Amita Bose
Mr. Salsich
English 8
January 31, 2009
Decisions:
An Essay Discussing George’s Decision at the end of Of Mice and Men
Decisions can be made when your mind and soul are at peace or during times of great tribulation. Decisions can be of the most trivial sort, or they can change your life and yourself forever. No matter when or how significant decisions are, they are always tremendously difficult to make and will result in hours spent pondering whether or not you chose the correct option. In the novel by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, the character George must make the ultimate decision: to either hand Lennie, his best friend, over to an irate mob or kill him before the other men can. In the moments after he made his decision and pulled the trigger of the gun pressed to Lennie’s head, George was haunted by the possibility that he hadn’t made the right decision, but in my opinion, George did the best, most humane, and loving thing possible.
TS George loved Lennie like a brother, and in shooting Lennie, he shot a part of himself, but George did what he did for Lennie, and no one else. SD Lennie’s last words to George were, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now,” as he spoke of the farmhouse he yearned to own with George. CM When Lennie asked George if they could, “get that place now”, he was not asking for a farmhouse with rabbits and alfalfa, but for a place where he could finally lay down the burdens of hate and prejudice he had carried for his entire life. CM In shooting him, George granted Lennie’s last wish, and delivered him to a quiet, accepting place where he could live equally among others and tend as many rabbits as he wished to forever. SD Also, George saved Lennie from the appalling death that would have befallen him at the hands of the livid ranch-workers. CM If the other men had found Lennie, they would have beaten him and drawn out his death for no more reason than to satisfy their cruel, perverse pleasure. CM George let Lennie peacefully slip into the pearly gates of Heaven with a smile on his face, soft rabbits running free in his head, and the thoughts of a better tomorrow sparkling in his eyes. SD Lastly, George had loved Lennie like a brother for his entire life and shooting him was a final act of love. CM When George held that gun to Lennie’s head and pulled the trigger, he wasn’t thinking of it as punishment for the bad things Lennie had done, but rather a show of how much he truly loved his friend. CM Only the truest of friends can overcome the disgust they feel for what the love they possess may drive them to do, and George proved his love for Lennie one last time, as he mercifully delivered his death and overcame his hatred for what he had to do in order to save Lennie. CS George’s decision was one of love, compassion, and caring, and it was undoubtedly the right choice, no matter how hard it was to make.
Sometimes decisions are the easiest things to settle: chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Sometimes decisions will haunt you every time you close your eyes: life of death? The hardest, most complex decisions must be made, and even though we may not like what we have to do, we must do it. We must make every decision based on our truest feelings and what our hearts whisper to us. We must honor these emotions and thoughts, for they are what will lead us through our darkest hours filled with turmoil, and into the clear light of a decision well and truly made.
Mr. Salsich
English 8
January 31, 2009
Decisions:
An Essay Discussing George’s Decision at the end of Of Mice and Men
Decisions can be made when your mind and soul are at peace or during times of great tribulation. Decisions can be of the most trivial sort, or they can change your life and yourself forever. No matter when or how significant decisions are, they are always tremendously difficult to make and will result in hours spent pondering whether or not you chose the correct option. In the novel by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, the character George must make the ultimate decision: to either hand Lennie, his best friend, over to an irate mob or kill him before the other men can. In the moments after he made his decision and pulled the trigger of the gun pressed to Lennie’s head, George was haunted by the possibility that he hadn’t made the right decision, but in my opinion, George did the best, most humane, and loving thing possible.
TS George loved Lennie like a brother, and in shooting Lennie, he shot a part of himself, but George did what he did for Lennie, and no one else. SD Lennie’s last words to George were, “Le’s do it now. Le’s get that place now,” as he spoke of the farmhouse he yearned to own with George. CM When Lennie asked George if they could, “get that place now”, he was not asking for a farmhouse with rabbits and alfalfa, but for a place where he could finally lay down the burdens of hate and prejudice he had carried for his entire life. CM In shooting him, George granted Lennie’s last wish, and delivered him to a quiet, accepting place where he could live equally among others and tend as many rabbits as he wished to forever. SD Also, George saved Lennie from the appalling death that would have befallen him at the hands of the livid ranch-workers. CM If the other men had found Lennie, they would have beaten him and drawn out his death for no more reason than to satisfy their cruel, perverse pleasure. CM George let Lennie peacefully slip into the pearly gates of Heaven with a smile on his face, soft rabbits running free in his head, and the thoughts of a better tomorrow sparkling in his eyes. SD Lastly, George had loved Lennie like a brother for his entire life and shooting him was a final act of love. CM When George held that gun to Lennie’s head and pulled the trigger, he wasn’t thinking of it as punishment for the bad things Lennie had done, but rather a show of how much he truly loved his friend. CM Only the truest of friends can overcome the disgust they feel for what the love they possess may drive them to do, and George proved his love for Lennie one last time, as he mercifully delivered his death and overcame his hatred for what he had to do in order to save Lennie. CS George’s decision was one of love, compassion, and caring, and it was undoubtedly the right choice, no matter how hard it was to make.
Sometimes decisions are the easiest things to settle: chocolate or vanilla ice cream? Sometimes decisions will haunt you every time you close your eyes: life of death? The hardest, most complex decisions must be made, and even though we may not like what we have to do, we must do it. We must make every decision based on our truest feelings and what our hearts whisper to us. We must honor these emotions and thoughts, for they are what will lead us through our darkest hours filled with turmoil, and into the clear light of a decision well and truly made.
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