Of Mice And Men Quote Analysis

A decision's effects can be profound. Selfishness is frequently associated with decision-making, but is it really selfish if it's for the greater good? This question is incorporated into John Steinbeck's novella, Of Mice Men, in which George had to make a pivotal decision for the better. Throughout the novella, George is responsible for Lennie, who is mentally handicapped. Due to his mental impairment, Lennie lacks self-awareness in his strength and is unable to refrain from harming people and the animals he cares for. As a result, he accidentally kills Curley's wife, which prompts Curley to set out a lynching party after him. George reveals that Lennie is hiding in a brush and shoots him, resulting in Lennie's death at the hands of his best

For instance, “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” (Page 87). In that quote, it is clearly stated that despite his love for the puppy, he was unable to control his strength, and as a result, he killed something he had not intended to. Lennie's dead puppy acts as a warning, but Curley's wife is unable to resist the attention and company he is offering and chooses to ignore it. This leads to Curley’s wife showing him her soft hair leading to disaster as Curley’s wife ”struggled violently under [Lennies] hands. Her feet battered on the hay and she writhed to be free; and from under Lennie's hand came a muffled screaming” (Page 91). Lennie is unable to comprehend that he needs to let go of her hair; instead, he grabs it tighter and muffles Curley's wife's cry so he does not get in trouble. Lennie is unable to come up with solutions since all he focuses on is what shouldn't happen, which causes Curley's wife to die. Many, however, could argue that because of his mental impairment and lack of knowledge, it is not his fault. This is partially correct as George explicitly instructed Lennie to not interact with Curley's wife, yet Lennie disobeyed him, demonstrating his inability to grow and learn. Lennie's inability to comprehend that what he did was wrong would

After accidentally killing Curley’s wife, Lennie runs to hide in a brush, out of distress he starts to hallucinate and talk to himself. For instance, "George gonna give me hell," he said. "George gonna wish he was alone an' not have me botherin' him." He turned his head and looked at the bright mountain tops. "I can go right off there an' find a cave," he said. And he continued sadly, "-an' never have no ketchup-but I won't care. If George don't want me . . . . I'll go away. I'll go away” (page 99). Lennie implies that George would be better without him and that he wouldn't need him since he knows he causes a lot of trouble. Knowing Lennie caused a problem leads to his main concern. This causes Lennie to feel remorseful, bothersome, and guilty. As Lennie continues to hallucinate, he imagines Aunt Clara and a giant rabbit. They reflect on how he doesn't care about killing Curley's wife, and that he only understands he did a bad thing. He knows he will be punished, however, his main concern is not being allowed to tend to the rabbits, leading him to feel remorse. As stated in Steinbeck's novella, “The hell you wouldn'," said the rabbit. "You ain't worth a greased jack-pin to ram you into hell. Christ knows George done ever'thing he could to jack you outa the sewer, but it don't do no good. If you think George gonna let you tend rabbits, you're even crazier'n usual. He ain't” (101). He feels remorse as he knows