Why Is George Justified In Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck wrote a book called “Of Mice and Men.” Of Mice and Men is an engaging novel about two migrant workers, Lennie and George, who are trying to obtain their dreams of having their own home together. George is small and quick and is the alpha. The other is Lennie, who is big and strong, but has a mental disability, making him slow and in constant need of help and guidance. Throughout the book, trouble becomes increasingly worse, and George ends up having to kill Lennie. Most people believe that is was George’s responsibility to look after Lennie, making his killing unjustified. However, George was justified in killing Lennie because Lennie had previously hurt people, Lennie is not going to get a trial, and George cannot always be there for Lennie.

First, George was right to kill Lennie because Lennie had hurt people in the past and would continue to hurt people in the future, not on purpose, but because he does not understand his own strength. Before they came to Salinas they worked up in Weed, where Lennie got into trouble. When Slim asked George what happened in Weed George explained, “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 an irrigation ditch under water all the rest of that day. An’ at night we scrammed outta there” (Steinbeck 42). This shows the reader that Lennie being in trouble is why they need to move so often.When they looked for work this time it took them to Salinas River, Soledad. Then, when they were at the ranch in Salinas River, Soledad Lennie crushed Curley’s hand and killed his pup that Slim had given him, showing that not only does Lennie get into trouble wherever they go, but Lennie gets in trouble repeatedly.The first two conflicts were not Lennie's fault but killing the pup was and affects him negatively.

Next, when Lennie killed Curley’s wife it stopped any chance of Lennie surviving or getting another chance to change.
The consequence of Lennie killing Curley’s wife is him needing to find work elsewhere and moving far, far, far away from Soledad. Killing Curley’s wife may not have been his fault, it is 1000 times worse than anything he had done previously like killing his pup, holding onto the dress in weed and breaking Lennie’s hand. It is worse because he killed a living, breathing human being, to make it worse it was the boss’s son’s wife who he killed. When her body was discovered by the men Curley said, “I’m gonna get him. I’m going for my shotgun…I’ll shoot ‘im in the guts. Come on guys” (Steinbeck 96). Curley’s words show the reader Curley was out for vengeance and to even make Lennie suffer tremendous pain, with no
remorse.