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Character Analysis: Of Mice And Men

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Hadlee Creech Mrs. Lutrell 30 January, 2018 In John SteinBeck 's classic novela “Of Mice and Men” he bestows upon an elderly man a loss of hope for life. The elderly and the handicap are seen useless to themselves and to society; SteinBeck crafted Candy’s character to demonstrate how corrupt society dehumanizes all hope of the elderly and the handicap living the American Dream. Our society shows senior citizens, especially useless senior citizens, are expendable; Society only wants you when you’re young. It doesn’t matter if you contributed a lot when you were young because once you get old, you’re useless. SteinBeck introduces two characters, one character named candy with his dog and the other character named Carlson who brings up the …show more content…

All the men were in the bunkhouse with Candy when Carlson brought up the idea to put Candy’s dog out of its “misery”. “At last Carlson said, “If you want me to I’ll put the old devil out of his misery right now and get it over with. Ain’t nothing left for him. (47). Candy’s dog who was once an spectacular sheep herder but is now toothless, horrible smelling and brittle from age supports Candy’s fears. Candy’s past accomplishments and current emotional involvement to his dog matter very little as Carlson makes clear when he strongly insisted Candy let him put the dog out of its misery. In such a society Candy’s dog represents an unpalatable reminder of the fate that awaits anyone who outlives their usefulness. For a short time, his dream of living out his days with George and Lennie on the farm they dream of buying distracts Candy from his grim reality. He considers the couple acres of land they explain was worthy of his hard earned life long savings, which bespeaks his desperate need to believe there is a kinder world than the one in which he lives. LIke George, Candy grips to the idea of having the amount of freedom to take or set aside work as he

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However, Candy is somewhat forced to have his dog killed to put it out of it’s misery. It can be noted that Candy did not want to loose him after reminising on all the history the two had shared together, “Well-hell! I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup. I herded sheep with him.”

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378 Words | 2 Pages

Lennie’s mental disability is the reason he and George are always together, Lennie would not survive without him. Likewise, Candy’s dog is physically disabled. Between the lack of teeth and rheumatism Candy’s dog needs Candy for basics such as food and water. Before shooting Candy’s dog, Carlson says “That dog ain’t no good to himself. Why’n’t you shoot him, Candy?”

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His coworker , Carlson, doesn't like the dog. This is where the dilemma begins. Candy should euthanize the dog because of the dog's poor quality of life and he is replaceable. The most important reason to put the dog down is the poor quality of his life.

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932 Words | 4 Pages

After reading the novel and watching the movie “Of Mice and Men”, I have learned about the lifestyle of migrant workers in California during the 1930s, which I did not know about before studying the novel. California back in the 1930s is very different from what I pictured it to be as the conditions of life weren’t that good. This is also the first novel that I have read in my years as a student that contains so much foreshadowing. Never before had I read a book where the author produced so much foreshadowing in such a short book. Steinbeck uses Lennie as a source of motivation and hope in achieving the dream farm that George, Candy, Crooks and Lennie himself desire.

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While in Crook’s room, Curley’s wife states her doubt that Candy would be able to reveal her threat, when Candy admits, “‘No…’ he agreed. ‘Nobody’d listen to us’” (81). The absence of a fight suggests that Candy no longer has any self confidence. He has done this to himself through his negative outlook on situations, a habit that naturally comes with worry. With this tendency, Steinbeck has a method to show flaw and weakness in reality, since these branch from fear.

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635 Words | 3 Pages

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, is a story about discrimination due to someone being different in any way. The reader learns how people were treated and discriminated in 1930s during the great depression. This is important because this issue continues even to this day. This problem has been around for a very long time. Steinbeck uses Archetypes,Symbolism, and Setting to convey the theme of discrimination.

