...recurring theme. The book closes with a final decision by George which results in the death of Lennie, a mentally challenged character who is accompanied by George. This, though sad, was the right choice for the reasons of sparing Lennie, helping the public, and most of all, saving George from stagnation. Lennie was a danger to himself. He brought trouble wherever he went, such as touching a little girl’s dress out of curiosity, causing him and George to be run out of weed, losing their jobs. He was also too dumb to understand the consequences of his actions, such as drinking water from a stagnant pool as demonstrated in this quote; “ ‘Lennie. You gonna be sick like you was last night’...’You drink some George. You take a good big drink.’ He smiled happily.” (Steinbeck, 3). Lennie was a danger to others, he killed many animals by accident, and then was only mildly concerned. He was “too stupid to know his own strength” (Steinbeck, 62), which caused serious issues, such as when he broke Curley’s hand. This resulted in Curley hating Lennie even more, and an illogical and emotional reaction to the death of his wife,...
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...clear right or wrong answer. George’s decision can affect the life of his friend Lennie forever. George Milton and Lennie Smalls, who is mentally disabled, are friends who travel together in search of work. Many times they have had to flee a city because of Lennie’s inappropriate behavior towards women.Lennie’s unethical behavior had caused George to make a distressing decision. At the ranch that George and Lennie were working, Lennie had strangled and killed Curley’s wife. George had made the decision to end Lennie’s life in a peaceful manner. Many may say that what George did was unethical and morally wrong because Lennie had no say so in his death and did not have a fair trial. However, George was justified in killing Lennie and there are many reasons why....
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...Is it acceptable for people to kill? Is it EVER justified, even if the person committing the crime thinks it is satisfactory? In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men , George Milton is confronted with these questions, which have major consequences, with little time to think of the possible outcomes. Even though George may be able to keep his crime hidden, the law is the law. If a person disobeys it they pay. Ignorance of the law is no excuse and Lennie would have been better off in prison serving out a sentence for the crime he committed. Thus, George should be punished for killing Lennie because he is supposed to take care of Lennie, George wanted to be by himself, and he stole a gun and used it when it was not permitted to him. One of the many reasons the killing should not be justified is because George Milton made a promise to take care of Lennie, and murdering Lennie did not fulfill that promise. In fact, it was the exact opposite. In chapter 2 when George was speaking to the boss about...
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...George kills Lennie. There is question whether or not George was validated in his decision. Provided Lennie did not have malicious intent, George was justified in his decision to shoot Lennie because Lennie caused trouble and burdened George. To begin, Lennie caused many of the conflicts in the novella. In chapter three, Slim and Carlson were giving Curley a hard time about his wife's carelessness. Lennie is smiling during this event. Even though Lennie is thinking about the ranch, this is not the time nor place to be smiling. Curley says brutally, '"What the hell you laughin' at?'" (Steinbeck 62). In this quote Curley shows he is heated. He is also putting all of the blame for the situation with his wife on Lennie. This tends to be a theme throughout the book causing more trouble. After Curley confronts Lennie, he becomes very aggressive. "Curley was balanced and poised. He lashed at Lennie with his left, and then smashed down his nose with a right"(...
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...Discuss the relationship between George and Lennie. The friendship that George and Lennie share forms the core of the novel, and although Steinbeck idealizes and perhaps exaggerates it, he never questions its sincerity. From Lennie’s perspective, George is the most important person in his life, his guardian and only friend. Every time he does anything that he knows is wrong, his first thought is of George’s disapproval. He doesn’t defend himself from Curley because of George’s stern instruction for him to stay out of trouble, and when he mistakenly kills his puppy and then Curley’s wife, his only thought is how to quell George’s anger. He has a childlike faith that George will always be there for him, a faith that seems justified, given their long history together. George, on the other hand, thinks of Lennie as a constant source of frustration. He has assumed responsibility for Lennie’s welfare and has, several times, been forced to run because of trouble Lennie has inadvertently caused. Life with Lennie is not easy. However, despite George’s frequent bouts of anger and frustration, and his long speeches about how much easier life would be without Lennie, George is clearly devoted to his friend. He flees from town to town not to escape the trouble Lennie has caused, but to protect Lennie from its consequences. The men are uncommonly united by their shared dream of a better life on a farm where they can “live off the fatta the lan’,” as Lennie puts it. George articulates this vision...
