George Milton: A Comparison with Michael Sullivan in Road to Perdition

In the story Of Mice and Men and movie Road to Perdition, Michael Sullivan and George Milton both were faced with moral dilemmas and choices that affected the people closest to them forever. They had to do things that were similar, but yet also different. In Of Mice and Men, George Milton is faced with the decision to end a life of suffering and pain for his only friend Lennie. In Road to Perdition, Michael Sullivan is faced with the decision to live or make sure his son Michael Sullivan Jr. has better life. Although both John Steinbeck, author of Of Mice and Men, and Sam Mendes, director of Road to Perdition, have different styles of showing their works of art, their stories still share the same themes.

In Of Mice and Men, George is portrayed as a strong, slim man who knows how to use his head. He travels with his friend Lennie smalls, who is mentally challenged and does nothing but cause trouble. Michael Sullivan looks like an ordinary man who prays to god and has a loving family. However he works for a mob in order to put food on the the table. Michael's family is murdered and all he has left is his son Michael Sullivan Jr.. He wants his son to not go down the same path he, such as joining the mob and killing people for a living. Overall, these two stories have a tragedy of a death at the end but in a sense, they are good deaths because they saved people.

To begin, Michael Sullivan and George Milton share many similarities through their moral values and decisions. Michael Sullivan is shown as a person who would do anything for his family. He works for a mob in order to put food on the table. Similarly, George Milton will do anything for his mentally challenged friend, Lennie. In to keep Lennie out of trouble, George spent his time moving across the country to find new work instead of letting Lennie rot in jail. Also, George and Lennie share a strong relationship just like Michael and his son. George has an unbreakable bond with Lennie and a good example is when Lennie offers to leave George, but he replies and says "No-look I was just foolin". The quote means that George was joking about being mean to Lennie and only yells at Lennie because he wasn't the best for him. Michael on the other hand develops a strong relationship with his son when they are robbing banks and traveling. He also teaches his son how to drive which is another point in the movie of the developing relationship.

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Although there are similarities among George Milton and Michael Sullivan, they are very different. Michael, was different that George because he needed to die in order for his son to have a better life. On the other hand, George had to kill Lennie in order for Lennie to be at peace and not cause himself or anyone around him trouble. The difference is that they both pulled a gun trigger at the end of their stories but George lived and Michael died. George and Michael also have different dreams. George's dream is own a land that he can call his own and that he doesn't have to work for anyone. Michael starts off with the goal to get redemption for his family and then realises that what he really wants is to "save his son" and make sure his son doesn't go down the same path he did.

Michael Sullivan and George Milton are similar because they both make similar decisions that impact the stories that they are in. Michael Sullivan had to make decisions that could effect his son long term and George had to make a decision that would affect Lennie long term. Michael Sullivan Jr. would have lead the same lifestyle of his father and Lennie would have kept causing trouble. However they were different because Michael died and George lived. Also, they both had different dreams. In sum, they both had different lives but their choices were in the best interest for the people closest to them.

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