...Assisted Suicide"). Was the death of Lennie in Of Mice and Men an act of euthanasia or murder? This question has been posed many times since the publication of the novella. Many people believe that George ending Lennie’s life is euthanasia, while others think that George actually murders his friend. The circumstances under which Lennie is killed in Of Mice and Men are those of euthanasia. A significant reason why Lennie’s death is a matter of euthanasia is in the definition of euthanasia itself. Euthanasia is ending a life to prevent or relieve suffering. In the novella, Lennie would have to endure worse suffering if George doesn’t shoot him and kill him. He could face a slow, painful death or being locked up in prison. In the book, it says, “We oughta let ‘im get away. You don’t know that Curley. Curley gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched” (Steinbeck 94). A further example that Lennie’s death is euthanasia is in the fact that George makes sure that Lennie is happy and not in any pain before he meets his demise. George...
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...The classic novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck was made into a movie in 1992. The novel, which takes place in the 1930’s, follows the lives of two men, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they try to attain their dream of owning their own farm and “live off the fatta the lan’”. George is a smart man who always seems to have things figured out. Lennie is massive, a contradiction of his last name, but has the mind of a young child. George looks after him, but it is not easy since Lennie always seems to get himself in some kind of trouble. As they struggle towards their dreams, George and Lennie face obstacles that test their friendship. In the end, with Lennie dead, George finds out that dreams aren’t worth striving for, and eventually, loneliness overcomes everything. The book Of Mice and Men differed from the movie adaptation, with the portrayal of Curley’s wife, and Lennie’s death scene. Along with those differences there are aspects in the movie that show a strong resemblance to those in the book, like how the characters were written, and how they were acted. The movie of Of Mice and Men had many differences while still giving the same messages that the book intended on having. A major difference between the book Of Mice and Men and the movie was Lennie’s death scene. In the book there was a scene in which Lennie was alone, where George told him to go in case he ever got in trouble. At that moment Lennie was hallucinating about his Aunt Clara and rabbits. This...
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...Of Mice and Men “The best laid schemes of Mice and Men go often askew.” Of Mice and Men tells a tale about two unlikely friends, small but intelligent George and enormous but childlike Lennie. They are going to a farm and Lennie gets in a lot of trouble. Lennie has a tendency to grab onto things when he gets scared and that gets him in trouble, and George has to bail him out by packing up their stuff and leaving. The death of Lennie, Curley’s wife and George and Lennie’s dream are all important events in this book. The death of Lennie might come as a surprise to some or might be obvious to others. For example candy says “ I shoulda done it myself,” after Carlson kills his dog. Candy feels bad that he didn’t kill the dog himself. George...
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...There are many acts of friendship and sacrifice displayed throughout the book Of Mice Men. The author, John Steinbeck, demonstrates friendship between two migrant workers, Lennie and George. Lennie and George are different from most migrant workers because they travel together not alone. Of Mice and Men, shadows the lives of George and Lennie as try to achieve the american dream of owning their own land and livestock. George and Lennie work to achieve their dream by working successfully on a ranch in California until Lennie kills Curley’s wife accidentally. Sacrifice and friendship is exhibited when George kills Lennie at the end of the book. George gives Lennie a more peaceful death, but in return he has to live in isolation without his best friend. The previous statements are justification for, in fact George is right to have killed Lennie. Readers are prepared for the killing of Lennie by George when Candy decides to let Carlson shoot his dog. Candy later reveals his regret by stating, “‘I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.’”(61). If George left Lennie’s killing up to the other men that worked on the ranch, Lennie would have likely had a more gruesome death. If George had made decided not to take responsibility and shoot Lennie, he...
