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True friends are people who know your faults, and love you in spite of them. They will do anything for you and stick by you through thick and thin. A true friend wants whatever is best for you. In John Steinbacks novel, Of Mice and Men, George was a true friend to Lennie.
When all of his options ran out, George did what was best for Lennie, and for this reason should not be prosecuted for Lennie's death. Lennie was a great danger to himself and others. He was a very large, strong man who did not mean to harm anyone but didnt realize when his great strength began to harm others. Because of his simple mindedness and sheer strength, Lennie had gotten himself into a lot of trouble several times before. The incidents started out small, and grew in severity each time. The first incident happened before Lennie and George came to the ranch, while they were working in the town of Weed.
Lennie grabbed a ladys dress because it was pretty and soft. When she became frightened, Lennie only held on tighter. Eventually she was able to free herself and run away. When the men in town heard of her encounter with Lennie, they took their dogs out to search for him. Because of that incident, George and Lennie had to leave Weed, and came to the ranch. QUOTE George told Lennie to keep his mouth shut and stay away from the men at the ranch.
One day, the books son, Curley, picked a fight with Lennie. He was just letting Curley beat him up until George instructed Lennie to defend himself. When he finally did, he crushed Curley's hand. The trouble continued to get worse for Lennie. Once while petting his pup, he pet it too hard and killed it.
Later when talking to Curley's wife, she told him to touch her hair. Lennie liked touching soft things, and he couldnt stop touching her hair. She became scared and screamed. In an effort to keep her quite, he covered her mouth, and tried to prevent her from struggling. In the process, he accidentally broke her neck. QUOTE Although Lennie liked soft, pretty things, he could not control his own strength, and had proven to be a danger to himself and others.
George did whatever he could to save Lennie from suffering. Even when George shot Lennie in the end, he did it in a way that avoided suffering. If George had not shot Lennie, Curley and the other workers would have surely beaten and tortured him. Curley had planned to shoot Lennie in the gut, which would lead to a slow and painful death.
Even if they hadnt killed Lennie, he would have been put into a mental institution, which would have been worse yet. He would have been like a caged animal, endangering himself and others who were assigned to care for him. QUOTE Even if they escaped the ranch, there would only be a matter of time before another town, another dead girl, and another group of angry men to outrun. In shooting him, George provided the most merciful outcome for Lennie, and prevented his suffering. Even in the end, George did what was best for Lennie. The only thing that kept Lennie going was looking forward to tending rabbits on their farm.
This dream meant everything to Lennie. He always wanted to hear George tell about their dream, and became more and more excited each time. QUOTE But to realize their dream, they would need to stay in town with the prime financier, Candy, for a while, and this was impossible. Without his dream, Lennie would have nothing to look forward to. George knew that Lennie would never be able to understand why they wouldnt be able to have a farm of their own.
His simple mind would not be able to comprehend such a thing. So George did the next best thing. He painted a wonderful picture of their dream for Lennie to imagine, before he put a merciful ending to his life. QUOTE All of these examples point out Georges continuing attempts to do what was best for Lennie. George should not be prosecuted for Lennie's death, because it was in Lennie's best interests.
Lennie was a very dangerous man, even though he didnt mean any harm. He was unable to control his strength. George saved Lennie from pain and suffering. If he hadnt have killed him, the other men on the ranch would have tortured him, or he would have been put into a mental institution and lived a horrible life. There was a slim chance that George and Lennie could have escaped the ranch, but Lennie was only going to get himself into more trouble.
Lennie's dream of tending rabbits meant everything in the world to him. Since he had ruined the chances of achieving that dream, he would never be happy. His simple mind would also never be able to understand why they would not be able to attain George and his dream. George was a true friend of his, and that was why he killed Lennie.
He knew it was the best choice for the both of them. True friends want whatever is best for you. Even when that choice is not socially acceptable, it might be the most merciful thing in the end.
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Research essay sample on George And Lennie Shot Lennie