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Additionally, they are unable to comprehend the emotional reasons for why the dog should be saved, such as the fact that Candy has developed a friendship with the dog over the years and is not ready to let go of his companion. The self-interests of the men eventually take precedence over Candy’s emotional bond with his dog, a self-centered decision made by the inhabitants of the bunkhouse. Yet, when Candy agrees to let Carlson kill the dog, he says it, “softly and hopelessly” (47), showcasing the core fact that although pressure from people can eventually convince one to make a decision they previously would not have, it does not necessarily prove that he/she is satisfied with the outcome of the conflict, as he/ she was given virtually no other choice than to buckle under the burden sustained by the people supporting the majority

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Steinbeck states in the novel, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight?”(60). An example of Candy telling George and Lennie his problems. Candy still feels upset over his dog death by Carlson. But by using that excuse he got George to agree with him, to let him live in the ranch once they earn enough money. With Candy’s help with George and Lennie’s dream, it is easier and now faster for the three of them to get their ranch.

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In the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck illustrates a ranch in the 1930’s during the great depression where those who fit into mainstream society run the show, and those deemed “outcasts” are rendered useless. Steinbeck depicts characters with setbacks that diminish their value in the eyes of society, and contrasts them to characters that have no difficulties conforming to the norm. Crooks, being a black man isolated by his race, and Candy, a elderly man limited by his age and missing limb are examples of Steinbeck characters that experience hardships because of the differences. The poor treatment of Crooks and Candy by the other characters, and their chronic unhappiness in a place that doesn’t value them, comments on how

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f Mice and Men Essay - Essays and Analysis Critical Context and Evaluation print Print document PDF list Cite link Link Of Mice and Men is one of the most widely assigned modern novels in high schools because of both its form and the issues that it raises. John Steinbeck’s reliance on dialogue, as opposed to contextual description, makes the work accessible to young readers, as does his use of foreshadowing and recurrent images. Equally important is the way in which he intertwines the themes of loneliness and friendship and gives dignity to those characters, especially Lennie and Crooks, who are clearly different from their peers. By focusing on a group of lonely drifters, Steinbeck highlights the perceived isolation and sense of “otherness”

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The novel Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck was published in 1937 and is a novel that displays the hardships and the journeys of life. There are many different themes that Steinbeck shows us throughout the entire novel; one topic that is very important is the connection that Steinbeck draws between Lennie and Candy’s old sheepdog. Steinbeck shows the connection between them by showing us how they are dependent on another person, the way people treat them and the way they both die. Lennie and Old Candy’s sheepdog are very alike. In one way, they both need someone to depend on that helps them get through life; they are each other’s best friends.

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Katherine Evans Period 4 Loneliness and the Negative Effects on Life Everyone eventually feels a little bit lonely sometimes weather its being away from family for a long period of time or it's being in a new place where you don't know anyone. Loneliness is something most people are faced with at some point in their life. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, two men named George and Lennie move around a lot and work on ranches. In the novel they are working on a ranch near Soledad, California; Soledad means solitude connecting to loneliness. While they are there they meet people like Crooks, Curley, Curley’s wife, Carlson and Candy.

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451 Words | 2 Pages

As candy wanted his companion to be with him at the end, as did george for lennie. Candy represents the old person who isn´t needed anymore, which is an inevitable outcome. As someday , you will grow incompetent of fulfilling demands, or needs, and will be let go. I determined this through his actions, quotes, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Candy is one of the most important characters to understand, as he is representative of

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1262 Words | 6 Pages

They were seen as useless and as extra mouths to feed. Candy faces the endless fear that the boss will fire him once he loses his worth on the farm. Candy’s fears are portrayed when Carlson shoots his old dog because the dog is too old to be of use. He tells Lennie

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1155 Words | 5 Pages

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step” (Lao Tzu). Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck is about two migrant workers, Lennie Small and George Milton. These pair travel together to find various jobs, which is uncommon since most migrant workers are solo. Throughout the book, they meet a few new characters who impacted their decisions. Of Mice and Men has a constant theme that goes through it: Dreams.

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