Preview

Mice and Men Persuasive Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
790 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Mice and Men Persuasive Essay
Of Mice and Men persuasive essay
Death, the one thing every person will eventually face, could be seen as an end or an entrance. What is your extent of a friendship? How far are you willing to go to help the person you care for? For many reasons, the majority of people think murder is immoral—especially if it was your own best friend. But sometimes we may have to go to the extreme, as long as we know it was the right thing to do from the heart because that’s how much you know you care. In the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, I strongly believe that George was right to kill Lennie.
We can all argue back and forth whether George killing Lennie was wrong or not. But the fact of the matter is—there was no escape. George heard “a man’s voice call up from the river, and another man answer”. So knowing that, we can already assume that Curley and the others were near. So what could George do? What were his options? Apparently, there was no way to make up for Lennie’s actions, but there was however a way to save Lennie from excessive suffering. “The voices came close now. George raised the gun and listened to the voices”. This is one of the reasons why I think George had the right to shoot Lennie—there was no escape, and it was either Curley to kill him, or George. Ultimately
Now think about this, would you rather kill your best friend, or have a total stranger do it? Of course, you’d choose neither, but what if those were your only two options at the limited time? What would you choose then? Probably neither—so look at it this way: your friend is mentally ill, and is treated like a dog. The stranger happens to hate your friend because he accidently killed someone the stranger cared for. The stranger plans to torture your friend right before he dies. Since you’re his friend, of course you’d comfort him—make him think everything is okay and save him from any more pain from anyone else and you’d put him out comforted and filled with happiness. Now what’s your

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    My first reason for believing that George did the right thing is to speculate on what may have happened if he had not killed Lennie. Curley didn’t hold much affection for his wife, and from the moment he’s introduced in the book, its clear he is against Lennie. He has always been bitter about his size and strength and ever since Lennie crushed his hand he has been waiting for some excuse to get him back. ‘I’ll kill the big son-of-a-bitch myself. I’ll shoot ‘im in the guts.’ If George had not mercifully killed Lennie in the most painless way possible, he would have been brutally killed by Curley in revenge for his wife’s murder. Lennie got the closest any of them ever could to the dream of having their own…

    • 1169 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George made the proper choice of shooting Lennie himself because they love each other. George and Lennie could not be torn apart because, “‘I got you to look after me, but you got me to look after you’” (Steinbeck). One person without the other would make them miserable. Lennie would be starving or even dead due to his inability to comprehend what is correct in society. George on the other hand would just be incredibly lonely. The two men had been friends forever, it would have felt wrong for some person that neither know very well to shoot Lennie. However, George could have let Lennie suffer for all the mistakes and…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George went against the grain and took Lennie in and protected him. Most people would not travel around with anyone let alone a person that caused as much trouble as Lennie. George was always on edge trying to keep Lennie safe but he stuck with him because he cared so much about him. George also promised Lennie’s Aunt Clara that he would protect Lennie and make sure he stayed of trouble. He also promised himself he would take care of Lennie because Lennie was his only friend. He killed Lennie because he would rather he kill him then Curley because of the brotherhood between…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    George was motivated to kill his friend, Lennie. Lennie had always loved to pet soft things. He would often kill mice just by petting them. Lennie had also killed a puppy on accident. These incidents occurred out of his innocence. He was unaware of his own strength and killed animals because of it. Lennie killed Curley’s wife in an effort to simply pet her soft hair. A mob of people from the farm chased Lennie and George from the farm in an effort to kill Lennie. Curley said he wanted to kill Lennie in the most painful way possible. George and Lennie effectively escaped their pursuit for a brief minute. In this moment George tried to calm Lennie down by reminding him of their shared dream of a better life. This involved them owning their own farm and tending rabbits for Lennie to pet. This undoubtedly brought Lennie to a calm place. In that moment when people began to close in, George killed Lennie by shooting him in the back of the head. This act was influenced by the impending doom Lennie had coming. The other men from the farm that had chased Lennie would have killed him much less…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    One reason george should not have killed Lennie is because Lennie did not realize how strong he really was. As steinbeck writes, “He shook her then, and he was angry with her. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck”(91) this shows that Lennie was trying to get her to stop screaming, but instead accidentally broke her neck. Also Lennie says, “I’d pet ‘em, and pretty soon they bit my fingers and I pinched their heads a little and they they was dead because they was so little”(Steinbeck 10).…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Did George Kill Lennie

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages

    During this time, Candy said, “Curley gon’ta wanta get ‘im lynched. Curley’ll get ‘im killed” (94). So George vowed “I ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie” (95). And when the mob marched through the woods, George goes ahead of everyone and kills Lennie himself. He keeps his vow of not letting anyone kill Lennie, while not technically hurting him himself, since Lennie “jarred, and then settled slowly forward to the sand, and lay without quivering” (106). This means that George saved Lennie from a slow and painful death, while also avoiding him getting into any new trouble. This is only one of the parallel episodes in the book that involve euthanasia, or mercy killing.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    And most importantly, Lennie felt no pain when George rightfully killed him. In of mice and men George states “right in the back of the head.” (Steinbeck). Lennie didn’t even know what was coming therefore, he felt no actual pain, it was a complete mercy killing. This justifiable homicide provided by George was a way for Lennie to be set free, not murdered. At least he wasn’t tortured or even lynched, he died peacefully.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “ I’m gonna shoot the guts outta that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand,” (Steinbeck pg. 98). Obviously, Curley was ready to kill Lennie with a torturous death. Furthermore, George did choose the wise decision. Lennie had the mind of a child in a adult’s body. He was not…

    • 320 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Killing a person can be justified only if the person is no longer able to experience happiness. Just like Candy’s dog: he could no longer stand on his own two feet let alone run and chase a ball. Also, Lennie: if George wouldn't have shot him, he could have gone in some cave but then would have gotten killed anyways or thrown in jail to rot. A life of happiness being just a figment of imagination is a life that can justifiably come to an…

    • 594 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    George And Lennie

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures, as in killing a person who is close to you in order to save them from further danger. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two characters, George and Lennie, are best friends. They travel together, and work together. George is faced with a tough decision, and of course he would only do what was best for Lennie. Wouldn’t a friend always do what was best for a friend? George killed Lennie out of mercy, not murder.…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How Did George Kill Lennie

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Some people might think that George is not a true friend to Lennie. They might think this because George kills Lennie. George could have run away with Lennie instead of killing him, or he could have let Lennie run away on his own. He killed Lennie because it was the best option he had. The mob could have found Lennie, and Lennie would just mess up again. Also he killed him peacefully, which is better than any other form of death and a sign of compassion. If George didn’t kill Lennie Curley’s mob would have killed him in a more painful way, which George would not…

    • 1102 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The position that George was in is a position that no person should ever have to face. The thought of ending the life of one of my friends or one of my family members is a sorrowing one. George’s decision was done out of mercy for Lennie, and although I know that all I want is for my loved ones to have lived a safe and happy life, in that moment I do not believe that I could intentionally kill one of my loved ones, even in an act of mercy. This may sound unusual, but I believe that I would be willing to kill that loved one by the river because I only want the best for them, but I never could actually bring myself to do so. I detest the idea of anyone having to die at Curley’s hand, but even more so, I could not willingly pull the trigger of…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One reason george was justified in the decision he made of killing Lennie was the fact that George was the one who vowed to Lennie’s Aunt Clara to take care of him and watch over him and make sure he doesn't get into trouble. This is obvious when George says “ I told his old lady I’d take care him” ( Steinbeck 22 ). Lennie could not function alone, even though he was a grown man. At one time he relied…

    • 668 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    An allegory is a work where characters are symbols of ideas. They may symbolize anything from honesty to sadness. In an allegorical novel these characters and the ideas they represent form together to suggest a moral. The novel, Of Mice and Men is one of these allegorical novels. Its theme or moral is about friendship: the friendship of George and Lennie. The actions of the characters that represent ideas in the story bring about the chance for George to show his caring and love for Lennie in a powerful way making the story allegorical. All of the characters play a part in the novel whatever their size of the role that connects them allowing Of Mice and Men to function as an allegory.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book, Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck included a lot of social commentary, for example the treatment of society’s “misfits”. The treatment of society’s “misfits” was very noticeable in the book, in chapter 4 the only people who did not go to town were the “misfits”. They all either had a disability or they were women (Curley’s wife). Curley’s wife is a “misfit” because she is the only woman on the entire ranch. The men treat her badly at the ranch and call her names and never talk to her unless the person is alone and with her: “If I catch any one man, and he is alone, I get along fine with him. But just let two of the guy get together and you will not talk” (p.77). Lennie is a “misfit” because he is immense; also he is mentally slow which also sets him apart from everyone else. The people at the ranch and people in general treat Lennie well except for Curley. Curley hates Lennie because he is immense. Besides that sometimes people call him dumb to his face. Crooks is a “misfit” in the book because he is the only black person we know in the book and he has a crooked back due to a horse kicking him. In the book Crooks is the misfit who is treated worst, he gets beat by the boss of the ranch and is threatened to be lynched by Curley’s wife in chapter 4. The last member in this group of “misfits” is Candy. Candy is a “misfit” because he is very old and he has no right arm because a machine at the ranch cut it off. Candy is treated decently, but when Carlson wants to kill his dog. It does not matter what Candy’s opinion was his dog is still killed. One thing that is good about the treatment of Candy is that he is given money and is able to keep a job when his arm is cut off at the ranch. To conclude, John Steinbeck put social commentary in the book, part of that being the treatment of the “misfits” of society. The treatment of the “misfits” was very noticeable in the…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays