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Of mice and men mercy killing
Death of mice and men
Idea of mercy killing in of mice and men
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Death With Dignity For several years you have been taking care of your grandma, who has been suffering in the hospital. You pray that she gets better. But day after day, you see the hurt in her eyes even though she tries to fight through it. You know that she won’t get better until you put her out of her misery and end her life. But once you know she is gone you will miss her deeply but it will be better for her and all her pain will go away. In the novel, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, one of the important characters, George, faces a similar struggling situation with his best friend Lennie. Lennie murders the wife of another important character, Curley. George has to make an important decision that will affect the rest of both He wanted to put him out of misery instead of watching him be in pain. An example of mercy killing in the novel Of Mice and Men is the killing of Candy’s dog. Candy’s dog has been struggling ever since he hit his old age. Candy’s dog is basically useless. He can barely eat anything or can barely see anything. Before Carlson killed Candy’s dog, In the book it reads “Got no teeth, damn near blind, can’t eat. Candy feeds him milk. He can’t chew nothing else” (Steinbeck 36). This evidence supports my argument because it shows Candy’s dog being in pain. Candy’s dog deserves to be put out of his misery because of his suffering. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, it reads “And at his heels there walked a drag footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle with pale, old eyes. The dog stuggled lamely to the side of the room and lay down, grunting softly to himself and licking his grizzled, moth eaten coat” (Steinbeck 24). This shows the dog has been in agony and is very old with his suffering self. This evidence supports my argument because Candy’s dog needs help getting around how Lennie needs help when he gets in trouble. By shooting Candy’s dog, Carlson offers mercy to his dog. Mercy killing can also happen in real life
As we journey through life, we must make difficult decisions, even when few options exist and the situation is grim. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the decision George faces after Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife is complicated, as none of his choices are good. The importance of his relationship with Lennie forces George to look at the big picture and act in Lennie’s best interests, even though the action he must finally take will result in a weight that he will carry forever.
Steinbeck describes Candy right after the men hear the shot that kills the dog. Candy's loneliness over the loss of his dog is short lived as he becomes part of George's and Lennie's plan to get their own farm. In fact, Candy makes the dream seem almost possible because he has saved $300 which he will contribute to the price of the property George can buy. The three men believe that one day they will up and leave the ranch and go live on their own "little piece of land." In the end, however, Candy is plunged back into despair and loneliness after he discovers Lennie has killed Curley's wife. The dream is shattered. He poignantly communicates his feelings over the loss at the end of chapter five: “You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.” He sniveled, and his voice shook. “I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys.” He paused, and then went on in a singsong. And he repeated the old words: “If they was a circus or a baseball game .
Candy’s dog is very precious to him, not only because he had been with him ever since he was a pup but also because he could see himself in the dogs place after a very short period of time. He was getting old and would be of no use soon. Just like the dog, everyone would be eager to get rid of him. He had lost his hand at the ranch. He is disabled, both, physically and mentally.
In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, a ranch hand named Carlson addresses a fellow ranch hand, Candy, regarding his old dog, “He’s [Candy’s dog] all stiff with rheumatism. He ain’t no good to you, Candy. And he ain’t no good to himself.” (Steinbeck 44). Candy’s dog is ancient and Candy and the dog live on a ranch during the Great Depression. It would be a hard life for anyone, especially for an old dog with an even older owner. The dog was falling apart at the seams; near blind, no teeth, and ached every time he stood. I’d imagine life loses meaning at that point, the dog wasn't enjoying life and probably hadn’t for years. Carlson, the ranch hand also states in regard to Candy’s dog, “Can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t walk without hurtin’.” (Steinbeck 47). Dogs are, by nature happy creatures and this dog was anything but happy. Naturally,this dog would have died long ago and honestly, it was the best option at this point for the dog. You know what people alway say, quality over quantity and at this point the quality of his life was
The harsh reality is one which hit everyone in America in the 1930. People found work hard to find and crime was on the uprise. This meant, unfortunately, that innocent people were the easy prey and, as we see in the Of Mice and Men, there were plenty of characters that were easy prey. Of Mice and Men characters have and do thing that make them vulnerable in way which do cause trouble. In this essay, that harsh reality and easy prey will be shown through to see which characters are the most vulnerable.
