Who Is Responsible For Lennie's Death

In Of Mice and Men, George, the small man, had choices to let Lennie, the fat emotionally handicapped man run away and let him live, or to shoot Lennie himself for both of their sakes. George was responsible for Lennie after his Aunt Clara died. The wife of Curley, the welterweight champion and the boss’s son, was offering Lennie to let him feel her hair, and Lennie likes feeling soft things because it makes him feel comfortable. Curley’s wife let out a scream because Lennie was messing up her hair and he started crazily shaking her around and killed her, not knowing his own strength. He ran away to where George told him to, and when George found Curley’s wife dead, he knew that it was Lennie. Curley found out and wanted to go on a rampage and make Lennie suffer, but George felt he had no other option, but to shoot Lennie himself. Lennie is a danger to everyone around him. He killed Curley’s wife on accident by violently shaking her around. He killed the puppy and the mouse by petting the too hard. When in Weed, the he was feeling the girl’s red dress and when she screamed, he got scared and didn’t let go. Anyone around Lennie is in danger.

Another reason George killed Lennie is because Curley planned a slow painful death for him. Curley specifically says “I’m gonna shoot the guys outta that big bastard myself, even if I only got one …show more content…
He could have tried to keep Curley away from Lennie and give him to the police, but he would be institutionalized at best or could be executed at worst. Slim said “An’ s’pose they lock him up an’ strap him down and put him in a cage. That ain’t no good, George,” (Page 97). George felt he had no other choice. “They’re gonna tie him down like a dog,” said Slim (Page 97). George knew that Lennie couldn't take care of himself if he let him run away. Also, he knew that if Lennie was arrested, he could be executed by the justice system or if they let him out, Curley would find him and make him