I finished Of Mice and Men last night. Sad, yes, but it was also very real for me.
George knew that if Curley and the rest of the guys found Lennie first, they would torture him and eventually kill him. George loved Lennie and cared about him. To prevent Lennie from suffering anymore than he had to, George killed him before the other guys could.
As I finished the book, I couldn't help but think of my brother. My brother, Shane died a year and a half ago following a severe heart attack. He was in a coma and on life support for 2 weeks before he died. My family loved and cared for him so much that we had to make a decision to end his suffering and unhook him from his machines. He died 5 minutes later surrounded by family.
I think that George did a very noble thing. Earlier in the book, Candy (apprehensively) let one of the other guys take his best friend (his very old and ill dog) out in the woods to shoot him. Later on Candy told George that he should have shot his dog himself...that is wasn't right to let someone else do it. I think this is how George felt about Lennie. They were best friends and George loved Lennie enough that he needed to be the one to kill him.
I enjoyed this book, however, I think my next read will be a little more uplifting. Any suggestions?
I have been reading this really great series of books. It is called The Great and The Terrible series. The first book is titled "The Brothers". The books are written by Chris Stewart. I think there are six books in all, but they are definately worth your time. I order the books online from Deseret Book... or I am willing to send them to you as I read them in the mail if you would like too :)... Check them out!
ReplyDeleteOh, you asked for it:
ReplyDeleteThe Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
My Antonia by Willa Cather
All excellent and uplifting. At least they all made me smile.
Jenny, I loved Mice and Men, but my very favorite Steinbeck book is "East of Eden". It is not quite as sad as Mice and Men, but it does have some very colorful and complex characters. It has a WONDERFUL moral at the end of the story, and I will say that it is my all-time favorite book I have ever read. I think it is around 600 pages, but I breezed through it in about 4 days. It is a fast read, but wonderful writing and you will feel great and inspired at the end of the book.
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