Of Mice And Men Essay Friendship

Friendship is something everyone needs to survive. Without friends, there is no one to look to in times of need; no one to support you . In the novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, it is clear that George and Lennie are best friends who always stay together, even though their relationship is strained. But sometimes, friends must do what is best for the other. Due to this, it is clear that George was justified in killing Lennie at the end of the novel. George and Lennie travel everywhere together, and depend on each other in times of need. In fact, George likes traveling with Lennie to an extent, “I want you to stay with me, Lennie”(Steinbeck 13). Unlike other farmhands, George and Lennie share a special bond, “‘because I got you

Lennie’s mental difficulties often frustrate George, and at times he lashes out at Lennie. When Lennie complains, George explodes, “‘Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy’”(Steinbeck 11). Lennie doesn’t understand that George can’t give him everything. At times, George gets angry that he always has to support Lennie, “‘You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get’”(11). George always has to come to Lennie’s aid when he gets into trouble, “‘You do bad things and I got to get you out’”(11). These issues dishearten George, because he is forced to constantly travel to new places to stay ahead of the law. Even when he isn’t with Lennie, George still complains. When talking to Slim, he says, ‘“Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time’”(41). Overall, George believes that even though Lennie is a loyal friend, he is a pain to deal

Due to the circumstances, this killing was undoubtedly justified. George knew that if he didn’t reach Lennie first, Curley would kill Lennie. As Curley said, “‘I’m gonna shoot the guts outta that big bastard myself’”(Steinbeck 98). Earlier in the book, Candy’s dog was killed by a different person because Candy couldn’t bear to do it himself. But afterwards, Candy had regrets about that choice. He said to George, “‘I oughtta of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t oughtta of let no stranger shoot my dog’”(61). This is just like the situation with George and Lennie, because George takes care of Lennie, and George doesn’t want anyone else to kill Lennie. George knows that if Lennie must be shot, then he should be the one to do it. George also knew that he could kill Lennie painlessly, because as Carlson said, if someone was shot in the back of the head they “‘wouldn’t even quiver’”(45). George knew that if Curley got to Lennie first, he would shoot him in the gut so Lennie would feel a lot of pain(97). It was clear that Lennie was going to die, the only question was who would kill him. Due to these reasons, George was clearly justified in killing