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...1534668 Of Mice and Men: An Analysis of Shocking Events The Great Depression was an economic crisis and a period of low business activity in the U.S. beginning with the stock-market crash in October, 1929, and continuing through most of the 1930s. John Steinbeck, the author Of Mice and Men, lived through the time of The Great Depression and he suffered through the bitterness and plight of the Depression. He wrote Of Mice and Men in order to inform people how life was during The Great Depression, including how people were affected by the Depression. Steinbeck was well aware of his power to shock the reader, and he depicted certain horrors in specific detail in order to reveal a world of suffering....
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...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 by repeatedly telling the...
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...The novel Of Mice and Men is set sometime in the 1930s during the Great Depression. During that time, families were poor and men were desperate for any type of job that would offer them food and money. Everyone was looking for his or her chance to live the American Dream, but very few were able to achieve their aspirations. Lennie and George, the main characters of the novel, are two of the many attempting to find their way to success. But they are faced with even more of a burden: Lennie’s simple-mindedness. They move from ranch to ranch to earn money, but are faced with problems that are, more often than not, caused by Lennie. The problems that Lennie and George encounter at the end of the novel are foreshadowed by events that occur throughout the story. In Of Mice and Men nearly every scene serves as foreshadowing for the inevitable tragic ending. In the beginning of the novel, the reader learns that Lennie is obsessed with soft objects, like the little mice he likes to carry, but he always accidentally kills them; this suggests that Lennie will accidentally kill again. When the little mice start squirming or biting his fingers, he tries to calm...
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...Guadalupe Dominguez June 3, 2011 Humanities 303 Mrs. Nyhan Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck was a book that told the ultimate demonstration of love George had for Lennie. The first instant that George demonstrated that he cared for Lennie was when he asked Lennie to give him the mouse he had pulled out of the river. When Lennie gave George the mouse he began to cry so George said “Aw, Lennie!” “George put his hand on Lennie’s shoulder” (Of Mice and Men). “I ain’t taking it away just for meanness” (Of Mice and Men). “That mouse ain’t fresh, Lennie; and beside, you’ve broke it petting it” (Of Mice and Men). Here George demonstrated he cared about Lennie’s feelings. He wanted Lennie to understand that he was not taking the mouse from him just because he didn’t want him to have it; it was because it was died and he could get sick. George showed compassion toward Lennie when George places his hand on Lennie’s should as a way to comfort Lennie because the mouse was taken away from him. Another instant when George demonstrated he cared about Lennie was when Lennie got in trouble for the first time in Weed. Lennie said “jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress---jus’ wanted to pet it like it was a mouse---Well, how the hell did she know you jus’ wanted to feel her dress?” (Of Mice and Men). Because Lennie grab this girl’s dress and wouldn’t let go he got accused of raping this girl. Since, no one was going to believe Lennie didn’t do anything...
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...The Unknown Death A 2014 study shows that 69% of people in the United States say that if someone is suffering from an incurable sickness and they are in pain, the doctor should be allowed to assist them in medicated suicide with patient consent. People in the United States do not want their loved ones in pain and suffering from incurable diseases. Lennie was hurting animals, other people, and holding George back. George made the best decision by putting Lennie out of his misery. The death of Lennie in Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck was euthanasia because Lennie had an incurable mental illness. One important piece of evidence is that Lennie was suffering from a mental disability that could not be cured. George and Lennie have to move multiple times to find jobs because Lennie would always get fired. When George was talking to the new boss to try to get a job George lied and said they were related and traveled together. George also said Lennie was perfectly normal and would not let Lennie speak to the boss. In the text, it says, “Lennie dipped his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers…” (Steinbeck 3). This quote shows Lennie being compared to a dog because of his mental disability....
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...The Unknown Consequences Imagine how Lennie Small would be in today’s world, would he be treated any differently than he was in Of Mice and Men? It is clear to see that in the novella by John Steinbeck, Lennie is by no means treated the same as his best friend George Milton. Often, the men of the ranch would even tease him, knowing he was so incoherent he would not even know the difference between himself and the others. In the story Of Mice and Men, Lennie is always undermined because of his mental illness and he is never able to act for himself because of his disconnection to the reality of his identity. George Milton lives with guilt ever since the incident at the Sacramento River. George used to make fun of Lennie, play jokes on him and even put his life in danger. He only did this because he could succeed without anyone...
