Prompt: In Of Mice and Men, do the characters make decisions based on their own beliefs and principles, or did

other factors such as the environment influence them into making important life decisions? Introduction: In John Steinbecks novella, Of Mice and Men, a diverse group of people are driven by varying circumstances in which they have no power. The desperate crises of the Dust Bowl surround the characters as they try to make a living and build relationships with one another. The intermingling of these ranch hands conjured situations that forced some of them to make cruel life decisions: Carlson decides to kill Candys old dog, believing that it aint no good to himself or the others while also knowing how much the dog meant to his friend (Steinbeck 44). George also makes a conscious decision to kill Lennie, his best friend, as he weighed the gravity of their oppression and realized they couldnt escape any longer. Although the characters had dreams and motivations for how they wanted life to be, their harsh environment and overpowering circumstances left them with no choice but to make unthinkable decisions and suffer the grave consequences. Body Paragraphs: