To me, being a good friend is staying by their side, even if they do something you do not like. Also, a good friend would back you up and do whatever they can get others to see you for who you really are, not just for that one bad thing you might have done. Though some may argue that in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George was being a good friend to Lennie by making his death as painless as possible, but it is proven that he in fact was not being a good friend to Lennie when George kills him because Lennie is his best friend and being all he has, George is going to now suffer that loss and Lennie did not kill her because he was trying to be mean it was just a bad accident.
When Curley found his dead wife, he said, “ ‘I’ll kill the
…show more content…
‘Lennie never done it in meanness,’ he said. ‘ All the time he done bad things, but he never done one of ‘em mean.’ “ page 95. George knows that Lennie would “never done it in meanness.” He sees the good in Lennie but is not able to help Lennie because he is peer pressured into being the one to kill his best friend. George has stood by Lennie’s side though all the bad he has done in the past yet when he let others get into his head, he ends up killing Lennie. Earlier in the book, when Slim and George are talking, Lennie not being mean comes up. Slim said, “ ‘ Didn’t hurt the girl none, huh?’ he finally asked. ‘Hell, no. He just scared her. I’d be scared too if he grabbed me. But he never hurt her…’ ‘He ain’t mean,’ said Slim. ‘I can tell a mean guy a mile off.’ ” page 44. Even Slim can see that “[Lennie] ain’t mean” and that he would never want to hurt anyone. He understands when George explains that Lennie just scared the girl, nothing else, but she lied to the law. Not only does George know that Lennie is a good guy but so does Slim. Slim claims he “can tell a mean guy a mile off” which proves that if Lennie really was a mean guy, then Slim would not be saying otherwise.
By studying the scene where George kills Lennie, I learned that sometimes your best friends do not always act as they should as well as the importance of a strong friendship. I know from my own experience that sometimes friends do not make the best decisions when it crutial for something in your life. You will really figure out who your best friends are at a time like that. Some people think that George was not wrong with the decision he made but I feel he did not make the right decision because they were best friends and Lennie did not kill the woman on
Killing someone is never right. No one pointed a single finger to George for killing Lennie. They all thought it was ok since Lennie killed Curley’s wife, it is not ok to kill a person. All of them went out to drink after Lennie was dead. George did not even care, Lennie trusted George with everything. Lennie would probably be arrested for killing Curley’s wife, but he did not deserve to be killed. Lennie was a special person, he did not know his own strength. He never meant to kill Curley’s wife. George knew that but decided to kill Lennie anyways. That is not the definition of a true friend. No one accused George of anything, but instead were happy that Lennie ended up being
Lennie has always been told what to do by George. George really helps him through problems that keep happening during the book. Lennie is incapable to live because he does not know his strength and George has to play the role as a living assistant for Lennie. Lennie does not mean to harm but because of his condition he essentially harms people. In the book it explains the
George kills Lennie because he did not want to witness Lennie being hurt or killed carelessly, run off by in his own and not being able to take care for himself, and Lennie’s mental disorder will never change how Lennie reacts to certain situations. Many believe taking the life of another without consent is unacceptable but in certain situations like George’s, he has to decide due to Lennie’s mental disorder that was leading him into unpleasant situations. George is an admirable character who choose to protect and do justice to his distressed friend,
Consistently throughout the story George and Lennie were there for each other; in fact towards the very beginning Lennie and George discussed how they were better off than most guys because they had each other (14). When George killed Lennie a part of him died too, George knew murdering Lennie would hurt him mentally and emotionally. However he did it because he wanted what was best for his friend no matter the cost. His actions were altruistic and that made his decision the more favorable one. Another instance when George was selfless was when he gave up his dream. Throughout the story George and Lennie dreamed of and worked towards owning their own piece of land together. However, after discovering Curley’s wife dead, George returned to reality and informed Candy that they would, “never do her” (94). After losing his friend George understood the impossibility of achieving the American Dream. Beforehand George knew he would not want to live out his dream without Lennie, so by protecting Lennie and giving up on his own dream he put Lennie above himself. Conversely, someone may believe that George's actions were selfish and that he benefits himself by killing Lennie. After George comes after Lennie, the dim-witted man asks if George was going to yell at him. Reluctantly George told him “If I was alone, I could live so easy,” (103). Although George said
...is a major breakthrough for George's understanding that he is responsible for Lennie and that he must do whatever is best not just for himself but for the both of them. This understanding leads to George ending Lennie’s life not by motivation to prevent him from causing any more mayhem but to keep Lennie out of harm’s way.
