Why should anyone have to decide whether or not someone should live or die? When should this decision be made? The answer to these questions should be simple. No one should ever feel the need to end another life for any reason. However, in the novella, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George Milton struggles with knowing whether killing Lennie is acceptable or if it’s even necessary. He doesn’t take everything into consideration, for instance, Lennie’s disability to understand, comprehend, or lack of intelligence. Therefore, George’s decision to euthanize Lennie is not justified because Lennie doesn’t know any better, he gets scared easily and does things out of fear, and he isn’t aware of his own strength. One reason George killing Lennie wasn’t justified lies in the fact that Lennie doesn’t know any better. He doesn’t know the difference between wrong and right, he never means any harm to anybody on purpose. This is clear from the beginning of the story. Lennie is always doing something he sees no problem in …show more content…
Last of all, another explanation for why Lennie isn’t to blame is because he simply isn't aware of his own strength. In the book Lennie explains, “He was so little, I was jus’ playin’ with him… an’ he made like he’s gonna bite me… an’ I made like I was gonna smack him… an’... an’ I done it. An’ then he was dead” (Steinbeck 87). He is referring to his puppy in the barn. This similarly shows how oblivious Lennie is to his muscularity. Lennie doesn't understand how strong he actually is. A little “Smack” to him is like falling off a house to someone else. He doesn't purposely try to kill animals or people. By the end of the book, George obviously decided against letting Lennie live, in spite of the fact that he was