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Themes of Euthanasia in Of Mice and Men

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“Think of all those ages through which men have had the courage to die, and then remember that we have actually fallen to talking about having the courage to live,” written by G.K. Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw. Many people live with the fact that when they die, they won’t be afraid. Somewhere along the way, they find themselves thinking of all the reasons they should live, and not let somebody kill them, if they still have something to look forward. Candy, a character in the novel, "Of Mice and Men," he believes that after his dog was murdered, there is no reason to keep on living, so he has the courage to die. Yet, when he gets in a conversation with George and Lennie, and hears about their plan of having their own little ranch, he realizes that there is still a reason for him to live. That he should not give up on his dreams. Euthanasia, also known as mercy killing, is terminating the life of a person in a painless, or slightly painful way. For example, many doctors do this because patients have asked them to just, “pull the plug,” because they can’t live with all the pain, and can’t make it out of the situation they’re in. The novel, “Of Mice and Men,” by John Steinbeck, is about two migrant workers, George and Lennie. They both look forward to the American dream of having a little ranch of their own. When these two workers get jobs, they become closer to their dream, but there comes an obstacle that changes everything. Steinbeck uses the characters George, Lennie, and Candy, to argue that euthanasia is humane. Steinbeck suggests that euthanasia may be permitted in a specific situation; he uses George and Lennie to prove this. George and Lennie were both migrant workers looking for a better future, the only problem was Lennie. Lennie had a mental illness, and only has the mental capacity of a 5 year old. Lennie is always, mistakenly getting George and himself in trouble. Throughout the novel, Lennie got

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