and that he knew that he was a good guy but at the same time he got on his nerves. This possibly could explain one of the reasons why his decision of killing Lennie wasn’t that difficult. Needless to say, George’s decision to murder Lennie was not