In addition to its visuals, the film also offers exceptional characterization that effectively expresses its theme of loneliness. In many instances, the film vividly paints the deep desolation its characters are experiencing. An outstanding demonstration of such is seen during the poignant illustration of Candy, as his beloved dog is dragged out to be shot. As his canine companion is lead outside by Carlson, he sat stiffly on his bunk for a moment, then slowly laid down. Candy ignored Slim’s offers to have him adopt his puppies, and wrapped his arms around his chest (Sinise.) This somber scene exceptionally displays Candy’s deep loss and loneliness, contributing to the story’s central theme. His stiffness can be seen as his intense emotional pain …show more content…
Another fantastic example of characterization is the portrayal of Curley’s wife during one of her confrontations with George and Lennie. In this scene, the duo are heading back to the bunkhouse from Crook’s room, when Curley’s wife appears. She expresses her anguish at Curley’s neglectful treatment, shuddering in her thin dress. She even brings up her husband’s injury to Lennie in a forgiving manner. However, he insisted that Curley’s hand was caught in a machine. After that, Curley’s wife ran home in tears, crying that she’s going to town and none of them will see her again (Sinise). Here, the film artfully uses indirect characterization to paint the emotional hunger of Curley’s wife. She is shown to be willing to opened up to two strangers about her private business and pains, displaying her deep and desperate thirst for affection. Her mentioning and forgiving of Lennie’s assault on Curley further emphasizes this, showing her to be willing to put all aside to bond with another. When her attempts were met with rejection, Curley’s wife broke down, unable to handle being neglected yet
Curley’s wife, Crooks, and Candy are three characters who are constantly alone and feeling worthless. “Think I’m gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley’s gonna lead” (78) Curley’s wife exclaims to Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. Constantly ignored by men, Curley’s wife acts overly nice and comes off as a flirty “rat-trap” (32). She
dream to get a place of their own together where they can be safe and
The character Candy could be considered lonely after the death of his dog. Before that he seems relatively happy and, in fact, is quite gregarious in chapter two when George and Lennie first enter the bunkhouse of the ranch. He goes on about the other characters and describes the Boss, Slim, Crooks, Curley and Curley's wife. He even gossips with George, telling the story about the glove on Curley's left hand which is full of vaseline so he can keep "that hand soft for his wife."It is not until chapter three that Candy's life turns lonely. Carlson, a laborer on the ranch, believes that Candy's dog is too old and decrepit. He suggests that Candy shoot it to put it out of its misery. Candy can't do it and, because Slim gives Carlson the approval, the man takes Candy's dog and kills it.
Candy’s dog is very precious to him, not only because he had been with him ever since he was a pup but also because he could see himself in the dogs place after a very short period of time. He was getting old and would be of no use soon. Just like the dog, everyone would be eager to get rid of him. He had lost his hand at the ranch. He is disabled, both, physically and mentally.
Mother Theresa once said, "Loneliness is a man's worst poverty." Without friends and companions, people begin to suffer from loneliness and solitude (Dusenbury 38). Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life and cannot be avoided, as shown prevalent through each of the characters in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Each and every character in this novel exhibits loneliness. Lennie was isolated for being mentally handicapped, Candy was isolated for being old and disabled, Crooks was for being black, Curley's wife for being a woman, and George for having to care for Lennie and being unable to socialize with others because of Lennie's consistency of getting into trouble from town to town.
How true is the statement "Guys like us are the loneliest guys in the world"
know how powerful he is and likes to pet animals. The other men on the
Candy, the ranch handyman, lost his hand in an accident and worries about his future on the ranch. He fears that his age is making him useless and unwanted. Candy's age and handicap also contribute to his loneliness. Many of the men reject Candy because of these things and he fears that he will eventually come to the same end as his old dog. Candy is crushed by Lennie and George's dream to get their own piece of land and "live off the fatta the lan'". This dream lifted Candy's spirit and only set him up for a bigger disappointment. This made Candy not only a victim of loneliness, but also of disillusionment. He also feels the burden of loneliness and shows it by his relationship with his sheep dog. The dog, being described as “ancient”, “stinky”, and “half-blind”, had been in Candy’s life and his companion for a very long time and Candy had grown attached to it. He said he, "had him since he was a pup" and he used to "herd sheep with him." Once the other farmhands had finally gotten fed up with it and stated that the dog needed to be put out of its misery Candy was extremely reluctant to turn it over and let him go. After hearing the shot ring outside, all Candy could do was turn his face towards a wall and not look around. Certainly Candy found this dog to be a loyal companion of his and he had developed a strong relationship with it over the years, which helped him cope with his loneliness on the ranch. Whenever one is taking a deeper look at Of Mice and Men one will probably get a sense of how depressing the ranch really is. These are just a few examples of how different characters dealt with their loneliness.
In the story Of Mice and Men, Candy shows many ways he is lonely. For example, candy says, “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. .” (Steinbeck 113). Candy has
The Loneliness of Mice and Men In the book, Of Mice and Men, there are lots of loners and outcasts. There are a lot of lonely homeless people that can relate to Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife. Also people can relate to Crooks because he has no friends or family just like some people. Everybody has felt lonely in some type of way or form before.
In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck depicts the essential loneliness of California ranch life in the 1930s. He illustrates how people are driven to find companionship. There were so many moments of loneliness and sadness throughout the novel, including many deaths. Following the deaths, they were very unexpected making the novel more intense and latch onto it more.
After Carlson shoots his old dog, Candy confesses to George his fear of being sacked and having no family to go to. For example, Candy says, “I won’t have no place to go” (Steinbeck 60). This quote proves Candy’s loneliness by showing how he has no family or friends to return to after he’s fired, and since his dog was shot, he has no one that he truly cares for. Another way Candy shows his loneliness is when he offers to leave George and Lennie everything in his will because he does not have any family left to give his possessions and money to. For instance, in the bunkhouse, when Candy overhears George and Lennie’s plan to buy a plot of land, he says, “I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing” (Steinbeck 59). This shows that Candy is isolated because he has nobody related to him to care for him or to provide shelter for him once he’s fired. The combination of being old, disabled, and having no one outside of the ranch creates a character that carries the weight of the world in
Steinbeck displays, Curley’s wife as more of an object to the men at the ranch. He conveys this idea through the description of her appearance. When Steinbeck introduces the reader and George and Lennie to Curley’s wife he takes a long time to describe her. “She had full rouged lips and wide spaced eyes, heavily made up. Her finger nails were red “. This quotation suggests that Curley’s wife is an object to men in society and that she is as worth as much as she is wearing. Not only does Steinbeck describe her appearance he also describes her actions when on the ranch and talking to the men. He does this to show the awareness that the men have towards her. “She puts her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward”. A lot of the men on the ranch try to ignore and do not want to start a conversation with her but through Steinbeck’s description of her actions the reader can see that she craves attention from the men on the
The character Candy demonstrated his isolation by not having any relatives or good friendship in the workplace. He had his old dog that spent most of the time with and less interaction with his workmates due to the loss of his right arm. However, after Carlson shot Candy’s dog, Candy became really lonely since he spent the most of the time with his dog. He expressed his feeling to George and stated, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They say he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me”, (60). This also shows that although Candy had someone to talk to, it was not a human. He could not play cards with his dog or tell him how happy or upset he was. Also, Candy got really excited to
There is no hope for a recovery or a need for life anymore. He has lived a life of loneliness and it takes a toll on him. After Candy’s dog is shot and killed, his spirit is killed. The effects of loneliness on Candy cause great pain and suffering. His only hope is to begin a new life on a dream ranch.