Exploratory Essay 24th May 2021 When is it acceptable to end a life other than for self-defense? Self-defense is a skill almost every human being should develop to keep themselves safe at any moment. It is the use of a physical force that protects one from an attacker, who is either trying to harass, irritate, or hurt someone personally for no reason explained. Most of the victims are vulnerable, and are easily noticed in society. They are attacked by people who find it easy to irritate and remove anger. Although it is an easy skill to learn with experience and build self-confidence, it has turned into a dangerous “device” that can bring dystopia and conflict between people. Many stories are able to portray this effectively, especially the famous Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and War Horse by Michael Morpugo. In Of Mice and Men, Lennie is powered by angry emotions that were triggered when Curley’s wife irritated and bullied him deliberately. An alike act of self-defence caused Lennie to murder Curley’s wife. This example perfectly portrayed the question in today’s world to whether it is a crime to end a life through self-defense. However, as much as self-defense is an unintentional act of murder, sometimes an intentional act of murder can be understood better, and also be forgiven. In particular, there is a type of murder in Of Mice and Men used by George, that shows why murder can be forgiven too. If so, when is it acceptable to end a life other than for self-defense? Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck, that perfectly shows how the act of self-defense turns into an act of murder. It is a story that narrates the experiences of two migrant ranch workers, George and Lennie, who move to Soledad, California in search of new job opportunities. The story covers incidents of four days that happen in four different locations (a riverbed, a bunkhouse, Crook’s room, and the barn). The story seemed to be perfect, and that all characters were heading in the right direction of their respective lives. However, when things get too perfect, people forget about certain people and their struggles, especially mentally challenged people like Lennie. Lennie suffers from a mental disorder and is not intellectually smart. He always depended on George for all his chores. Lennie was childlike and reacted to small events instantly and furiously. The story narrates a situation where Lennie gets antagonized to a point, where he could not control himself. Normally, George was always there to protect him. However, when Lennie had to manage his emotions in the absence of George, is when an anti-climax occurs that changes the purpose and meaning of the book, and it revolves around one concept, the act of self-defense. A frightful and mentally disabled Lennie killed Curley’s wife as an act of self-defense to her unbearable bully comments and shoutings. Lennie never wanted to kill Curley’s wife deliberately, but because he was vulnerable to such situations, his weakness was exploited, and it led to a murder, as an act of self-defence. Most readers would think that this was an event that happened in a fit of a moment, and could have been controlled well, which I also agree to. If Curley’s wife would have handled the situation without shouting, then it would have calmed down Lennie, and prevented the murder. An example for this, is in the ending of the story, War Horse. When Joey was sold to Albert’s father, he refused to put on the harness for plowing their yard. While Albert’s father got angry, he controlled himself so that Joey is more comfortable later on. This is exactly what Curley’s wife should have done to make sure Lennie collected” himself. However, human nature is not as perfect as it would seem, which is why Steinbeck portrays this event in the book to show how people act immature at times, leading to such great “mishaps”. According to me, even in Of Mice and Men, Lennie was just trying to help with Curley’s wife’s hair, while she reacted in a way that scared Lennie. I feel that accepting a person’s disability is important, and after a period of time, we should leave the person alone to recover on their own. Forcefully and repeatedly yelling can irritate a person, and that there should be a limit to doing it. In my opinion, the author makes sure that the readers think differently when a person gets instigated to commit a murder in an act of self-defence. So, while murder is a crime, is killing someone for self-defence also a crime? This leads us to think further as to whether mercy-killing is acceptable too? In the story, George, who is a caretaker and well-wisher of Lennie, wanted the best for Lennie. George decided to kill Lennie by the riverbank, as an act to save him from Curley’s wrath. Curley had made a vow to torture and murder Lennie as a revenge against him for murdering his wife. It might appear to the readers that George ended Lennie’s life to save him from Curley’s torturous vow, but when analyzing deeper into the event, the real reason explains the whole concept of mercy-killing. Lennie was at the riverbank, and could have easily escaped unnoticed by Curley. The reason for George ending Lennie’s life is the thought that Lennie’s illness could drive him crazy to kill other people forcefully, especially women. George also felt guilty that his presence could have prevented this event from happening. Furthermore, he felt that he would be an “accessory to homicide” if he were to let Lennie escape. Therefore, it appears that to prevent more murders from the hands of Lennie, to save Lennie from a tortuous death, and to save himself from being a partner to the crime, George killed Lennie. This act of murder is known as mercy-killing, which is the intentional ending of a life of a person suffering from an uncontrollable ilness and a victim to a “out of control” situation. In my view, George was not selfish at all, and he was just trying to protect Lennie, so that neither does Lennie or himself get into trouble at any point. If readers were to completely understand George and his emotions, then they would also be able to understand the guilt he is with, and that murdering Lennie was the only way to protect him. I feel that this situation is a perfect example of mercy-killing, and that there aren’t many books that portray this message as this book does. Mercy-killing does not seem to be an intentional act of murder, with no reason and so, in conclusion, I feel that George did the right thing to take Lennie’s life, and “pardon” him of his sufferings. Bibliography Institute, Legal Information. Mercy Killing. June 2020. 22 May 2021. <https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/mercy_killing>. Rajpurohit, Nikita. Self-Defense: A Skill We All Must Develop For Our Safety. 30 May 2019. 22 May 2021. <https://youthincmag.com/self-defence-a-skill-we-all-must-develop-for-our-safety>. McCord, Thomas. What are the climax and resolution of Mice and Men? n.d. 22 May 2021. <https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/gotta-write-atimeline-for-english-dont-kno w-wa-7805#:~:text=In%20Of%20Mice%20and%20Men,when%20Lennie%20kills% 20Curley%27s%20wife.&text=A%20terrified%20Lennie%20then%20flees,as%20a% 20means%20of%20punishment>. Delaney, William. Why Did George Kill Lennie. n.d. 22 May 2021. <https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/why-does-george-kill-lennie-end-468704>.