As the novel continues on we are introduced to another pair whose relationship is just as strong as George and Lennie’s, the two being Candy and his old pup. Candy and his pup have been together for years on end and have formed a indescribable love for one another. However, as the years have rolled past, age has caught up with the Candy’s best friend causing many to suggest euthanasia. Regretfully, Candy agreed, afterwards uttering, “I ought to of shot that dog myself George. I shouldn’t ought to let no stranger shoot my dog” (Steinbeck 61) Often with age, humans and animals alike become impaired and quite sentinel. In the case of Candy’s pup, his age had progressed to the point where life was too difficult and pain was more relevant than pleasure. It would only be fair for Candy to place his feet where paws lay and imagine if he could go out peacefully rather than through heavy slow breathing every day. Although Candy recognized this and allowed this procedure to be completed who showed he had the best intentions for his pup, he did not take manors into his own hands. Rather than stand shoot his pup out of love, he remained inside and allowed the dog to be killed without emotion, almost as though there was no meaning. Sadly, the past cannot redo itself so Candy is forever regretful of the loss of his canine friend, yet by
Compassion might not seem like a big deal but it’s something that everyone one wants and needs. When Curley's wife repeatedly tells Lennie it's ok for him to talk to her. This shows that because Curley doesn’t talk to his wife very much, so shew wanted someone to talk to. Curley is the boss’s son so everyone is afraid to converse with his wife. Another example would be Candy is heartbroken about his dog being killed. It shows that dog's or pets can show love and compassion, just as a relationship with a human. While everyone is in the bunk room Candy says " I ought to shoot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to let no stranger shoot my dog (Steinbeck 58). The quote shows Candy had sympathy and compassion for his dog. Now the quote
Candy was an old swamper, and was missing one hand, his dog was just like him, very old and in poor shape. The poor old dog was blind, deaf, had no teeth and everyone complained about it smelling horrible, “we can’t sleep with him stinkin’ around here. (Steinbeck:47) All the farm hands believe that killing the dog was in the favor of the dog’s own good.
Power is a strong ability that can influence the behavior of people or current events. Those who have power in their everyday life have an advantage over those who don’t. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men his message is that characters who have power demonstrate an advantage over other characters.
Another piece of evidence for wanting a social life and attention is Curley’s wife saying, “...I met with one of the actors. He says I could go with show.” and shows have a lot of attention and more people to talk to after the show. The last decision she made was talking to Lennie the barn ALONE with no idea how disabled he is. This was a big turning point in the story for Curley’s wife and Lennie when she let Lennie touch her hair without stopping, which caused her to panic then Lennie starts to panic when she started screaming and after awhile died when Lennie broke her neck.Candy has some regret about some of the choices he made. When the people in the bunkhouse started complaining about the old smelly dog Candy had, Carlson suggested it to be put down. Candy thought his dog was just fine didn’t want him to be put down but Slim said he had to be put down. Candy didn’t have choice but listen even though he wanted to defend the poor old dog, so he told Carlson to shoot it. Carlson said it would be quick and Candy didn’t want to know or put down the dog himself at the time,but later he regrets not put it down
In the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, the killing of Candy’s dog is mirrored by the killing of Lennie. Candy’s dog was no good to himself or anyone else because of how old he was, however Lennie was just a danger to other people. The only real difference between the killings was that Carlson killed Candy’s dog while George killed Lennie. Both killings were with a bullet to the back of the head, with the same gun, for a painless death on the victim. The killing of Candy’s dog mirrors the killing of Lennie because the were both killed with the same gun in the same way, both were mercy killings, both were killed in solitary places.
Death is something that happens to everyone eventually, but depending on the way they go, death can be tranquil, or it can be dire. George Milton and Lennie Small are two characters in the book Of Mice and Men. Two character that, with respect, have a profound friendship that ostracizes them from other migrant workers seen during the Great Depression. Whilst traveling across the country for different job opportunities, it has been revealed that Lennie has a mental impairment that often sets him apart from others and has caused George to surrender different opportunities that could better his life in numerous ways. After finding a job as migrant workers on a ranch in California, Lennie makes a decision that causes the death of Curley’s wife
In the novella Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, George Milton is faced with a difficult decision when his friend, Lennie Small, murders the wife of another important character named Curley. George must choose to leave Lennie at the mercy - or lack thereof - of Curley, or to step in and end his life, thus saving him from the torture he would’ve faced otherwise. George made a promise to Lennie’s aunt Clara before she passed away to care for Lennie, and he feels responsible for the larger man. In order to protect Lennie, George shot him in the back of the head.
In Of Mice and Men Candy faces a moral dilemma with dog, to let it keep suffering or let Carlson take care of it. Candy’s dog was the only thing that kept him company, and happy. When Carlson came in the bunkhouse and smelt the dog, he told Candy that he thinks the dog would be better of dead. “This ol’ dog suffers hisself all the time” (Steinback 49) since he was so old. So, Carlson took care of the dog and shot him were “he wouldn't feel nothing” (Steinback 50)
“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.