It is not right for people to be put out of their misery if they are sick, insane or retarded and if they are a danger to society. In the novel, "Of Mice and Men", Lennie was a mentally handicapped character and after Lennie's Aunt Clara passed away, George became the caretaker of Lennie. Lennie was mentally handicapped and couldn't remember things that were told to him "two minutes ago." Lennie also loved to pet and touch soft objects but he unintentionally often hurt them. Both men worked on ranches and were trying to save up money to buy a little house with a little bit of land. They also wanted to live on "the fatta the land." Putting people, like Lennie, out of their misery is wrong because they have feelings and emotions just like normal human beings. Secondly, mentally handicapped people are often not aware of their physical strength and when they harm someone or something it is often not intentional. Lastly, society in general tends to take advantage of mentally challenged individuals. People should not be murdered for a disability, which they do not choose to have, but instead be helped to understand how they can improve their life. To put Lennie and others like him out of their misery is immoral because they display all the emotions and feeling that normal human beings do. Many people see the handicapped as being insignificant or inferior to them. Steinbeck used many examples in the story to show how "normal" people treated the handicapped. For instance, the men of the bunkhouse did not do anything to stop Carlson from killing Candy's old and weak dog. All humans have feelings and emotions, and should not be treated differently because they still feel the emotional pain inside. Another example of how mentally handicapped people, like Lennie show their emotions is when he said, " `Well, I can go away, I'll go right off in the hills an' find a cave if you don' want me.' " (Page 104) In this quote, he displays sadness and uncertainty that he is wanted by George.
