It's your turn to ask me a question about Of Mice and Men. This book asks its readers so many questions, I'm sure you have a few rolling around in your head. So now it's your chance to ask. We are going to do things a little differently this time. I will answer all your questions, but then you will answer each others.
Daniel you answer Kevin's.
Kevin you answer Tyler's.
Tyler you answer Daniel's.
This will lead to a fuller discussion. Looking forward to it!
9 comments:
Do you think George did the right thing by killing Lennie?
what did you think of Curley's and Carlson's reaction to Lennie's death?
what did you think of Curley's and Carlson's reaction to Lennie's death?
their reaction surprised me because it seemed like they didn't realize what George had done, or just didn't care. They didn't really care about Lennie's death. They probably had the same mindset as George; that Lennie was better off dead.
why do you think George stuck with Lennie for so long?
why do you think George stuck with Lennie for so long?
I think that George felt he had to look after Lennie when his Aunt Clara croaked. It appears that at first George cared little for Lennie and had no respect for him. But as time went on George grew to like Lennie and spending time with him. After a while they became good friends. Whenever George was tempted to leave Lennie, he must have thought of how helpless he would be without help.
Do you think George did the right thing by killing Lennie?
In a strange sort of way I do think that George did the right thing. It probably saved Lennie a lot of pain and fright.
Daniel,
Oh the inevitable question! This right here is the moral delimma Steinbeck forces us to face. It haunts the reader long after the book ends.
Because of the way the story is crafted, you fully understand why George chose to do what he did. It makes perfect sense. I have a hard time criticizing him for his choice. Based on the type of person Curley is, it would be awful to watch him harm your friend.
George is from a rough world. In all his travels around California he has seen people mistreated and killed based on little more than the type of person they were. One would have to assume that this would create a different attitude towards the sanctity of life, then what we hold. It is almost a relief that George does kill Lennie, because as a reader we are fearful about what Curley would have done.
Of course it is Gods job to give and take life. George is in fact murdering Lennie. It is a sin, a horrible sin. When it comes down to it, George made the wrong choice. It is not his job to determine whether Lennie live or die. This is hard to fathom in the context of the story. George saved Lennie from Curley, yet according to God's law, what he did was wrong.
Steinbeck wanted to challenge the way we thought about these things. He wanted to put us in an Abraham and Isaac scenario. Of course in this story, there is no gracious God giving George an out, like Abraham had.
In the end, I have to say that what George did was wrong, but it is hard to admit, because I can imagine the horrible situation George found himself in.
Had you thought about the Abraham/Isaac similarity? Isn't it the most heart wrenching situation George is in? I hope you wrestled with this question too Daniel. I'm looking forward to reading your essay, so I can see your conclusion.
Tyler,
I'm glad that the reactions Curley and Carlson had about Lennie's death made you pause and ask me. Their reactions are important in their further character development. Their reactions give us another window into their soul. Unfortunately what we see is very dark.
Curley is probably a little disappointed that George beat him to it, but he is happy to see Lennie dead. Curley has had it out for Lennie from the beginning. He does not big guys, and especially kind, gentle, big guys like Lennie. Curley probably would have tried to find a reason to hurt or even kill Lennie even if he had not killed his wife.
Carlson and Curley both believe in "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" type of judgment. Thus they are pleased to see Lennie dead.
It is sad that they had no realization about the type of person that Lennie was. But they are simple men used to a hard life. They call things the way they see them, so it is wrong to pass too much judgment.
This is an interesting question because as a reader we don't put ourselves in Curley's shoes. He is a horrible person, we don't want to put ourself in his place. We would rather do that with George, or Slim, or Lennie. But if we were to be fair we would. I suppose if I was Curley and saw my dead wife, I would want her killer dead. So his reaction is understandable, even though it is revolting.
So, in conclusion, their reaction is understandable, considering what we know about them. We would not expect anything different.
Kevin,
I think George stuck with Lennie because he liked him. I think the answer is as simple as that. We learn more about this when George and Slim are talking. Slim wonders why more men don't travel around with other guys. Slim understands the loneliness of that type of lifestyle, therefore it makes sense to have someone to travel around with.
This books explores many types of loneliness. Crooks is lonely because people stay away from him because he is black. Curley's wife is lonely because she married a jerk, and the ranch hands know she is trouble. Candy is lonely because his dog gets killed. The only people in the story who are not lonely are George and Lennie.
Because they are together, they can dream about having a place. Someone alone cannot do this. Even when George complains about Lennie, he would never leave him. If George left he would be like all the other men. Blowing their pay at the "cat house" every weekend. What a horrible existence. George knows this and even though he says he wishes he could do those things, deep down he does not. Only lonely men do those things.
Thus when George kills Lennie, their dream dies also. Without Lennie their dream is no longer possible. George stays with Lennie because it is a mutually beneficial relationship.
Do you agree?
Post a Comment