The Role Of Mental Incapability In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Imagine if a person committed countless incidences of violence, multiple acts of murder, assaulted someone, and escaped unscathed. Would it be right that others are in danger, or would he pose a threat? The topic of poignant decisions and controversial issues are evident in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Throughout the plot of the novel, Steinbeck twists the ideology of difficult choices into his story through the main characters Lennie Smalls, George Milton, and other farmers on the ranch. Thus, through different scenes and scenarios in the novella, one can ultimately conclude that a man should have just in ending another man's life under certain circumstances and if it was ultimately beneficial to others. In the book, this is
In order for one to have a mental disability, they must be incapable of making coherent decisions and can’t function properly. This is shown in Steinbeck’s novel when Lennie can’t think properly for himself, resulting in the need for George to have to compensate and speak for him. Even Lennie and George’s boss notices this, pointing his finger at Lennie and said, “ He ain’t much of a talker, is he?“ (Steinbeck 21). Influenced by Lennie’s mental disability, both George and Lennie suffer substantially. Steinbeck conveys this conflict when the characters were constantly treating Lennie unequally, whether it was intentionally or not. For instance, all of the famers including George went into town but left Lennie, Crooks, and Candy at home. This proves that because of Lennie’s mental incapability, he was treated unfairly and suffered because of it. However, Lennie wasn’t the only one suffering. George had the constant requirement to take care of Lennie after his Aunt Clara had passed away. This creates a ton of stress and pain influenced by Lennie’s mental incapability because George has to constantly look out for Lennie to insure that he doesn’t get into any trouble that could ultimately cost them their life, job, or home. George even comments “If I Was alone I could live so easy. I could get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble” (Steinbeck 11). Once again, the
John Steinbeck conveys this through the suffering created by Lennie’s disability and through the threats he poses on others. In the novella, Lennie kills multiple things including mice, a dog, and ultimately a woman. Not to mention he also assaulted another woman at previous jobs. Whether these actions were on purpose or not, Lennie caused conflict and apprehension wherever he went. Lennie’s mental disability also caused suffering for him and George decreasing their quality of life. George suffered because he couldn’t live a successful life due to his responsibility to take care of Lennie, and Lennie suffered because he was treated unequally and missed out on many of life’s experiences. Because of these multiple reasons, George had the right to kill Lennie, ultimately proving that a man should have just in ending another man’s life under certain