Karina Castillo

Period 1, Griffin

English 1 Honors

6/2/14

Of Mice and Men Reflection

After reading Of Mice and Men, I am left with a feeling that is made up of hope, anxiety,

sadness and a sense of finality. Sadness for the loss of Lennie, anxiety from the threat of Curley

finding Lennie before George, and finality because there is no way to reverse Lennies death, it

had to be done. But why hope? When Candys blind, deaf, helpless old dog was about to be shot,

Slim agreed that it had to be done. Even though Candy pleaded to wait until tomorrow, to have

one last night with his dog, Slim disagreed. One more day of waiting for the death of his dog,

meant one more day of the pain being inflicted on the helpless thing. One more day of

prolonging the inevitable. After Candys old dog is shot, Candy regrets not shooting his own dog

himself. Saying, I shoulda done it.

Throughout the story, Lennie is compared to and acts like a animal. With his paws and

handing over the dead mouse like a terrier who doesnt want to bring a ball to its master.

Suggesting the idea that Lennie is helpless and he is special in his head. After Lennie

accidentally kills Curleys wife, he runs off to the place where George says to meet him if

anything goes wrong. Sometime between discovering what Lennie has done and seeing that

Curley wants to shoot Lennie himself, George decides he will shoot Lennie himself. George

learned from Candys mistake and even though his plans went askew, he did the right thing.

Lennie was as helpless as Candys old dog.

 I think it is important that Lennies last thought is of his and Georges little heaven. Where

they lived off of the fatta the land. And Lennie begs of George, Lets get that place now, and

then George shoots him. The morality of George shooting Lennie is subjective and it had to be

done. When my grandma passed away after fighting two years of brain cancer, my mind was torn

between, shes in a better place now and shes no longer in pain, and where is she? In a way,

George shipped Lennie off to their own private heaven. After Lennie begs, George replies, Sure.

right now. I gotta. We gotta. In other words saying we have to go to that place,we have to die

and go there. I am hopeful one day I will see her in our own private heaven too.