The Right Thing Is Not Always Right Analysis

The Right Thing Is Not Always Right Have you ever done something that you thought was the right thing to do, although you could have taken other actions? In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, that is exactly what George Milton does to one of his friends! George ends up shooting Lennie Small, a man who is mentally disabled, when he could have taken other actions. George made the wrong decision because he could have just run away again with Lennie, get Lennie arrested, or have someone else shoot him. Life during the time period of the novel was difficult due to the stock-market crash that caused the Great Depression and a severe lack of jobs. George and Lennie had just run away from their last job because Lennie had tried to touch a woman’s dress. They find find a new job at a ranch in Soledad, California and are hired. George could have run away with Lennie because he specifically tells Lennie, “Well, look. Lennie--if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush,” (Steinbeck 15). Lennie knew that he had gotten himself into trouble because he realized George would not let him tend rabbits if he discovers that he had killed not only Curley’s wife, but the puppy as well. Lennie could have gone to hide in the …show more content…
At the same time, George tried to protect Lennie from all odds and teach him how to look out for himself, he also treated him as a child that cannot care for themselves. Lennie believed that George depended on him to support him, which deep down he really did. George had not done the right thing by killing Lennie himself and could have avoided the situation by opting for a different option. George could have easily been able to run away from Soledad with Lennie, have Lennie arrested and then save up to bail him out, or have someone else kill him