Is George Justified For Killing Lennie (Of Mice and Men Book Analysis)

đź“ŚCategory: Books, Of Mice and Men
đź“ŚWords: 656
đź“ŚPages: 3
đź“ŚPublished: 02 February 2022

Would you rather have your life in the hands of your friend, or a stranger? Most people would choose their friend because they know how to choose the best of two options. George killing Lennie was a shock to readers. No one expected his friend to be the one holding the weapon. Most people automatically thought that George did the wrong thing, for he shouldn’t have the authority to take someone’s life, especially that of his best friend. Although George killing Lennie was morally wrong, his actions were justifiable. George killing Lennie was justifiable because Lennie’s act was violent, his death was inevitable, and George only did it for Lennie’s sake. 

Lennie’s act was a violent one. It was one lacking self-control. While Lennie may not be a violent person, at the moment he was being violent. “He shook her then, and he was angry with her” (Steinbeck 45). This quote, from the scene of the crime, tells readers that Lennie killed her out of anger. Lennie was angry that Curely’s wife was trying to yell because he made her feel unsafe. A lot of readers believe that George is to blame for Lennie not knowing what’s right and wrong, but that was never George’s job in the first place. George got Lennie and him their found, all in all, providing them with housing and meals as they worked. That was his job. Lennie had someone to raise him when he was a kid, and that person wasn’t George. Lennie’s violent acts are not to be blamed on George. This gives George a valid reason to kill Lennie because he did kill Curely’s wife out of anger. 

Lennie’s death was also inevitable. One of the themes present in the novel was that sometimes, people just have to choose the lesser of two evils. After Lennie killed Curely’s wife, there were a few different consequences. In George’s mind, it was either he got killed by Curley or went to jail, where he would be lynched. Either way, both resulted in Lennie’s death. George’s actions were foreshadowed earlier in the book as well, with Candy saying, “‘I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.’” (Steinbeck 31). Candy regretted not being the one to shoot his own dog. This was the same with George and Lennie. It was better for Lennie to be shot by a friend than by an enemy. Lennie was going to die no matter what, George just decided to do it for Lennie’s sake.

George’s actions were justified because he did it for Lennie. Before George shot Lennie, he told Lennie about their dream. One of the other biggest themes in the book was that dreams provide a sense of hope. George tells Lennie about the dream moments before he killed him shows that he cared. He wanted Lennie to go out with a good mindset, a positive one. Along with this, George made sure to tell Lennie that he was never mad at him. “‘No, Lennie. I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know’” (Steinbeck 52). George wanted to make sure that if Lennie had to go out, he would go out without feeling any guilt or sadness. Instead, made sure that he was hopeful and happy. 

Lennie was going to be killed either way. George killing Lennie himself was a justifiable action because it gave him the chance to let Lennie die in a positive way. Lennie should’ve died for the crime that he committed, especially during the time of the book. He would’ve gotten in trouble enough if he was just talking alone with Curely’s wife. From a moral standpoint, George shouldn’t have chosen for Lennie, but sometimes, morals don’t matter when it comes to crime. Nowadays, lawyers aren’t allowed to let morals get in the way of their decisions. They have to use the facts and stick to the law. Lennie did commit murder, and the penalty for that was death, so technically, he had to face the consequences. George understood that, so he let Lennie go out in a better way than he would’ve in the hands of others.

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