killsfor multiple reasons.
- The reason most commonly offered
is that he wants
to save Lennie from being tortured by the pursuing lynch mob. This is
probably
valid, but it does not explain why he doesnt help Lennie escape.
Lennie is hiding on the bank of
a shallow river. They could wade across and
climb into the Gabilan Mountains. The lynch mob
might never even think of
looking for them up there. Even if the mob finally guessed they had
fled into
the mountains, George and Lennie would have too much of a head start, and it
would
soon be getting dark. According to Lennie, the mountains have many
caves. A mob would have to
search each cave, and in the meantime the
fugitives could be getting farther away. - George
didnt intend to help Lennie escape. This is proved conclusively by the
fact
that he stole Carlsons Luger from under his bunk at the ranch. He intended to kill
Lennie
as painlessly as possible. When he saw the body of Curleys wife in the
barn, he assumed, like
all the other men, that Lennie had tried to rape her
and had unintentionally killed her while
they were struggling. George
realizes that Lennie is becoming a menace to society and that he
would
probably kill other girls if allowed to live in freedom. -
This
is the first time Lennie has killed a human being (although he has
killed lots of animals).
George is in some danger of being charged as an
accessory to second-degree homicide. He told
Lennie where to hide if he got
into trouble. If he tried to help his friend escape, he would
definitely be
an accessory to murder. - George feels guilty for
the
death of Curleys wife. In fact, he really is guilty because he brought
Lennie to that ranch and
the girl would still be alive if he hadnt brought
Lennie there. He is Lennies caretaker. He is
responsible for any kind of
trouble Lennie gets intoand he is beginning to realize that Lennie
is growing
into more of a problem than he is competent to handle. -
George wants to rid himself of a big burden. He cant handle
the stress anymore. When he kills
Lennie with the Luger he has mixed
feelings, which include pity, sorrow, and remorse, but also a
vast relief. He
frequently abuses Lennie verbally, telling the childish giant that he could
enjoy a much happier life if only he were free of him. Lennie is a burden because he is
always
getting into trouble and also because he has to be watched all the
time. Lennie has caused
George to lose jobs, and jobs are hard to come by.
Lennie almost got both of them lynched by
assaulting a girl in
Weed. - George is angry at Lennie. He feels
sorry
for Curleys dead wife. She was just a dumb girl. She should have had a chance to live
out
her whole life and not have it snuffed out the way Lennie had killed his
puppy and so many other
small animals. George kills Lennie for the same
reason that the lynch mob wants to kill him.
George is really fed up with his
companion. - George cant turn Lennie
over to the
authorities with the hope that they would put him in an asylum. He doesnt have
the
power to determine Lennies fate. If he could manage to get Lennie
arrested rather than lynched,
the authorities would be likely to charge
Lennie with murder. There would be plenty of evidence
that he had killed
Curleys wife, and there would be plenty of witnesses to testify that he was
guilty. The motive would be attempted rape. Nobody saw what happened in the barn. Lennie
would
be incapable of defending himself, and he wouldnt have much of a
defense anyway. He wouldnt let
go of the girl, she started screaming and
struggling, and he killed her. - Lennie is showing
many signs of rebelling against Georges control. He lies to
George, threatens
to run away and live by himself, doesnt follow Georges instructions,
sometimes
deliberately disobeys. (For example, George told him to have
nothing to do with Curleys wife.)
George may be a little bit afraid of
Lennie, and with good reason. A time might come when Lennie
might
accidentally kill his keeper.
Steinbeck was a
realist.
His characters are not all good or all bad. George shows his good
side by looking after Lennie
for a long time. He shows his darker side by
verbally abusing Lennie, by wanting to be rid of
him, and finally by
executing him. Lennie himself seems like a gentle, likeable characterexcept
that he kills everything he touches, including his little puppy. Lennie is developing
an
interest in sex, and because of his feeble mind and giant strength he is
potentially a monster
who needs to be destroyed. Slim is probably the most
faultless character in the story, but he
is a member of the lynch mob. He
wouldnt be present at the ending if he hadnt come along with
the mob. And
there is no indication that he had any intention of giving Lennie any kind of
help.
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