As Mark Twain once stated, “The more I know about people, the better I like my dog.” This sentiment is often echoed by general society; people seem to have lost faith in humanity. However, John Steinbeck illustrates his more optimistic opinion about “the perfectibility of man” by suggesting how man can improve. In his novel, Of Mice and Men, two tenants called George and Lennie go through many hardships all while chasing their dream of possessing their own farm. While they work at a farm, they meet an old swamper called Candy who offers to help them achieve their dream; he does so to ensure that he will have a future after he is fired for being too old. On page 60, Candy discusses the recent death of his dog and asks to join in on George and Lennie’s dream. Through this passage, Steinbeck proves that humans have an animalistic tendency of eliminating those who are weaker than them. This is depicted through the details connecting Candy to his dog as well as Candy’s diction when describing his potential future life. Steinbeck’s negative attitude towards man’s predatory nature implies that society needs to improve and prevent such oppressive behavior from occurring. Steinbeck connects Candy with his dog in order to suggest that humans have created a society where the weak cannot survive. Earlier in the book, Candy describes his dog as the “best damn sheep dog I ever seen” (Steinbeck 44). However, in lines 9 and 10, Candy reiterates that the other workers shot his dog because “he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else.” As soon as the dog outgrows its usefulness by becoming old and blind, the other tenants team up to ensure its death, suggesting how society joins together to dispose of those who are weak. Steinbeck then connects Ca... ... middle of paper ... ...andy’s flirt with independence, society has acted in the same animalistic way that was expected of it. Through this treatment of Candy, Steinbeck exposes humanity’s failures and inhumanness. He does this not out of disgust for mankind, but rather because he believes in the “perfectibility of man.” However, he does remind us that we, as humans, have the power to destroy as well as the power to perfect. After all, only “Man himself [is] our greatest hazard and our only hope” ("John Steinbeck - Banquet Speech"). Works Cited Burns, Robert. “To A Mouse.” Poets.org. The Academy of American Poets, Inc., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013. "John Steinbeck - Banquet Speech". Nobelprize.org. Nobel Media AB 2013. Web. 14 Nov 2013. speech_en.html> Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.
Candy 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 for a very long time and Candy had grown attached to it.
Steinbeck describes Candy right after the men hear the shot that kills the dog. Candy's loneliness over the loss of his dog is short lived as he becomes part of George's and Lennie's plan to get their own farm. In fact, Candy makes the dream seem almost possible because he has saved $300 which he will contribute to the price of the property George can buy. The three men believe that one day they will up and leave the ranch and go live on their own "little piece of land." In the end, however, Candy is plunged back into despair and loneliness after he discovers Lennie has killed Curley's wife. The dream is shattered. He poignantly communicates his feelings over the loss at the end of chapter five: “You done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart.” He sniveled, and his voice shook. “I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys.” He paused, and then went on in a singsong. And he repeated the old words: “If they was a circus or a baseball game .
Steinbeck expresses the theme of loneliness in the character of Candy. Candy is lonely because his is missing half an arm. Candy?s disability separates him from society, an example of Curley being set aside is when everybody else goes to town he is left in the barn with Crooks, Lennie, and Curley?s wife. Candy?s only friendship was with his old, smelly dog. Candy?s dog was a symbol of himself (old, and useless). When Carlson kills Candy?s dog he kills Candy on the inside as well.
John Steinbeck explores human experience in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ in friendship, loneliness and marginalisation. He does this through the characters as explained thought the paragraphs below.
As the novel continues on we are introduced to another pair whose relationship is just as strong as George and Lennie’s, the two being Candy and his old pup. Candy and his pup have been together for years on end and have formed a indescribable love for one another. However, as the years have rolled past, age has caught up with the Candy’s best friend causing many to suggest euthanasia. Regretfully, Candy agreed, afterwards uttering, “I ought to of shot that dog myself George. I shouldn’t ought to let no stranger shoot my dog” (Steinbeck 61) Often with age, humans and animals alike become impaired and quite sentinel. In the case of Candy’s pup, his age had progressed to the point where life was too difficult and pain was more relevant than pleasure. It would only be fair for Candy to place his feet where paws lay and imagine if he could go out peacefully rather than through heavy slow breathing every day. Although Candy recognized this and allowed this procedure to be completed who showed he had the best intentions for his pup, he did not take manors into his own hands. Rather than stand shoot his pup out of love, he remained inside and allowed the dog to be killed without emotion, almost as though there was no meaning. Sadly, the past cannot redo itself so Candy is forever regretful of the loss of his canine friend, yet by
Candy is an elderly man working on the farm with his dog who was killed tragically because the men on the farm perceived the dog as useless. With the passing of his dog, Candy grew mindful of death and yearned to die happy and have something to call his own before death. After overhearing Lennie and George plan to buy land, Candy wanted to be a part of the plan. Candy declared,"I'd make a will an' leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, 'cause I ain't got no relatives or nothing…" (Steinbeck 59). Candy was willing to give money despite the fact that he might not live to see the day where the men got their own land. He had no relatives but had felt a need to help these men achieve their dreams. At this stage in his life, Candy understood the significance that family played in the day to day life and wanted to have a chance to be happy. Candy’s actions gave George and Lennie hope they'd never had before. ENDING
Candy was an old swamper, and was missing one hand, his dog was just like him, very old and in poor shape. The poor old dog was blind, deaf, had no teeth and everyone complained about it smelling horrible, “we can’t sleep with him stinkin’ around here. (Steinbeck:47) All the farm hands believe that killing the dog was in the favor of the dog’s own good.
Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck) and The Things They Carried both contains events that trigger people to escape the reality of the moment into fantasy and show the psychological battles within. Escaping into a fantasy, you have the ability to change a horrific event into “happily ever after.”
As Candy’s dog is about to be shot, Candy looks for a new partnership with George and Lennie, he carries,“You know where's a place like that?(59)." Candy, who has no family, very few connections with the ranch workers, and a huge disability, looked to his dog to solve his extreme loneliness. When everything that he has is taken away from him, he is lost, so he immediately looks for a companionship with Lennie and George in order to cope with his loneliness. He is desperately alone and always needs to be attached to something, which makes him so eager to jump into Lennie and George’s dream. Steinbeck expresses Candy’s loneliness through situational irony, and it shows how badly Candy needs a companionship, at all times.
This is the piece of speech, when Candy is trying to persuade George to let him in on the ranch their going to get. The language Steinbeck uses here, makes Candy seem overly eager to get in with George and Lennie. Mainly because, he’s dog dies so now he doesn’t have anybody, and he feels he might get canned. So as soon as he hears the opportunity to break away from being lonely, he jumps at it. I feel extremely sorry for Candy because he has nobody to turn to. He really does try to find friendship in people, but sometimes tries to hard.
The central element of this novella is its symbolism. This novella has plenty of symbolical forms, such as people, creed, and some of the animals. Candy has several terms of symbolism, for example his disability is a symbol of the migrant workers who are just literally forgotten about, they are forgotten when they are no use to the owners. Candy’s dog is a symbol of a life only for advantage to others Lennie also for shadows this, he is belittled of his mind but enormously commented for his strength. Also he is compelled to lie about the fight he had with Curley, this is a symbol of typical male society in the, “Depression era”.
Through Candy, Steinbeck shows the judgemental nature of American society in the 1930s and the prejudice that was ingrained into the way people lived. In Candy’s first scene, the reader is immediately shown how racism was prevalent through the quote ‘ya see the stable buck’s a nigger’. Candy freely uses racial slurs instead of Crooks’ name which implies how little respect he gives the man due to his belief that racial differences makes him subordinate. In the same scene Candy gives his opinion of the boss as a ‘pretty nice fella’ eventhough he is well aware of how he treats Crooks on a regular basis- ‘give the stable buck hell’. He then goes on to reminiscise about a memory of the ranch workers fighting Crooks which is described as him ‘pausing in relish of the memory’ which clearly tells the reader that he enjoys remembering Crooks’ suffering. This acceptance of the Boss’ cruel acts, the justifying of it due to his race and the total lack
Many people think candy would feel more guilt if he had shot his dog, others may say he would feel more guilt if he had let Carlson shoot his dog as said in Of Mice and Men candy states, “i outta shoot my dog myself i should of let no stranger shoot my dog”(61).In the story of mice of men by john Steinbeck a man named candy had an old dog he was stinky and useless so a man named Carlson goes to put him out of his misery instead of letting candy shoot it himself it wrong of him to do that.
Many themes occur throughout the novel, but one can apply to everyone: we all have tasks we must perform in order to achieve a better life. Initially, this theme becomes apparent through Candy and his dog, "' That dog ain't no good to himself. I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple'" (Steinbeck 45). The theme is you gotta do what you gotta do. Candy recognizes that it is his responsibility to put down his dog. It is the same with George when he has to kill Lennie: he knows that he will miss him, but he also knows that it must be done. Similarly, one critic agrees that actions such as, the dog being shot out of Candy's compulsion, predict the future demise of Lennie (Lisca). Lennie does not understand why certain things cannot be done and it only causes trouble for him. George comprehends his duty towards society, and the sacrifice that must be made in order to achieve his own utopia. Our own duties can become clear when we relate to this conceptual theme.
The bunkhouse men in Steinbeck’s social realism novella Of Mice and Men await the shot with a guilted nature as Candy isolates himself with the treacherous reality of the loss of his dog.