Courage In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Courage is Key It is a very unfortunate fact of life that many people suffer from the scourge of cancer each year. When a family member is diagnosed with cancer, especially when it is incurable, it is painfully difficult for the family and the person who is being diagnosed to cope with the idea. However, it is extremely imperative that they do not lose hope. It is important for them to have courage and to keep fighting because if they give up then they will surely perish. Even when the situation looks bleak, they need to look at the positives and live life as normally as possible, taking in memories and making new ones. If they give up they will not survive. There are many examples of courageous acts in literature. In a very well known novel …show more content…

George knows that if Curley finds Lennie he will abuse him and unmercifully kill him. Another instance is when Curley is being made fun of by all the other guys and he gets flustered and takes it out on Lennie because he thinks Lennie is laughing at him. Abruptly Curley starts thrashing and punching Lennie and Lennie is not doing anything to avert the punches so George has to be courageous and step in, to tell him what to do. It is not long after the fight breaks out that “George [is] on his feet yelling “get him Lennie”( Steinbeck 63). George has to use immense courage to get on his feet and encourage Lennie to fight back because if Curley wants to he can very well stop fighting Lennie and turn around to confront George. However it takes even greater courage when George makes the decision that he will have to kill Lennie. It is evident to the reader that when George is trying to work up the courage to end Lennie’s life it is very difficult. When he finally finds his unmistakable bravery he” brought the muzzle close to the back of Lennie’s head... the hand shook… his hand steadied...he pulled the trigger”(Steinbeck 106). George kills Lennie knowing that he did the right …show more content…

When George, Lennie, and Candy recognize that their dream is imminently close enough to reach they cannot contain their happiness and joy as they think about how perfect their lives could become. As they sit around the bunkhouse talking about their plans “they all [sit] still, all bemused by the beauty of the thing, each mind [is] popped into the future when this lovely thing should come about”(Steinbeck 60). George, Lennie and Candy sit around the room amazed because “this thing they never really believed in [is] coming true”(Steinbeck 60). Obviously the guys are excited to have this dream and they show that working towards this dream is what keeps them going. When George realizes that his dream cannot be attained and that it probably was not ever attainable he is unconditionally crushed. George and Candy are completely sure that the dream is gone when they make a startling discovery, Curley’s wife, lying limply in the hay on the barn floor, indisputably dead just like their dream. They know immediately that this horrible scene can most likely be attributed to Lennie and they also know that “[ they] gotta tell the guys” what Lennie did because “they ain’t no way out”(Steinbeck 95). George’s hand is forced to tell the others what has happened because, what else would they do? They know that this accident cannot be

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