In today's society, taking another human being's life is objectionable. People consider it the most offensive thing a person could do. However, in Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men, George's killing of Lennie is understandable. This is on the basis of people were about to murder Lennie in a few moments, and George didn't want Lennie to experience pain.
             People were searching for Lennie right after he killed Curley's wife to murder him. Earlier in the book Lennie killed her accidentally by snapping her neck. He was unaware of his strength when he was petting her hair and shook her head while she tried to get away. Everyone on the ranch grabbed a weapon and was on a manhunt to kill Lennie. Curley was going to kill him if George did not.
             George killed Lennie himself so it would be less painful and quick. He killed Lennie by making him think of a happy thought and be unaware of what was coming. Curley wanted Lennie to suffer and experience pain because of what Lennie did to his wife. "When you see um', don't give 'im no chance. Shoot for his guts. That'll double 'im over," Curley said (pg.97).
             Also, Lennie is a potential risk to society. He already has killed someone with his bare hands and could possibly do it again. Even though it is accidental, he could seriously injure or kill someone in the future. In his past, he has had bad experiences with pets or animals. For instance, he has killed many mice and a puppy. The problem is that he is unaware of his strength and uses it in an unfriendly and dangerous manner. George did not kill Lennie for this reason though.
             There is no other reason why George killed Lennie. It was undoubtedly the hardest thing he ever had to do. If George killed him because he got in trouble repetitively or was very annoying, he would have already killed him earlier. George was too emotionally attached to Lennie and cared about him so he
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