Lennie’s death, much like that of a dog, was very merciful. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Lennie’s death is foreshadowed long before it actually takes place; based on the mercy killing of Candy’s dog, the death of a water snake from the beginning of the book, and the secret bushes being set as a hiding place in case Lennie did anything wrong. The mercy killing of Candy’s dog foreshadowed Lennie’s death. Lennie and Candy’s dog have many similar qualities. “I been around him so much I never notice how he stinks” (Steinbeck 44). Candy has been around his odorous dog so much that he doesn’t even notice how bad he smells until other people mention it to him. Like Candy, George doesn’t notice how truly unintelligent Lennie is until people
…show more content…
The water snake and Lennie both seem vulnerable at the beginning of the novel. The water snake is little, but smart, while Lennie is big and dumb. They both could be killed easily for different reasons. “I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him” (Steinbeck 40). Lennie is too dumb to realize that he there is a high chance of drowning if he jumps. He just jumps and almost dies out of stupidity. Lennie and the water snake are similar because they both have big weaknesses. “And [the water snake] came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically” (Steinbeck 99). Neither Lennie nor the snake ever realized they did anything wrong, but they were both killed for their weaknesses. When the water snake was killed at the beginning of the chapter, you could foresee that Lennie would also be killed in that …show more content…
“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). George was expecting Lennie to get into trouble eventually. After what Lennie did in Weed, George knew that he had to have a plan in case something happened again. “When Curley 's wife unsuspectingly invites him to stroke her soft hair, Lennie is ecstatic, but when she begins to struggle against him, he panics, accidentally breaks her neck, and tries to bury her. After George sees what Lonnie has done, he laments, ‘I should of knew,’ and, to prevent Curley from lynching Lennie, shoots him himself” (Papp). When Lennie snapped Curly’s wife’s neck, he knew he had to go hide in the brush like George had said before. So Lennie went to hide. This foreshadowed that Lennie was going to be found by George and not the other men. When George found him, he knew he had no choice except to shoot Lennie. When George told Lennie of the secret hiding place in the beginning of the novel, the reader could foresee that Lennie would get into trouble causing him to go into hiding. In years to come, readers will continue to discover the tragedy in the novel, Of Mice and Men. Through the mercy killing of Candy’s dog, the death of the water snake, and the secret brush, Lennie’s death was foreshadowed long before the readers knew anything about his murder
The water snake and Lennie both seem vulnerable at the beginning of the novel. The water snake is little, but smart, while Lennie is big and dumb. They both could be killed easily for different reasons. “I turns to Lennie and says, ‘Jump in.’ An’ he jumps. Couldn’t swim a stroke. He damn near drowned before we could get him” (Steinbeck 40). Lennie is too dumb to realize that he there is a high chance of drowning if he jumps. He just jumps and almost dies out of stupidity. Lennie and the water snake are similar because they both have big weaknesses. “And [the water snake] came to the legs of a motionless heron that stood in the shallows. A silent head and beak lanced down and plucked it out by the head, and the beak swallowed the little snake while its tail waved frantically” (Steinbeck 99). Neither Lennie nor the snake ever realized they did anything wrong, but they were both killed for their weaknesses. When the water snake was killed at the beginning of the chapter, you could foresee that Lennie would also be killed in that …show more content…
“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). George was expecting Lennie to get into trouble eventually. After what Lennie did in Weed, George knew that he had to have a plan in case something happened again. “When Curley 's wife unsuspectingly invites him to stroke her soft hair, Lennie is ecstatic, but when she begins to struggle against him, he panics, accidentally breaks her neck, and tries to bury her. After George sees what Lonnie has done, he laments, ‘I should of knew,’ and, to prevent Curley from lynching Lennie, shoots him himself” (Papp). When Lennie snapped Curly’s wife’s neck, he knew he had to go hide in the brush like George had said before. So Lennie went to hide. This foreshadowed that Lennie was going to be found by George and not the other men. When George found him, he knew he had no choice except to shoot Lennie. When George told Lennie of the secret hiding place in the beginning of the novel, the reader could foresee that Lennie would get into trouble causing him to go into hiding. In years to come, readers will continue to discover the tragedy in the novel, Of Mice and Men. Through the mercy killing of Candy’s dog, the death of the water snake, and the secret brush, Lennie’s death was foreshadowed long before the readers knew anything about his murder