Alyssa Prydz

English 9 Honors/ Period 6

8/31/16
Final Score: 18/25
Is killing someone you genuinely care about really the best solution for them,
even if they are in an extremely intense situation? The novel Of Mice and Men by John
Steinbeck is one of utmost surprise, whereby a man named George Milton believes that
the only way to save his friend Lennie Small, is to kill him mercifully, so that his friend
does not have to be killed by the other ranch owners who want to kill him out of hate.
Lennie Small is one who has a mental disability and has a limited understanding of the
world, but he can still love and care like any other human being. Lennie accidentally did
something horrible, but he did not know any better because of his disability. Lennie
killed his boss wife, and when the boss and all the other ranch workers found out, they
all wanted to kill Lennie. George erroneously figured that the only way to save his
friend Lennie was to kill him himself, wrongly assuming that he was he should spare him
the consequences that would come from the ranch workers. In doing so, George Milton
committed the act of murder by killing Lennie Small when he took Lennies life into his
own hands and should be prosecuted and sentenced to a life in prison.
George felt that Lennie was always a tremendous burden on him and claimed
how his life would be easier without him. George would always say things throughout
the novel about how much better off he would be without Lennie. For example, If I was
alone I could live so easy...I could get a job an have no messAn when the end of the
month came I could take my fifty bucks an go to a...cat house (Steinbeck, page 269).

George knew that life without Lennie would be easier and carefree, whereby he could
live a life of pleasure. Therefore, he killed Lennie for selfish reasons in order to have an
easy life, without any burdens. Now that George has killed Lennie, George thinks he
can have a calm and peaceful life, but he committed a serious crime and should face
the consequences for this act of murder .
Unlike someone who truly cares and has a sincere love and compassion for a
loved one, like Candy for his dog, George does not display the same type of genuine
sympathy. The character, Candy, a ranch hand, in Steinbecks novel, is faced with a
situation, where Slim tells Candy, That dog aint no good to himself. I wisht
somebodyd shoot me if I get old an cripple. Candy looked helplessly at him, for Slims
opinions were law. Maybe itd hurt him...I dont mind takin care of him. (Steinbeck,
page 232). If George was a true friend to Lennie, he would not mind taking care of him
no matter what the consequences of his mental disability are, including murder, just like
Candy does not mind taking care of his dog, that is considered old and useless. Unlike
George, Candy demonstrates true love and compassion because he looks past his
dogs deficits, and values the friendship he shares with his dog. George clearly did not
value or love Lennie if he believed that the only way to save his best friend was to kill
him. There is always another option to solving a difficult problem rather than choosing
the heartless act of murder.
People may say that George killed Lennie out of love and mercy so that Lennie
does not have to face being killed by people who hate him, but Georges reasons do not
matter as George simply still committed the crime of murder. In the final chapter of the
novel, George commits the act of killing a man who did not deserve to have his

happiness and dreams taken away from him, Steinbeck writes And George raised the
gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennies head.
The hand shook violently, but his face and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger.
(Steinbeck, page 271). Lennie did not deserve to die because he had a mental disability
and did not know any better. All Lennie ever wanted was to live his dream of tending
rabbits and to live happily with George. What a terrible way to die, by the hands of who
he trusted most and loved. All Lennie ever wanted in life was to be happy with George,
but George clearly took all that away from him.
George needs to be prosecuted for having killed Lennie Small because he broke
the law and must face the consequences. George is no exception, despite his claims
that he was Lennies friend and took his life out of love and mercy. Lennie should not
have been killed because he had a mental disability, rather Lennie had just as much a
right to live and a true friend would have helped him despite all the burdens that come
along with him. George, as a true friend, would not have taken Lennies rights away
from him. George took Lennies rights to a fair trial, not giving Lennie the chance to
possibly be found not guilty due to his mental disability. This concludes that George
should most definitely be sentenced to a life in prison for the death of Lennie Small.