Of Pain And Suffering In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Words: 610
Pages: 3
Open Document
Of Pain and Suffering; Of Love and Compassion Sometimes so-called “mercy killings” can be devastating, and cause nothing but misery; other times, it is the best possible option. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, George is the best friend of the mentally disabled Lennie. The pair sticks together as migrant workers during the 1930s Great Depression. When Lennie accidentally kills a woman at their most recent location, Lennie is on the run with a fuming, vengeful Curley on his tail, who wishes Lennie a slow and painful death. George made the correct decision by ending the life of his very best friend, Lennie, in order to save him from further pain and suffering.
George was right in his decision to kill Lennie, because if he had not, many detrimental things may have happened to Lennie. A similar situation to George’s was Gigi Jordan’s decision. Her autistic son was being abused by his father, and she claimed that the dad had “shoved feces in his [the son’s] mouth, stuck needles under his fingernails, and stabbed him in the hand repeatedly in addition to sexual abuse” (Rosenberg). By killing her son, she removed the threat of further …show more content…
Lennie was going to die whether George killed him or Curley did, but George did it much more peacefully and much less painfully. If Lennie did have the choice, and knew that Curley would make the end of his life miserable by “shoot[ing] the guts out of that big bastard”, he most definitely agree with George’s decision to kill him. He would rather die in peace than Curley killing him, being a prisoner, living among people he does not know without George, or being tortured. Lennie’s whole life and source of happiness comes from George, so if he was put into an insane asylum or prison without George there, he would have been much more miserable than if he just died a painless, quick death talking to
Show More

Related Documents: Of Pain And Suffering In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Importance Of Friendship In Of Mice And Men

Sometimes even the strongest independent souls suffer the great sadness of loneliness; every now and then they need companionship to help them find the light in the darkness of the solitude their loneliness feeds. The many characters from John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men come face to face with concept. George is one of the many characters that encounter this notion of companionship and loneness. He is the most compelling character by reasons of which he is clever, reassuring and determined throughout…

Words 619 - Pages 3

Of Mice And Men Euthanasia Essay

Euthanasia, or "assisted suicide", is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable disease, loss of dignity, loss of capability, or unbearable pain. This practice isn't legal in most states, but shouldn't it be? In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, Lennie suffers from multiple mental disabilities that prevented him from taking care of himself and from becoming a functioning part / of society in the set time period. The story takes place during the 1930's, during the Great…

Words 409 - Pages 2

Body Dysmorphic Disorder In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

appearance, often goes unnoticed (Olivardia 60). Men especially seem to feel pressure to hide their symptoms behind a facade of masculine self-assurance. Take for example…

Words 1114 - Pages 5

Mercy Killing And Murder In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

“Oregon's "Death with Dignity" law… allows doctors… to write lethal drug prescriptions for terminally ill people” (Briggs). The controversial topic of the difference between mercy killing and murder is brought up in John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men. George and Lennie, the main characters in the story, are two migrant workers looking for a job and a place to stay. Their work in the past has not worked out well because of Lennie’s mental disability. Although Lennie is tall and strong, he has…

Words 873 - Pages 4

Comparing Love In Shade Of Grey And John Steinbeck's

quote “Friends are the family you choose” unearths the fact that friends and family fulfill the same role in one’s life, which is being the catalyst for heartbreak. In Orson Scott Card’s Ender's Game, Jasper Fforde’s Shade of Grey, and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, love inevitably provokes emotional torture, and it brings…

Words 889 - Pages 4