Role Of Euthanasia In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The novel Of Mice Or Men by John Steinbeck is intense book. The end of the book seems to have a problem people disagree about. Lennie’s death is thought out to be a murder by some and a euthanasia by other. “Dogs do not have many advantages over people, but one of them is extremely important; euthanasia is not forbidden by law in their case; animals have the right to a merciful death.” If a dog is hit by a car it must must suffer until it dies. Euthanasia allows the pain to end. Lenni would have been shot in the gut by Curley. This would have been a slow painful death. George gave Lennie a single second of pain before the end. Lennie was going to die one way or another. George simply thought the easiest way to go out was if he killed lennie …show more content…
However, when the situation is truly analyzed one could see how hard it was for George to kill Lennie. The way George was in a trance after he did the deed. The novel said, “George voice was almost a whisper.”(Steinbeck 107), George was so dazed about what he just did. Most people after they murder are on some sort of high. Lennie was just feeling shocked from what he just did. Some people might say that just because George was sad that Lennie was dead doesn’t mean it wasn’t murder. George still killed Lennie. Those people don’t look at the reasons he killed Lennie. When people kill they kill for a bad purpose. Georges reasons for killing Lennie were the only way Lennie would get a good death. The situation Lennie was in he didn't have many choices. The best choice was the one George made.
A further example is real life euthanasia. In 2004 a man named Bernard Heginbotham killed his dying wife. Ida Heginbotham, was transferred to different nursing homes as her health worsened. Ida's husband didn’t want to see her being transferred over and over. He didn’t want to see her die like this. To end her pain he had to kill her. Bernard didn’t want to watch her die slowly. Bernard slit Idas throat. He then tried to kill himself , but he was stopped. He was charged with first degree murder. Bernard now lives without his dear
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