Within the beginning of the story, the dynamic of George and Lennie’s relationship is introduced, one that is uncommon and presents a fatherly vibe. The readers are thrown into the novel at the height of the great depression, an economic catastrophe that shook the world. Within these dark time, an unlikely friendship is in full blossom and we are meet by Lennie and George setting up camp for the night by a riverbed. After the duo’s personalities are expressed, they begin to set up the idea of a commonly shared dream which exists according to Lennie “Because... because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie is seen as a quite simple minded and extremely dim-witted character from just the first
From the very beginning you see that Lennie is a very innocent person and sometimes doesn’t understand what is going on. There is a great example at the beginning of the story, George and Lennie are in the clearing before they go to the ranch and they’re making camp for the night. ”’tha’s good,' he said. 'you drink some George. You take a good big drink.’ he smiled happily”'(3). George has just yelled at him for drinking too fast, but he is too innocent to realize it. Lennie also showed innocence when he is told to jump into Sacramento River. “‘An’ he was so damn nice to me for pullin’ him out. Clean forgot I told him to jump in. Well, I ain’t done nothing
Lennie thinks of George as his only friend, his guardian, someone who he can trust and depend on, someone who had accepted him for who he is despite his childlike tendencies. Every time he did something wrong, his only thoughts would be of George’s disapproval. “I did a real bad thing. I shouldn’t have done that. George’ll be mad at me.
In ending of "Of Mice And Men", George kills Lennie after he killed Curley's wife. However, I can still feel sympathy towards George, and see his action as justifiable. In the beginning of the book I had sympathy towards George. The book starts with George talking to Lennie and from this you learn a lot about their relationship. After Lennie asks for ketchup, which they can't get, George gets angry at Lennie and says, “Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble" (6). This shows the reader that George has given up a lot to take care of Lennie. He has given up his job security and a lot of his happiness because he takes care of Lennie. In chapter 3, the reader finds out how George and Lennie started traveling together, and from this the reader can infer that George travels
By definition a friend is a person who provides assistance and support. We have different groups of friends for different purposes in our lives. Although there are many different categories of friends, Marion Winik author of “What are Friends For?” mentions that some of the more common groups consist of the faraway, work, family, and former friends (132). We keep our friends because we value their loyalty, communication, support, and dependability.
This can be identify George as a good friend or a bad friend to Lennie. In my personal opinion I think that George is a good friend to lennie. Because that I think that george need to kill Lennie, the first reason is that if Lennie get caught by Curly and the others he will still died but he will be torture to death by them. Another reason is that Lennie kills a person so he will get caught eventually and he will end up the same way as he get caught now. So George kills lennie out of caring, out of the relation that they had. that is why I think that George is a good friend to Lennie
“I killed my best friend,” was the exact thought that hovered in George as he watched his best friend, Lennie, recumbent, cold, and still, on the grass by the riverbanks. In the book of Mice and Men, George faced the dilemma of knowing that he had killed the one he loved the most. Though it was no accident, it was for the good of Lennie. If Lennie had been allowed to live, he would only face the worst of what life has to offer. So instead of having to watch his best friend in pain, George took the initiative to end all of the cruelty of the world and send Lennie to a better place. Therefore, George was justified in killing Lennie.
The connection between George and Lennie illustrates the adversity during their course towards achieving the American dream. Things Lennie did, either on accident or purpose, foreshadowed what was going to happen in the book and the way people acted impacted this. Like millions of other people, George and Lennie were affected during the great depression heavily, and dreamt of owning land of their own. They worked from place to place making barely any money, and didn’t have a real home. To add to this, Lennie got in trouble a lot and in the end George had to make the crucial decision to shoot Lennie so he wouldn’t have to deal with any more difficulty. George knew he had to do what was best for Lennie and himself.
What is your definition of a true friend? Well, to me, a true friend is someone who understands you, accepts you for who you are, and is willing to do anything for you. While reading John Steinbeck’s classic, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie maintain a true friendship despite all the ups and downs they encounter. After Lennie Small, a man as gigantic as a mammoth with a pea-sized brain, is caught touching a girl’s dress in the town of Weed, he and his best friend, an average migrant worker, George Milton, travel a strenuous journey to the town of Soledad and start working on a ranch. The young men come to realize that they have a true, brotherly bond and nothing can separate them.
A friend is someone difficult to find. A friend is someone you can always count on when times are tough. The dictionary's definition of a good friend is a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard. A good friend is there when you are struggling. For example, when a boy breaks your heart a good friend walks you through it and offers a shoulder to cry on. According to Bree Neff, a good friend is someone who is trustworthy, doesn't talk behind your back, listens to your problems, gives good advice and tries to lend humor along with his or her support. There are also bad friends, those who pretend to care and then turn around gossiping and starting drama. Good and bad friends are all around you, involved in your everyday life. To find good friends you should look for such traits as being kind, trustworthy, loyal and dependable.