Importance Of Choices In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
People must make seemingly impossible choices for the benefit of their friends. John Steinbeck has a perfect example of this in his book Of Mice and Men. Two characters, Lennie and George, share an unbreakable bond, but when Lennie makes a grave mistake George must make an impossible decision for the sake of his friend. The ultimate choice George makes in the end for his friend Lennie is unthinkably terrible. However, his choice is also justifiable because he made his decision based on what was going to be best for Lennie.
Steinbeck makes George’s role seem more like a parent to Lennie than a friend by making George scold and tell Lennie what to do; therefore, George is only does those things for the benefit of Lennie. George tells Lennie …show more content…
When Curly attacks Lennie over a misunderstanding, instead of helping, George makes Lennie fight back (pg.63). In the beginning when George told Lennie to stay away from Curly George was afraid of an altercation, but when Curly attacked Lennie George knew the only way Curley was going to leave Lennie alone is if Lennie fought back. Later on, readers learn about what caused George and Lennie to leave Weed. Lennie had grabbed a girl’s skirt because he wanted to feel how soft it was, but she took his admiration for soft things as sexual assault and the town’s people accused Lennie of rape, even though he was innocent, and George made Lennie leave Weed (pg.41). Then in the end, George makes the ultimate decision to kill his friend after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife (pg.106). George knew Curley wanted Lennie dead and that he couldn’t get Lennie out of this situation. Lennie would have to die, so before Curly could get to him George did what was best for Lennie and made his death painless. The choices George makes for Lennie are harsh and cruel, but he makes these difficult choices for the benefit of his friend. The ultimate decision George makes to take his best friends life is seemingly impossible, but George’s motive is not fueled by hatred or frustration but is fueled by his love for his best friend and his drive to protect
Steinbeck makes George’s role seem more like a parent to Lennie than a friend by making George scold and tell Lennie what to do; therefore, George is only does those things for the benefit of Lennie. George tells Lennie …show more content…
When Curly attacks Lennie over a misunderstanding, instead of helping, George makes Lennie fight back (pg.63). In the beginning when George told Lennie to stay away from Curly George was afraid of an altercation, but when Curly attacked Lennie George knew the only way Curley was going to leave Lennie alone is if Lennie fought back. Later on, readers learn about what caused George and Lennie to leave Weed. Lennie had grabbed a girl’s skirt because he wanted to feel how soft it was, but she took his admiration for soft things as sexual assault and the town’s people accused Lennie of rape, even though he was innocent, and George made Lennie leave Weed (pg.41). Then in the end, George makes the ultimate decision to kill his friend after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife (pg.106). George knew Curley wanted Lennie dead and that he couldn’t get Lennie out of this situation. Lennie would have to die, so before Curly could get to him George did what was best for Lennie and made his death painless. The choices George makes for Lennie are harsh and cruel, but he makes these difficult choices for the benefit of his friend. The ultimate decision George makes to take his best friends life is seemingly impossible, but George’s motive is not fueled by hatred or frustration but is fueled by his love for his best friend and his drive to protect