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In Of Mice and Men, I never understood why it was necessary for
George to kill Lennie,
when George simply could've pulled some sort of diversionary tactic and falsely led the rest of the lynch mob somewhere else in the forest. By the time the lynch mob realized it was a false clue, George could've snuck back to him and have been on his way to the next town. Is the reason it was necessary for
Lennie to die
because the lynch mob was already too close to the pair of them for them to escape?
It's been a while, but my recollection is that the idea was that Lennie 1) was ultimately dangerous and 2) killed a woman, albeit unintentionally.
Lennie liked to pet rabbits because they were soft, but he killed them because he didn't understand nor could he control his strength. He did the same with the puppy he was given. Lennie simply didn't have the mental capacity to be gentler — imagine a three-year-old with the strength of Mike Tyson.
When George realizes Lennie has killed the woman whose hair he was "petting," like the small animals, he knows that Lennie will be easily caught and tried for murder. The trial will be terrifying for Lennie, who can't understand what's happening, and his death will be frightening and possibly painful. Or worse, he'll simply be lynched.
George puts a bullet in his head out of kindness, both for Lennie so he doesn't suffer and for anyone else who might be hurt by Lennie's accidental maulings.
Everything Lauren-Clear-Monica-Ipsum writes is true. Lennie did indeed kill accidentally just because of his nature, and without understanding what he did or why. George does want to spare Lennie from the pain of a trial, a hanging, or a lynching. Yes, he could have led the lynch mob away.
But George realizes an important thing. Even if he rescues Lennie now, there will one day be another woman and another lynch mob. He won't be able to protect Lennie for ever. Not only will Lennie still get to suffer, but there will be another dead woman in the future. It is better to have Lennie die now, at peace and with his friend, than painfully in the future that must come, and with another woman needlessly dead.
There are likely to be other factors. In good literature, as in life, decisions like this are rarely for one reason. Lennie does deserve to die. He did really kill the woman. Lennie's death will free George from the intolerable burden of caring for him. It will mean George won't have to lie to cover for his friend. And any future killings by Lennie would be on George's conscience, since he could have prevented them. Deciding which factors weigh most with George is part of the enjoyment of the book.
Here is a cold-blooded answer -- he may have wanted to protect Lenny from the violence of the lynch mob but it is also may be that he finally decided to do something selfish. He realized that there was no way to escape and even if they managed to, two things: Lenny would almost certainly get them into trouble again and also, the mob, if they caught George with Lenny, might well lynch George also -- he was after all assisting a murderer escape and Curly had a strong dislike, if not hatred, for George who had brought Lenny to the ranch.
