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.
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 .
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
In both the film and the book, Candy is often isolated from all the others. Because of an injury to his hand, he can 't work out in the fields, so much of his time is spent alone shuffling around the ranch doing small jobs. His one and only constant companion is his dog. It is a very old dog that he has had since he was a pup. Again, both the book and the film do a good job of showing the affection that the dog and Candy have for each other. However, the book does a much better job of conveying the importance of the dog to Candy after the dog is shot. In the film scene, Carlson broaches the subject of killing Candy 's dog to put him out of his misery. Candy looks anguished but gives in fairly quickly. Once Carlson takes the dog, he lies back on his bed and just waits for the sound of the gunshot. The men resume their card game. (DVD) Although it is obvious Candy is sad about the dog, it does not have the same emotional impact that the book does. In the book, Steinbeck better conveys Candy 's anguish and desperation to save the dog. He tries to put Carlson off by offering different arguments as to why not to shoot the dog. His arguments include that it might hurt the dog, that Carlson doesn 't have a gun, that tomorrow would be a better day and that he doesn 't mind taking care of him (44). He even pleads silently for help. "Candy looked about unhappily"(42). "Candy looked helplessly at him,
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.”
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is written primarily about two men who go from job to job collecting their pay to try and achieve their dream of buying land. While at a job, they encounter an elderly and handicapped worker named Candy and his equally old and handicapped dog. While they discuss their flawed lives, it is made known that something is wrong with society and The American Dream. As a result of Candy’s character being old and handicapped it makes his dream unachievable. Candy fears of being disposed because of his disabilities. Steinbeck utilizes Candy’s character in order to reveal the discrimination of the elderly and handicapped which demonstrates the flawed nature of the American Dream.
...usions and ideas, however, are not a mere regurgitation of Judeo-Christian values and mores, but rather a powerful commentary about the time following the Great Depression that sees the collapse of traditional social structures in the face of economic hardship. Specifically, through the character of George, his relationship to Lennie and the salient allusions to Christ, Steinbeck reevaluates the classic ideas of brotherhood and sacrifice and notes how these ideals have become underappreciated in the era of Of Mice and Men. Additionally, Steinbeck’s allusions to heaven through the rabbit dream are a literary manifestation in his belief in the power of hope and compassion in a cruel world. Thus, Of Mice and Men, built on its’ framework of Biblical allusions, is ultimately both a celebration of “gallantry in defeat” () and a criticism of the judgments of man’s peers.