Killing out of Mercy in of Mice and Men

Mercy killing can be shown very much in this novel. It plays an important role throughout the novel that affects the main characters as well as the supporting ones. It is the object of much of the story and is full of meaning. The theme of mercy killing in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, is demonstrated through the killing of Candy's dog and of Lennie.

The killing of Candy's dog is a really good example of mercy killing in the aforementioned novel. Candy's dog was in horrible condition. It smelled, it had trouble seeing, it had trouble hearing and nobody thought that it was able to get a valuable quality out of life. This type of mercy killing, however, was a dark and greedy version. The men on the farm felt that the dog reeked and they could not stand it. They also didn't seem to care much about Candy. They decided too put the dog out of his misery by shooting him but not for the sake of the dog or for Candy but for themselves. "Look, Candy. This ol' dog jus' suffers hisself all the time. If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head---." (45) "A shot sounded in the distance. The men looked quickly at the old man. Every head turned toward him." (49)

Another excellent example of mercy killing is the killing of Lennie. Lennie Small had many problems that handicapped him from being able to act like a normal person. He had made himself and George lose many jobs and get kicked out of many towns. He could not handle himself without being instructed to do something. Even then, he messes up all of the time. He was only going to cause more trouble to himself and the people around him and that would cause much grief and pain. Also, after killing Curley's wife, the men on the ranch were going to shoot Lennie. George took it upon himself to kill Lennie in private. George decided to kill Lennie at his very happiest while he was thinking about the things he loved most. George saved Lennie from causing any harm to anyone and from harming himself. He also saved Lennie from any kind of grief or pain if he were to be executed or get shot by someone with less sympathy. This is the noblest type of mercy killing and it was well deserved by both George and Lennie. "And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the muzzle of it close to the back of Lennie's head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the