In 's
novella is forced to kill his friendafter Curley's wife is discovered
dead in the barn on the ranch where George and Lennie have come to work. Even though Lennie
doesn't realize the gravity of his actions, George knows that his friend has committed murder
and that Curley, the other men on the ranch and the law will not treat Lennie kindly. All Lennie
knows is that he's "done another bad thing." George meets Lennie in the prearranged
spot next to the Salinas River. While he is again describing the dream of the farm, he shoots
Lennie in the back of the head. His actions are justified by the circumstances surrounding the
incident.
The episode is foreshadowed earlier in the book when Candy's old
dog is put out of its misery by Carlson. Candy regrets his decision to not kill the dog himself.
He tells George in chapter three:
I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldnt ought to of
let no stranger shoot my dog.
George must have been
thinking about this when Curley's wife is found with her neck broken in chapter five. Curley is
enraged and makes belligerent threats toward Lennie:
Curley came suddenly to life. I know who done it, he cried.
That big son- of-a-bitch done it. I know he done it. Whyeverbody else was out there playin
horseshoes. He worked himself into a fury. Im gonna get him. Im going for my shotgun. Ill kill
the big son-of-a-bitch myself. Ill shoot €˜im in the guts. Come on, you guys.
Remembering Candy's words, George takes Carlson's Luger, the same gun that was used on
the dog. His decision to kill Lennie is reinforced by Slim who understands the relationship
between George and Lennie. Slim also knows that Lennie would never understand what was happening
to him if he was captured by Curley or if he was taken to jail. Slim says,
"But Curleys gonna want to
shoot €˜im. Curleys still mad about his hand. An spose they lock him up an strap him down and
put him in a cage. That aint no good, George.
George, then, is merciful in
killing Lennie at the end of the book. Before the shot, he tells Lennie to look across the river
and imagine the farm. He also reassures the big man of the importance of their friendship and
George expresses his notions of how he wished things could be. He says,
You . . . . an me. Everbody
gonna be nice to you. Aint gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from
€˜em.
Only Slim understands George's actions toward Lennie. Slim is
ever the realist and he knows Lennie needed to be put down. He tells George in the final lines
of the novella:You
hadda, George. I swear you hadda. Come on with me. He led George into the entrance of the trail
and up toward the highway.
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