Anusha Goswami

English 9 Honors
9/1/16
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is a novel about the misadventures of George and
Lennie, two best friends were trying to achieve the American dream of owning their own land.
Their troubles start due to Lennies mental disorder causing them to run away from Weed. They
end up working at a farm where their boss, Curley, abuses Lennie, causing more troubles for the
friends. The two meet others who are also trying to reach the goal of having the American
dream. The trouble increases as Lennie, underestimating his own strength, killed Curleys wife.
This forced George to put an end to his best friend. Georges action of killing Lennie was
justified, because he not only saved himself, but he saved Lennie and society as well.
George was correct for killing Lennie, as he saved Lennie from being tortured by Curley.
For example, when Lennie firsts meets Curley, Steinbeck writes, Lennie squirmed under the
look and shifted his feet nervously. Curley stepped gingerly close to him, (pg 25). This shows
how the first time Lennie met Curley, there was already tension between them. Curley picked a
fight with Lennie before the death of his wife. If Curley despised Lennie in the beginning, Curley
would not have forgave Lennie for killing his wife. Curley would have tortured Lennie to death
or worse. George just gave Lennie a more peaceful death.
At the time, people with disorders were being cleansed from society. In the article,
Perspectives on the Historical Treatment of People with Disabilities, they state, In many
instances, it [eugenics] leads to the institutionalization and forced sterilization of disabled
people, including children, (pg 1, paragraph 1). This shows how Lennie would have been
mistreated by officials due to his disability. Even without committing murder, Lennie was
already being abused and treated differently. If he was sent to prison, he would be tortured for
the sake of eugenics, as well as the fact he murdered someone. Lennie would have been treated

worse than people without disabilities who have committed equally severe crimes. George just
saved Lennie from the unjust treatment he would have had to face if he was caught.
Some may believe that it was unjust for George to kill Lennie. They could have run away
as they did before. On page 42, George says, Well that girl rabbits in an tells the law she been
raped. The guys in Weed start a party out to lynch Lennie. So we sit in a irrigation ditch under
water all the rest of that day. Got ony our heads sticking out from the side of the ditch. An that
night we scrammed outta there, (Steinback). Yes, they have run away before, but George and
Lennie cant run every time Lennie accidentally does something wrong. They ran from Weed
because Lennie was accused of rape, but committing a crime like murder will have a worse
punishment. Plus, by running, now George would be involved in the crime, and if they get
caught, their punishment will be much more severe. By killing Lennie instead of running away,
George prevented himself from getting involved, and it decreased Lennies punishment.
George also helped society by killing Lennie. Lennie has committed many crimes. They
may have been on accident, but he was still a threat to many individuals. For example, on page
91, Steinbeck writes, Dont you go yellin, he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like
a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck. Lennie accidentally killed
Curleys wife, and George saved more people from falling victim to Lennies actions by killing
Lennie. Lennie may have committed this crime on accident, but he still did something against
the law. George had a right to kill Lennie as self-defense. George saved himself from the chance
of suffering from Lennies incapability to control his strength. George saved many others from
Lennie accidentally hurting them.
Georges action of killing Lennie was justified. George saved Lennie from worse
punishments, saved himself from being involved in crime, and saved others from falling victim
to Lennies actions. George was Lennies best friend, and he knew killing him would be showing
mercy compared to what wouldve happened if he was caught.