ipl-logo

Of Mice And Men Fate Essay

541 Words3 Pages

What is the fate of the world? Fate is predetermined events or outcomes that are beyond one's control. John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice and Men, grapples with the theme of fate as a determiner of destiny. Steinbeck provides a perspective on the role of fate in shaping someone's destiny and the extent to which one can control their own life. The experiences of the characters throughout this novella show the relationship between fate and destiny. Of Mice and Men is a mix of realism and tragedy. It was set in the United States during the Great Depression. The story follows two displaced ranch workers, George Milton and Lennie Smalls, who dream of owning their own piece of land one day. It is clear that Lennie does not have the full mental capacity …show more content…

While getting to know some of the other ranch hands, it is revealed that Slim, a skinner on the ranch, has puppies. Lennie is obsessed with soft things, so he asked for a puppy. After being told to not pet the puppy yet, he still does and ends up killing the dog. This foreshadows the tragic event of Lennie’s accidental killing of his superior wife. This leaves George facing the heartbreaking choice between letting Lennie be killed, going to jail or killing Lennie himself. George ultimately chooses to kill Lennie himself, sparring him for any harm he may be caused by another. Lennie is a great example of how fate determines reality because of his disability. During that time period, any person with non-physical disabilities was not given the help they would need. So, Lennie’s life was set from the moment he was born, all because of his mental challenges. If help had been available, he wouldnt have accidentally killed someone, and he wouldnt have ended up dead because of it. Another character that portrays this theme well is Curley’s wife, Lennie’s unfortunate victim. She was a woman, and being a woman in the 1920s meant having no freedom, and no

Show More
Related
447 Words | 2 Pages

The problem with this is that Lennie is always getting in trouble because he loves petting soft things, but he would always end up hurting what he was petting or possible killing it. Lennie ends up killing a puppy that one of the ranch workers was going to let him have and he is scared George will be mad at him, when Curley’s wife, who is the wife of the ranch owner’s son, tries to comfort

Read More
879 Words | 4 Pages

George makes the correct decision in shooting Lennie because Lennie is happy when he dies instead of being afraid and in pain as he would be if he had died another way. George has to kill or turn in Lennie because Lennie committed murder and George has the responsibility to deal with him. George deserves freedom from Lennie’s mistakes and by killing Lennie, he receives that liberty. Lennie is not a bad person. He has a good heart and does not mean to do the bad things he does.

Read More
600 Words | 3 Pages

Set in Salinas and Soledad, California during the Great Depression, Of Mice and Men is a tragic story of two adult ranch workers, George and Lennie. George must care for Lennie, who has a mental disability. In the end, George must kill Lennie because he comitted murder. Slim, one of their fellow ranchers, recognizes the necessity and walks away with George.

Read More
348 Words | 2 Pages

If Lennie was not killed or put into prison, he could go to an asylum which is much worse. George needed to do it himself. He couldn’t let some stranger do this to Lennie, it had to be him. George was going to have to face this at some point.  George does not want to kill Lennie and is having a difficult time doing so.

Read More
675 Words | 3 Pages

In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men there is an ample amount of foreshadowing that is used to foretell upcoming events. Instead of using people's thoughts and dreams as tools of foreshadowing, he uses actual events to foretell future events. Steinbeck uses smaller scale situations to predict the outcomes of much more complex predicaments. The unique way he includes this literary device in the novel causes you to overlook some of the foreshadowing while reading, and then recognize its significance many chapters later.

Read More
711 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and Men is about Lennie and George in which Lennie decided to feel a girls skirt because he liked the type of material. So George went with Lennie to escape and not get in trouble and decided to go to a bunkhouse where they work and are provided with food and a place to live. George and Lennie are best friends and so they went together. Lennie has the mind of a 6 year old and needs to be with George. When quit their jobs, George planned out a dreamland of how they will live when they get enough money to move to their own house.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

Curley's wife then speaks to the men, "An' what am I doin'? Standing' here talkin' to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an' a dum-dum and a lousy ol' sheep-an' likin' it because they ain't nobody else." (77Steinbeck) Steinbeck shows how Curley's wife was set below any character in the book by showing the relationship with Crooks, Lennie, and Candy. It is significant because Crooks is a minority who is separated from everyone, Lennie has a mental handicap, and Candy who has a physical handicap and is an elder.

Read More
1047 Words | 5 Pages

George would protect Lennie at all costs even from himself. After Lennie kills a young woman, George decides it is better for Lennie to be dead rather than to be tortured and kept in a cell or a mental asylum. The decision of killing Lennie hit George like a train, but he knew it was something that was in Lennie’s own good. Knowing he could have an easier life without Lennie, George still kept him around because he needed George and George needed Lennie. George tells Slim “Course Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time, but you get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him.”

Read More
704 Words | 3 Pages

George’s decision to kill Lennie was ultimately for his benefit. “The hand shook violently, but his (George) face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger” (Steinbeck 106). The quote which states how Lennie dies also shows that George was nervous and hesitant in killing Lennie. Scarseth explains in the article, “Friendship.

Read More
507 Words | 3 Pages

Some people might think in the opposite side that George should not killed Lennie because Lennie did not mean to anything. He has done it without knowing how strong of himself. Lennie made many troubles this might be because of his disability, but this is the reason that he deserves to live. He has done many thing that make George get into trouble and It is better if Lennie has to die because of George shoot him not the other. "All the time he coulda had such a good time if it was not for you” (Steinbeck).

Read More
737 Words | 3 Pages

Lennie with his simple mind, always gets into trouble. This time, Lennie gets himself in a bind once again, that George can’t save him from. George decision to kill Lennie in the story, was due to his responsibility, sympathy, and love for Lennie. George’s decision to kill Lennie was out of sympathy for him.

Read More
758 Words | 4 Pages

George made the right decision in killing Lennie, although it was likely the hardest thing he has ever had to do, he realized that Lennie cannot take care of himself and will continue killing innocent animals/people if left alone, George himself is unfit to care for Lennie, he is not able to supervise him all the time and give him the help he needs. If Lennie was to be set free and do as he said “Well, I could. I could go off in the hills there. Some place I’d find a cave.”

Read More
614 Words | 3 Pages

While in the book, Lennie was described with animal traits, which makes him look innocent on the outside. On the other hand, something inside of him might awaken and turn Lennie into a dangerous beast. According to George’s decision expressed as “He looked steadily at his right hand that had held the gun” (Steinbeck 107). He predicted the only outcome for Lennie was death, but it was not decided on which person to kill Lennie. Eventually, George had to do what is right for Lennie, his one and only irreplaceable

Read More
1707 Words | 7 Pages

To Avenge or Not to Avenge Has life ever felt so unfair that you wanted to up and quit, start anew in a new place with new people? In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this exact question is plaguing the title character in his quest to avenge the death of his father. Throughout the play, Hamlet struggles with his family and the voice inside his head. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet experiences three forces that contribute to his delay in seeking vengeance towards the death of his father. The three forces that cause Hamlet to delay in avenging his father’s death are disillusionment with life, grief over father’s death, and problems with his mother’s sexual relationship.

Read More
443 Words | 2 Pages

Although, Lennie’s actions probably weren’t his fault, with him not being able to learn from his actions and remember that his own strength is too much for him that he became a threat. George, pained to do it, knew what was best for Lennie and other people/animals, and had to end his life. Overall, even though George had to make some pretty drastic decisions and someone’s life got taken away, it was all for the best and nothing bad will no longer happen and who knows, maybe George will get to live his

Read More

More about Of Mice And Men Fate Essay

Open Document