“‘Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other’”(Steinbeck 35). The story Of Mice and Men starts with two characters named George and Lennie. George and Lennie are trying to get their dream of getting their own place and working when they want. On their way to their dream, they need to work at a ranch and stay at a bunkhouse for a bit to get money. They meet Crooks and Candy at the ranch, who wants to join their dream. Due to Crooks being black, he became an outcast. Candy is an old man with a stump on his right arm because he lost his hand in an accident at the ranch. When they get together their plan to get their dream is on a bumpy road. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck, the author expresses human needs for protection, …show more content…
To be more specific, the need for Candy’s hope has disappeared. After Lennie kills Curley's Wife, Candy blames her for messing up the dream. Candy states that “‘[Curley's wife has] done it, di’n’t [she]? [He]’ pose [shes] glad’” (Steinbeck 95). As a result of Lennie killing Curley’s Wife, Candy's hope has been fated, and now dislikes Curley’s Wife because he knows that he has a slim chance of achieving his dream with Lennie and George. If Curley’s Wife didn’t die, they could have saved up for their dream. Even tho his he has a slim chance of getting his dream he still has a bit of hope left. Furthermore, Candy wanted better closure with his dog. When Carlson kills Candy’s dog Candy regrets letting him and he thinks “‘[he] shouldn’t ought to let no stranger shout my dog’”(Steinbeck 61). Carlson wanted to kill Candy's dog because it was old, sick, and no longer able to work as a sheepdog. Carlson thinks the dog isn’t good to Candy. Carlson can’t see that the dog still has value as Candy's friend and companion. Since Candy values his dog, he wanted to kill his dog by himself and was worried that his dog's last minutes of his life were in fear. This shows that Candy requires hope and closure. characters’ needs drive their choices throughout the
After Carlson shot Candy’s dog, Candy began to regretted his decision when he says “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George.” (Steinbeck, 61). Candy understood that his dog had to be put down because it was getting old and was in constant pain. Candy believed that because it was his dog he should have been the one put his dog down instead of letting someone else do it for him because it was his responsibility to put him out of his suffering. Not only this but, when George shot Lennie.
I want him to suffer.” If the dog had not been killed by Carlson, then the dog would have suffered and if George had not killed Lennie, Lennie would have suffered too. When the defence questioned George behind his reasoning for killing George he claimed it was because he knew if Lennie got away he could hurt someone else. He also said, “I killed him because I knew Curley wanted to torture him I did not want him to hurt anyone else.” Carlson shot Candy’s dog so he would not have to suffer, and George shot Lennie because he did not want him to suffer any longer.
George made the heart-wrenching decision to kill his best friend, Lennie Small. Killing Lennie is justified throughout the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck because if George did not kill Lennie, then Lennie would’ve had a slow, painful death, due to the fact the Curly is furious at Lennie for murdering his wife. “Curley gon’ta wanna get ‘im lynched,”says Candy (Steinbeck 94). Candy's dog is a blind, deaf old dog that cannot even walk with ease, and does not eat food. After Carlson shot Candy’s dog Candy says “I ought to of shot that dog myself”(Steinbeck 61).
The death of Curley’s wife and the death of Lennie. The death of Candy’s dog was very long and exaggerated. The killing of the old dog was brought up by Carlson because Carlson thought the dog smelled terrible. Carlson said to Candy, “Well, I can’t stand him [Candy’s dog] in here.” (Steinbeck 44).
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.
When Carlson shot Candy’s dog, Candy began to see himself in his dog. He began to see how alone he is, and started to believe that he was useless. Candy had a very hard time dealing with being lonesome after the passing of his dog. This created an idea in his head that in the near future he would be all on his own, with no job, and nowhere to go. Candy had been working on the ranch for a very long time, and during that time he had lost his hand.
All the other ranchers complained about Candy’s dog who he had for a long time, they said how old and smelly he was. Carlson offered to kill it since the dog was old and suffering. Candy agrees, and regrets it wishing he shot the dog himself. This quote shows how Candy’s dog was shot and how sad it made him, which shows how the dream could help him become more positive, “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t of ought to let no stranger shoot my dog.”
In the novella “Of Mice and Men”' written by John Stienbeck, Steinbeck uses the characterization of two characters, Crooks a stablehand, and Candy another ranch worker, along with the internal conflicts that the two men experience to express the idea that isolation can have negative effects on people. These elements helped to add depth and substance to the novella. Steinbeck's characterization of Crooks lets his viewers understand him and his turmoil better. Crooks was a black stablehand who worked on a ranch in California. He had an old back injury from a horse kick that left him crippled and prevented him from ever leaving the ranch.
Which made George realize there had to be a way to save him before Curley got to him. Candy and George realized what happened to Curley’s wife as they knew right away who killed her. George was trying to reassure himself that Curley and the others wouldn’t give Lennie too harsh of a punishment
Later on, Candy admits to George that he wished he shot his dog himself. In chapter six, after Lennie kills Curley’s wife, Curley is searching for Lennie with the intention to kill him painfully. George finds Lennie in their agreed-upon place “in the brush.” George kills Lennie painlessly; much like how Carlson shot Candy’s dog painlessly. George does this because he would feel guilty; suchlike Candy and his dog.
Crooks is the opposite of Lennie and Goerge Because, unlike them, he has no friends on the ranch and must be alone. Crooks, throughout the novel, has proven that he wants to end his loneliness, but due to the discrimination he faces as a black man during the great depression, everyone is ill-tempered towards him; he likes to stay in his own space. Due to the way Crooks has been treated throughout his life; he becomes bitter and resentful. Crooks speaking to Lennie relieved him from his loneliness, although Crooks did not want to show it. In contrast to Crooks, Candy had a companion on the ranch, but that companion was not a human; it was a dog.
Candy then goes on about how he “…could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys” (96) In this scene, Steinbeck exposes that Curley’s wife actually possessed more power in death rather than in life. In other words, her death revoked the dreams of many characters , including herself. Now candy, Lennie, and George will never have their ideal piece of farm land and Curley’s wife will pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. Unfortunately, Curley’s wife
In this chapter, the gloom is relieved by the hopeful planning of the three men — George, Lennie, and Candy — toward their dream. For the first time in his life, George believes the dream can come true with Candy's down payment. He knows of a farm they can buy, and the readers' hopes are lifted as well, as the men plan, in detail, how they will buy the ranch and what they will do once it is theirs. But while Steinbeck includes this story of hope, the preponderance of the chapter is dark. Both the shooting of Candy's dog and the smashing of Curley's hand foreshadow that the men will not be able to realize their
Despair Among People During the Great Depression People who face great odds will hang on to hope, however, many will lose it to the cruel reality they live in. This is the story told in the novel, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. In this novel, Lennie and George are traveling bindle stiffs who experience the losses that come with the Great Depression, and the hope of others that is dashed by the death of one person. This theme of hope and loss is shown through Curley's wife, Candy, and George.
Curley’s wife has lost her dream and she lives an unhappy life. Curley’s wife had a dream but that dream turned out as hopeless as her fate in the end of the book. She could have made something of herself but she quickly gave up on her dream as soon as something discouraging happened. Now she has to live regretting giving up so quickly. " ’I tell you I ain't used to livin' like this.