Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Of mice and men what is important to george
What important decision did george make from of mice and men
How Steinbeck looks at cruelty in Of Mice and Men
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
Euthanasia should be permitted everywhere around the world because all individuals have the right to determine their future either by choosing death or the right to live. For instance, in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck the companionship of Candy and his dog is very strong as they stay together all day long. Candy’s dog has become very old and weak in which he is forced to give up his life since he was no use. According to the text, “He ain’t no good to you, Candy. An’ he ain’t no good to himself.
Did George Kill Lennie or Did He Euthanize him In Of Mice and Men, George Milton euthanized Lennie in order to protect him and to save him from the cruel world. “I want you to stay with me, Lennie. Jesus Christ, somebody'd shoot you for a coyote if you was by yourself” (Steinbeck 13). Lennie needed George to be safe, but George also cared about Lennie and his wellbeing.
Mercy or Murder? The ending in, Of Mice and Men was a very emotional conclusion not only because Lennie perished, but because George was the one to kill him. I do not believe this act to be considered murder, but more so mercy. Although I think that in today's times this would be considered murder by the law.
This is an important piece of evidence because at the end of the book George could have chosen to run again with Lennie instead of ultimately ending his life, but he was tired of moving around because of him.
This being said, the killing of Lennie was not a murder, but a mercy killing by George for fear of the well-being of his friend. In addition, Lennie’s death was a mercy killing from George, because he knew if he did not kill him, Lennie would suffer horribly, much worse than he already had been. Similar to the situation that George and Lennie were in, a man killed his wife because she was in extreme pain. As explained by the New York Post, “‘She hadn’t verbalized anything, but I think it’s fair to say that for the first time he was making some connection with her, and what he saw was agony, desperation, and pain.’
He cannot live alone and George is the only reason that he survives.
Of Mice and Men, a book written by John Steinback that focuses on 1930s California laboring, is placed on a work ranch in California. Candy, a ranch hand, had a dog that he had brought with him to the work ranch and had grown a strong bond with, this is unique because most people travel alone however, another ranch hand, Carlson, did not want the dog around. Carlson thought that the dog had an odor and a poor quality of life and should be euthanized. Candy is suffering with this decision because he knows that the dog is suffering but he also loves the dog and has grown a very strong bond with it. Candy should euthanize the dog because the dog is suffering and the dog is no longer useful to candy and the dog would have a painless death.
The definition of murder, according to the Oxford dictionary, is the “the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another.” ‘Premeditation’ can be seen when George steals the gun from Carlson, intending to shoot Lennie. The second part of this definition is that the harm inflicted was done from one human being to another; as previously mentioned, Lennie is, in fact, a human. Digging deeper, it can be seen that George killed Lennie because of his disability. To prove this, the definition of euthanasia is, “the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease.”
“Euthanasia is the kindest gift to a dog or cat unwanted and unloved” (Ingrid Newkirk). This quote shows how Lennie, treated like a dog, wasn’t wanted and was going to die in a very harsh and torturous way. George stepped in as a friend to end his misery and running. If Lennie wasn’t killed right there in an assisted suicide, it would’ve been much worse. This death of Lennie was an act of care and Euthanasia, rather than an act of murder.
Still, someone would argue that George had a motive, the motive being that George had talked about how good his life would be without Lennie around. If this were true, then
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
Euthanasia has a strong presence in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, “also called mercy killing the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, a person or animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition”(Dictionary.com). In the book there is a pattern of killing for selfish reasons, the people and animals are killed for the good of someone else which is almost the opposite of euthanasia. The euthanasia of Slim’s puppies was a sudden occurrence, most people do not usually drown their dog’s puppies. This killing was more for the benefit of his dog and himself than for the puppies.
Jadyn Cosenza Mrs. McLellan English III 13 March 2024. Since the 1930s, Handicapped vulnerability has been a problem and continues to be a problem. In Steinbeck's novel, he showcases the mistreatment of the handicapped through his character Lennie. Steinbeck warns of the caution against this; despite his warning, we still see the handicapped being vulnerable in today's society. Euthanasia was a recurring problem in the 1930s as well.
George chose for him because he wasn’t mentally capable of choosing for himself. He also didn’t want to see him die in such a horrible, cruel, suffering