Collin Gerger
Mrs. Lutrell
English 11
5 February 2018
Out with the Old in with the New
As a majority of people know and probably do, when something they have isn’t capable of working at its ideal performance, because of various reasons: outdated, broken parts, missing parts, etc, it gets discarded for a better version. Steinbeck depicts a character in this situation named Candy in his novella “Of Mice and Men.” Candy is an old handyman is labeled as a handicapped man due to an accident that resulted in the loss of his hand. While it may be seen as wrong to do this to a living organism, a human being no less, it was the way that Candy’s character was crafted that fit this situation. Candy’s character is crafted by Steinbeck in the text to demonstrate
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Those who are old find even the simplest of tasks to be arduous, and realizing that they are not capable of completing these tasks, leads them to consider themselves inferior to others. An example of this comes from the quote, “They’ll can me purty soon. Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county” (Steinbeck 60). This was Candy’s way of thinking in his old age, making the tasks he needed to perform seem impossible. Candy was given the simplest task of “swampin” the bunkhouses, the easiest job that can be given to a man of his shape; however, he fears that one day the boss will deem him useless and proclaim that he has outlived his service and kick him off the ranch. Candy’s way of thinking is discouraging in this situation, having no family to support him if this were to happen, so he clings to his old, blind dog for reassurance and later to George and Lennie for a similar …show more content…
So he seeks the support of George after his dog was shot by Carlson for being old and useless. He even goes to assist George and Lennie’s dream of getting their own place, in the hopes that he can come along with them in case he is still alive. “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, ‘cause I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing” (59). Candy takes the chance of tagging along with George and Lennie after George spoke to Lennie about their intentions to buy their own house and sustain themselves. Even though George doesn’t know much about Candy, he reluctantly agrees to let him tag along after Candy proposes to aid in their dream by providing them with money that he earned, regardless of the fact that Candy wouldn’t be much help in terms of farm
Candy felt terrible after Carlson shot his dog because Candy was the one that raised it, and it is only for them to kill it, not some stranger. George is like a father to Lennie
Many characters in the short story Of Mice and Men meet an untimely demise for reasons that were never expected. Characters in the story that met such a fate include Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife, Lennie’s puppy, and Lennie himself. These deaths and the events that lead up to them bear a certain resemblance to each other. Some of these deaths are not directly related to others, but instead use symbolism to convey the idea that many characters in the story have similar characteristics, so despite their obvious differences, the characters in the story often relate to one another in multiple ways. By using a metaphorical method of writing, John Steinbeck is able to show the reader that some characters, though physically opposite, can be very similar
Lennie and George find themselves becoming more hopeful after Candy successfully manages to turn a dream that was originally meant for two men into a dream for three. He tries to help George and Lennie attain their dream, and convince them that, “S’pose I went in with you guys. Tha’s three hundred an’ fifty bucks I’d put in. I ain’t much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some” (59). He also shows the two friends of the possibility towards failed outcomes- symbolized through Candy’s inability to kill his own dog.
They believe that Candy should put down his dog to end it’s suffering from its many ailments. Carlson and Slim decide for him that his dog’s life is no longer worth living. This establishes the theme of another person deciding if someone else should die. Later in the novel, George decides to kill Lennie before he gets lynched by Curley; George is in the same position as Candy previously was in Chapter 3. Candy regrets not shooting his dog himself and shows solidarity for George due to experiencing the same
Evan Solveson Mr. Feuerstahler Accelerated English 10 April 18, 2023 Complicated relationships in “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck uses friendships and relationships throughout “Of Mice and Men” in a very interesting and complex way that adds great depth to the story. Throughout the book, there are many different friendships that can be observed by the reader. These friendships can be interpreted in vastly different ways, and they can vary in relevance to the story. A few examples of friendships throughout the story are George and Lennie, Lennie and his puppy, Candy and his dog, and Curley’s wife and Lennie.
I think that the author was trying to say that the dog, like candy, is old and people think worthless. I also think that the author was trying to foreshadow something bad happening to George and Lennie. This is because I have noticed that Candy’s relationship with his dog is alike the relationship of George and Lennie. Since someone else shot Candy’s dog, I think that maybe George or Lennie might ask someone to hurt the other person. Or maybe since Candy said that he should have killed his dog, George may hurt Lennie and vice versa.
One Major Character in Of Mice and Men: Candy can be seen as a major character in Of Mice Of Men by John Steinbeck. Candy is described the protagonist George as, “a tall stoop shouldered man, dressed in blue jeans..carrying a big push- broom in his left hand”(2.18-19) Candy can be seen as an essential character thought this story for a plethora of reasons. One reason as to why Candy can be seen as an essential character is because different from the other characters in many ways. , unlike all of the other characters in this story Candy is “stoop shouldered” hint at the fact that he’s old. It also states, that he has one hand “He pointed with his right arm, and out of the sleeve came a round stick like wrist.”
It doesn’t matter how much trouble Lennie gets in, George sticks with him until it goes way too far. Candy is one of the first characters we meet, He is a frail, one armed, old man with an
In the book “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck a lot of innocent characters that suffer at the hand of another. One character from the story that suffer is Candy. The way Candy suffers is not being able to do a lot of things and when his dog got shot. For example,when Carson took his dog out behind the barn and shot him in the head. Another example is when Candy lost his hand and can not do a lot of stuff.
Candy after having a dispute with Carlson over whether or not to shoot the dog, candy states that, “I oughtta of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t oughtta let no stranger shoot my dog” (Steinbeck 61). Although Candy previously disputed over shooting the dog, and had shown that he did not want the dog to die, Candy shows that he knew the dog should have been euthanized the whole time, and that he wish he had been the one to do it. Steinbeck shows Candy regretting not euthanizing the dog himself to make a point that even those closest to the subject of euthanasia know it is the right thing to do. Although Lennie is George’s best friend, George knows that Lennie has no way out of his situation, and that with the way his violence issues are progressing he will only get worse.
”(Steinbeck 81). Candy is powerless to even stop a woman, who is also a paran marginalized group and is seen as even weaker than men, This goes to show that even though Candy’s wiser and a man he's still seen as weak with little to no power. “Candy looked for help from face to face.” (Steinbeck 45). When looking back at the first quote we can see the level of power Candy has and what that means to him, Candy is constantly shot down by Carlson when it comes down to the whereabouts of his dog, Candy doesn’t have enough power to tell Carlson anyone, instead, he looks for help from
Candy admits to George that he wishes he had killed the dog himself rather than allowing Carlson to do it after Charlson kills it. Given that George is Lennie's closest friend, this statement predicts his choice to shoot Lennie. Carlson criticizes the existence of Candy's dog. He mentions Candy's dog's odor and gently offers to kill the old dog with his trusty Lunger. "I oughtta of shot that dog myself, George.
As candy wanted his companion to be with him at the end, as did george for lennie. Candy represents the old person who isn´t needed anymore, which is an inevitable outcome. As someday , you will grow incompetent of fulfilling demands, or needs, and will be let go. I determined this through his actions, quotes, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Candy is one of the most important characters to understand, as he is representative of
Steinbeck states in the novel, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight?”(60). An example of Candy telling George and Lennie his problems. Candy still feels upset over his dog death by Carlson. But by using that excuse he got George to agree with him, to let him live in the ranch once they earn enough money. With Candy’s help with George and Lennie’s dream, it is easier and now faster for the three of them to get their ranch.
Candy lost his right hand in a ranch accident, which is why the owners “give me a job swampin’” as he says (Steinbeck 59). He believes he will that he will be “can[ned] purty soon,” so he wants to go with George and Lennie (Steinbeck 60). When Carlson wants to shoot Candy’s dog, Candy does not want him to. He says “No, I couldn’... I had ‘im too long” and “I had him from a pup” (Steinbeck 45).