Did George Kill Lennie

Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, a novel set in the early 1930’s, during the Great Depression, teaches readers about the importance of hard work, friendship, dreams, and sacrifice. While teaching readers these important lessons, George -- the main character, who is small, quick, and bright -- is forced to shoot Lennie -- George’s best friend, who, while childish and innocent, got into lots of trouble for unwittingly scaring a woman, hurting Curley’s hand -- after he killed Curley’s wife. Many believe that George did the right thing, because he kept his vow of not letting anyone hurt Lennie, and -- if Lennie had lived -- he would have been lynched -- killed by a mob -- sent to jail, or imprisoned in a “loony bin” -- an insane asylum.

While in the barn with the puppy that Slim -- the god-like character -- gave
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.

George, in killing Lennie, avoided a slow and painful death for him by lynching -- or getting killed by a mob without the right to a trial in court. Curley wanted to shoot him in the guts, where he would have a slow and painful death. If he were locked in an insane asylum, they would have left him by himself, having nobody to talk to, and, according to Crooks, “ a guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody”