Lennie Small Friendship

In the novel, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck writes about two best friends whose friendship is tested time and time again until a tough decision has to be made. Lennie Small, an extremely big and powerful man with the brain of a child, is bosom buddies with George Milton, a small statured but mature fellow. The relationship between these two main characters can be described as a father-son connection in that George is frequently watching over Lennie. Towards the end of the novel, George is faced with a terrifying decision after Lennie accidentally takes the life of Curley’s wife by breaking her neck in the barn. George comes up with a solution to shoot Lennie in the back of the head. It is right for George to kill Lennie because he is trying to protect the safety of others, and prevent Lennie from being shot painfully by Curley.

To start with, George is right to kill Lennie to protect other people. For example, in chapter five, his intent of simply trying to feel her hair, leads to tragedy. His love of soft things somehow leads him into strangling

If he does not kill Lennie himself, matters will be much worse. Seeing a best friend die an excruciating death is the last thing anyone would want to see unfold before their eyes. Taking his soulmate away from this world takes a significant load off George’s shoulders, but most importantly prevents others from being harmed as well. George taking matters into his own hands once he finds Lennie hiding in the bush is the best decision he could have ever made. Even though it can be emotionally hard to pull the trigger on his best friend, he does something he will never regret. Making the ultimate decision of his life to shoot his only true companion is the best gift he will ever give to Lennie Small, his one and only purpose in