“You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they came here I wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that.” (Steinbeck 61) Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck is full of symbolism for each character, and I chose to analyze the character’s Candy and his dog. Steinbeck introduced Candy as an old, crippled man who worked on a ranch just to make enough money to feed himself, his dog and do something with the remainder of his life. He often questions the usefulness of his own life and wonders what will happen after he is fired from the ranch. Through the character of Candy, Steinbeck helps the reader understand how many older people felt and feel when …show more content…
I wisht somebody'd shoot me if I got old an' a cripple." (Steinbeck, 45) Once he learns of George’s plan though he feels he has a new chance in life and is happy. Then, when Lennie kills Curley’s wife, and George tells him the “dream farm” is no longer a reality, he sit’s down and cries because his future and usefulness have once again become questionable. Another symbolic meaning of Candy also centers around Candy’s dog being shot. It mirrors the relationship of George and Lennie. This is shown by both Candy’s dog and Lennie being handicapped and the way that both Lennie and the dog were put down for their own good. This is one of the saddest symbols in the book because it is such a tough decision for Candy and George to put down their friends and both were partially pressured into it. Candy is a symbol for all of these meanings because of what happens in the book and evidence portrayed. His character is important to understand because it has many important parallels to George and Lennie’s relationship in the book, and many important parallels to how the elderly feel about their purpose in life. "I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog." (Steinbeck
Lennie is broken and incomplete in many ways. He has a mental disability which differentiates him from the others. He depends on George for everything and cannot do things on his own even though he is a grown man.
Lennie dreams of living on a wide open ranch with George where he tends to the fluffy little rabbits he loves so much. Nevertheless, Lennie sadly never reaches his ultimate goal as his flaw finally becomes his fatal flaw. Lennie kills Curley 's wife by shaking her so hard that her neck breaks. He does not kill her on purpose but Lennie does not know his own strength. He is only shaking her like that because he wants her to stop yelling.
Lennie was not very smart and couldn't do much by himself. He had to be told what to do or he wouldn't do anything at all. He fits all the profiles for a retarded person. He doesn't have any self-control. When he starts to panic he gets out of control and even kills Curly's wife because she starts to scream. Lennie loves animals and can't stop talking about them. He always says that when they get their own place that he wants lots of rabbits, his favorite animal. To him George is like his father figure, since Lennie never really had any parents. He is easily amused and panics quickly.
In the story Of Mice and Men there were many handicaps that Steinbeck decided to speak upon. One was the fact that Crooks was a crippled stable man, Lennie who was mentally disabled, and Candy who lost his hand in an accident and is always worried about keeping his job (Attel). All three of these characters were left behind for reasons. All three had handicaps that prevented them from getting along normally in society. All three of these characters had handicaps, b...
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...
George also knew that Lennie had dug a hole for himself and could never get out. He knew they were looking for Lennie and wouldn’t stop until they killed him. He decided to do it himself in the kindest way he could. It’s like when Candy said about his dog, “I should of shot that dog myself.'; meaning it would have been kinder to the dog. Lennie was lying down, facing away from George and didn’t know he was going to be shot. He didn’t know what was going to happen, just like Candy’s dog.
...ises that the potential to be his own boss is lost. Candy says: " 'You an' me can get that little place, can't we George?'… Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew". Now that Lennie has broken Curley's wife's neck, George realises that his possibility of being his own boss is gone. Without Lennie, George feels there is no hope. As a result the potential to be his own boss is lost. George has a great potential to be his own boss, but with the death of Lennie, George loses hope. George has chosen his fate to be a worker and not to be his own boss.
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”.
Another piece of evidence for wanting a social life and attention is Curley’s wife saying, “...I met with one of the actors. He says I could go with show.” and shows have a lot of attention and more people to talk to after the show. The last decision she made was talking to Lennie the barn ALONE with no idea how disabled he is. This was a big turning point in the story for Curley’s wife and Lennie when she let Lennie touch her hair without stopping, which caused her to panic then Lennie starts to panic when she started screaming and after awhile died when Lennie broke her neck.Candy has some regret about some of the choices he made. When the people in the bunkhouse started complaining about the old smelly dog Candy had, Carlson suggested it to be put down. Candy thought his dog was just fine didn’t want him to be put down but Slim said he had to be put down. Candy didn’t have choice but listen even though he wanted to defend the poor old dog, so he told Carlson to shoot it. Carlson said it would be quick and Candy didn’t want to know or put down the dog himself at the time,but later he regrets not put it down
Even though, George and Lennie try to avoid trouble, it is lured to them like pirates looking for buried treasure. Similar to this, George and Lennie encounter few conflicts at the farm including the Boss's son, Curley, and his Wife. Curley has a ‘don’t mess with me vibe’, which allows the reader to know that despite George's wishes for Lennie to keep his distance from the boss's son, (there will be a conflict between them in the near future)(conflict is brewing between them in the near future?). As for Curley’s Wife, she is trap ready to snap, and Lennie being the prey. Both of these characters foreshadow some sort of negative interaction with Lennie throughout the course of the novella.
George and Lennie have to continue to move around the country looking for work until Lennie screws up again. The instability of work only makes it that much harder for them to complete their dream of a farm of their own. Candy’s participation in the dream of the farm upgrades the dream into a possible reality. As the tending of rabbits comes closer to happening fate curses them with the accidental death of Curley’s wife. The end of their wishful thinking is summed up by Candy’s question on page 104, “Then-it’s all off?”
He only thinks “George is going to give me hell” and is devoted to George like a dog with his owner. Lennie feels secure when he pets soft things and it makes him feel safe from the cruel world he is living in. He starts out petting a dead mouse in the novel and feels safe. Although people will disapprove of his actions, he does not see anything wrong in what he is doing. Lennie’s outrageous size and strength along with his lack of intelligence makes him dangerous to others. George is there to keep him in check and make sure he stays out of trouble. Lennie soon finds himself in trouble once again when he kills Curly’s Wife by snapping her neck on accident trying to keep her quiet when he was trying to help her. Lennie runs away to the riverside where George told him to hide if he was in any trouble. George and all the ranch workers go on a search for him. George knows exactly where Lennie is so he strays off from the rest of the men and finds Lennie. George tells Lennie to look into the river and imagine their rabbit farm he wishes to have
Candy suffered from loneliness as much as the other farm hands and dealt with it with his companionship with his dog. When he is forced to have his dog shot he threatens to spiral into a silent depression but he latches onto George and Lennie’s dream of owning a farm. In a desolate world where the men don’t offer much warmth because they are always leaving, he allows himself to look forward to a brighter future with close friends where he can “hoe in the garden even after [he] ain’t no good at it.” His ability to have faith that there are better days ahead even after he’s lost his hand and spent his entire life lonely makes him my favorite
Lennie is also likened to a dog, just a few pages later, when he is compared to a "terrier who doesn't want to bring a ball to its master" (Steinbeck 9). This connection is further emphasized when, at the novelís end, Lennie is shot with the same gun and in the same way as Candy's dog was shot earlier in the novel. Lennie is also connected with animals in his mental capacity and preferences. His "simplemindedness as well as his attraction to animals, especially the rabbits and the puppy, would seem to fix him as animal-like" (Johnson 16).
First, Candy teaches us to always follow our dreams no matter how old you are. In the book, Candy overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream of moving to a small area farm and live a self substantial