Of Mice and Men
In the novella Of Mice and Men, 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"( …show more content…
In chapter 3, Lennie senses tension and exclaims, “‘I don’t want no fights,’” (Steinbeck 55.). This shows that Lennie does not intend for a negative outcome. Some think Lennie was unintentional with his actions, on the other hand, Lennie had to die because he costed many others’ their lives. In chapter 6, Lennie is speaking to the dead puppy and whispers, ‘“Why do you got to get killed? You ain’t so little as mice,’” (Steinbeck 85). Lennie killed a mouse, a puppy, and later, Curley’s wife. George was justified in his decision to shoot Lennie because Lennie’s behavior was unacceptable and affected all characters.
To conclude, Lennie caused trouble for himself and other characters. He also burdened George and prevented George from a leisurely life. These reasons justified George’s decision to shoot