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...Small from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is known for being different. Steinbeck implies that he has an intellectual disability. Lennie travels with his friend George during the time of the Great Depression, although it makes them more deviate. They share a dream about owning their own land with their own farm. Moreover, Curley’s wife realizes that there is a specific discrepancy between Lennie and the rest of the ranchers. The difference is Lennie’s behavior and thoughts. It causes problems escalating from a dead mouse to a dead woman. His behavior is similar to those with autism. Thus, Lennie Small portrays signs of autism based on his inept social interactions, obsessive interests, and difficulties communicating. The articles “Autism” by Carol Turkington and Albert Tzeel, “Autism”, and “Nursing Standard: Autism” provide information about autism. To begin, Lennie Small has trouble socializing. Turkington and Tzeel assert, “the primary feature of autism is impaired social interaction”...
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...John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella Of Mice and Men reveals that everyone has dreams in their lives; however, their setting-driven actions or disabilities make these dreams impossible. The theme of violence heavily impacts the story, to the extent that nearly every character shows violence, or has violence shown to them. While this violence in large part attributes itself to the aggressive setting, some character’s aspirations become unlikely due to matters out of their control, such as gender, race, and mental or physical disabilities. These variables can make or break the character's hopes and dreams. Acts of violence shown by the main characters, the farmhands’ desensitized views of violence, and various character’s social or physical handicaps...
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...At the time of the Great Depression the U.S created a repatriation program that deported people of mexican descent, 400,000 were repatriated, sometimes against their will. In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men, there are many overarching themes, these themes help the author show the hard times of the Great Depression. One such theme would be the prevalence of loneliness in many of the characters. Another theme would be the discrimination against a number of characters, in the different forms such as sexism and racism. Lastly, many dreams in the novel go unfulfilled leaving many characters with the weight of failure. Throughout the Great Depression human compassion was as rare as a job, this led to widespread loneliness, that, in turn, is apparent...
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...1. When you read for academic purposes you pay attention to what you are reading so that you will be able to recall that information when asked about it later. You look for critical details and important notes and keep them in mind. Also while reading for academics you are forced to read to a certain point whether you like it or not. However while reading for pleasure you read because it is engaging and lets your imagination run free. Reading for pleasure also expands your vocabulary and speech skills. While you are enjoying the book you are simultaneously improving your vocabulary and speech skills. 2. I think that throughout the history of mankind every ruler has wanted absolute power at some point. They rallied their people and rebelled. But sometimes there were the rulers that couldn’t handle the magnitude of total power, abused it, and corrupted themselves. Many times power does corrupt absolutely but there were some who could handle it. Obviously Napoleon, the symbol of Joseph Stalin and many other past revolutionists could not. “…that this is the inevitable and even just the outcome of a corrupt social organization” (113). This quotes that absolute power is inevitable and corruption will be the outcome of the social organization whether the group be a full-fledged government or a meager student council. 3. Orwell related Animal Farm to the Russian Revolution extremely well. Each character or group of characters had their equivalent in the Russian Revolution. Even...
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...Of Mice and Morals In modern day society psychologists and psychiatrists have investigated murders. They ask questions about why they would do it and they also look into the minds of these people. A common question is, was it right? Do they have a reason to justify for their actions? Was is morally right? In some cases, it is. In the Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the story follows the adventure of two men named George and Lennie. There were many events that led up to George killing Lennie. It was humane for George to kill Lennie for the benefit of his own life, the life of others and for life to be of a better quality. George killed Lennie for the benefit of Lennie’s life. George took charge and did what he had to before anyone else could get to him. Lennie gets in trouble a lot, from getting kicked out of weeds for feeling a young woman's dress to killing Curley's wife at the climax of the story. Which does...
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