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...novel Of Mice and Men. In the novel, George and Lennie tirelessly work to have a piece of land to call their own, traveling across the country for work. They are both truly devoted to one another and unwaveringly care for one another, and have proven so multiple times throughout the novel. Another relationship that exhibits devotion is that of the main characters in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet are two faithful star-crossed...
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...about two migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small who have been together all their lives. They travel across the country looking for work when they find work in Salinas Valley, California during the Great Depression. The two have been friends since they first knew each other. George is a true friend to Lennie because he cares for him, stays with him, protects him, and does what it is best for him. George cared for Lennie like a father cares for his son. He showed his care in many ways such as taking Lennie in when Lennie’s Aunt Clara died. He also took Lennie’s work ticket and saved it for him, so Lennie couldn’t lose it. When they were at the brush by the Salinas River, George cooked dinner for Lennie and offered to give him all the ketchup if he had it. He said, “If it was here, you could have some.” (Steinbeck 12.) George is willing to sacrifice some of his luxuries, such as...
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...were more normal to destroy than to build. In most ways, violence is a normal way for others to relieve the feeling of despair and limited possibilities that all go along with working on the ranch. For example, Lennie tends to be very violent when it comes to people making him angry. This tendency; however is watched over by George, who is supposed to make sure that he is safe and doesn’t get himself into trouble, but at the same time George is physically violent towards lennie because of his mental handicap. Curley, who is the husband of the only woman that lives on the ranch, tends to be very violent toward anyone that he sees as a threat to himself or his power, most of his rage however, is directed to Lennie because of his size. Curley's Wife is also the target of violence because she is seen as the tramp of the ranch for her flirtatious acts with the majority of the ranch men. With all these events in mind, we can paint a pretty clear picture of how violence was an everyday thing for the ranchers. With lennie suffering from a mental illness he is unable to make normal decisions like someone else would be able to. Therefore, he is forced to be under the protection of George, who was asked to look out for him and make sure he doesn’t get himself into trouble. Lennie; however, has a problem with touching things...
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...present Curley. - Curley does not have to work hard like the others but still holds power because he is the Boss's son. - Curley picked a fight with Lennie. Lennie hurt Curley. George asks slim "Slim, is Curleys old man gonna can us?" George is worried as Curley has authority because he is the Boss's son. - Curley is said to be evil and was born with authority. - Steinbeck uses Curley to highlight the American Dream. No matter how hard you work success only comes to those who are fated to receive it. This links to the theme of fate. And his fate has brought him power and authority because of what he can do and because he is the Boss's son. he predicts it's Curley for OMAM, Mr Birling for AIC -Steinbeck can use the theme of fate to present Curley. - Curley does not have to work hard like the others but still holds power because he is the Boss's son. - Curley picked a fight with Lennie. Lennie hurt Curley. George asks slim "Slim, is Curleys old man gonna can us?" George is worried as Curley has authority because he is the Boss's son. - Curley is said to be evil and was born with authority. - Steinbeck uses Curley to highlight the American Dream. No matter how hard you work success only comes to those who are fated to receive it. This links to the theme of fate. And his fate has brought him power and authority because of what he can do and because he is the Boss's son. How Does Priestley Present Mr Birling Priestley presents the character of Mr Birling as a symbol...
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...How Does Priestley Present Mr Birling Priestley presents the character of Mr Birling as a symbol of the capitalist ruling class and the need for socialist ideals. Priestley begins by presenting Mr Birling as a successful, albeit 'hard-headed businessman'. It is clear from the stage directions which describe 'The dining room... of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer' that Birling is rich and materialistically successful. In terms of capitalism, he is therefore a role model in the fact that he has reached the capitalist goals of making a financial profit. Once Birling's worldy success is established, Priestley undermines his character through presenting Mr Birling as ignorant. With the play being set before WW2, dramatic irony is used when Birling exclaims 'there isn't chance of war'. Here the audience know he is wrong, and therefore realise that Birling's confidence is misguided- he is an ignorant man. This is further proven when he claims that the soon to sail Titanic is 'absolutely unsinkable'.The audience may feel there is a contradiction in this character - worldly success and power coupled with stupidity and ignorance. However, Priestley has deliberately presented Birling in this way to criticise the capitalism for which Birling stands. Being a co-founder of the Socialist Commonwealth Party, Priestley felt that his political views on socialism were very important and the play 'An Inspector Calls' is his vehicle from which to promote these...
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