Mercy Killing In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the reader can be left conflicted as to whether mercy killing is can ever be right. Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck about two men on a ranch, George and Lennie, published in 1937. The book depicts the life of a mentally challenged man, Lennie, and his friend George as they drift from one town into a ranch in Soledad, California during the Great Depression. They come to the typical ranch of the time, but with the Boss’s son, Curley, being a pugnacious former boxer who seeks conflict with Lennie. Eventually, both a dog and a person are killed for what is thought to be for their own good, which may lead the reader to believe that the practice of doing this is heartless when it is very much justified in the context of the plot. The death of Candy’s dog at the hands of Carlson and his luger could make the reader believe that Carlson is a vicious murderer who just wanted the dog dead when the death of the dog was just what Candy wanted and what was best for the dog. Candy’s dog had reached a point where he had no teeth, could barely walk, and was far past his days when he could run freely and herd sheep. Slim agreed with Carlson about killing the dog

Candy’s dog is likely 15 years old, can barely walk any more, and has no teeth, so when he is shot by Carlson, it was rationalized by the fact that he was suffering and most likely about to die anyway. Lennie was sadly put into a position where his only options were to die in a few different ways, or be in prison for the rest of his life. George gave Lennie a peaceful death, where he was thinking about what he loved. This is supported by the death Curley’s wife, who can show the reader that sometimes a death could be a blessing in disguise. Sometimes, a death can be tragic, but a person could always be in a better