John Steinbeck also created a character named Candy. Candy is an older man missing a hand, with his old sheepdog for a companion. The dog means everything to him, he’s had him ever since he was a pup. Candy felt like he had a friend in his dog, but then a fellow worker named Carlson decided he didn’t want the dog there anymore. Carlson tried his best to make Candy agree to letting him put his dog down, and eventually Candy had to because he knew he wouldn’t let it go.
In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, two friends, George, a smart but feisty man, and Lennie, a large, mentally unstable man, start working at a ranch. One of the workers on the ranch, Candy, is an old man in the end stages of his life. Due to the his low productivity, the other ranch workers look down upon him. Steinbeck argues that the purpose of Candy’s disability, his old age, is to signify that being old and not helping society eliminates the chances
Steinbeck uses symbolism to relate the dog and Candy to Lennie and George. The author states, “At last Candy said softly and hopelessly, “Awright-take ‘im ( 47). Candy has finally accepted the fact that his dog has to die. He can no longer protect the dog from the others and his time has come. This is like Lennie and George because when Lennie kills Curley's wife, George has to accept the fact that Lennie has to die.
Confucius once said… “The man who says he can and the man who says he can’t…are both correct.” In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck we are introduced to Candy an elderly man working on the farm who is often ridiculed by his bunkmates and seen as a waste of space for his old age. Candy is also an amputee who is missing his hand from an accident on the farm, and as a way to sweep the incident under the rug, the boss keeps him on the farm for whatever usefulness he has left. Steinbeck includes “Candy” in his novel in order to show that the Elderly during the 1930s (The Great Depression) were not only ridiculed but also looked down upon by those with more (or less) power, revealing that achieving happiness through the American Dream was very unlikely
Steinbeck utilizes mice, puppies, Candy's dog, and Crooks as symbols in the novel to enhance the themes of false hopes and lonliness. First, the author
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
Steinbeck argues that the purpose of Candy’s disability of having old age is to demonstrate that if you cannot help in society, your chances of survival will be decreased through the use of the comments of the other workers on the ranch. Steinbeck supports this claim by demonstrating how in the society that the book is based in, if you are not helping in society, then your survival may be threatened. An example of this is when Candy’s dog is about to get shot. Since he can no longer help out, the other workers want to kill him. “We can’t sleep with him stinkin’ around in here” (Steinbeck, 47).
Candy is old and crippled but has been able to make use of himself by cleaning and doing various jobs on the ranch. However, he cannot continue this for much longer and knows it. He fears what will happen to him when he is no longer useful to the ranch. This makes Candy desperate and explains why he is so eager to form connections to George and Lennie as well as their dream. Another symbol Steinbeck utilizes to develop characters is the color red.
These men who are migrant farmers tend to be the focus of Steinbeck’s novels. John Steinbeck uses Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife to depict the barriers and isolation that exist due to American society. First, Steinbeck uses the character of Candy to depict the isolation of the disabled. Of Mice and Men follows the tale of George and Lennie, two migrant workers
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.
In Of Mice of Men the message that I believe John Steinbeck is trying to show us is to treat people the way we want to be treated. Nobody should be treated different because of their age. Candy is lonely because nobody includes him. My guess is that they don’t include him because he is old and disabled. “All but old Candy.
The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written by author ‘John Steinbeck’. During the Great Depression, the “work or perish” attitude many experienced was exceedingly challenging for those who could not be as productive as other workers. This includes Candy: an aging, physically disabled man who is constantly petrified of getting replaced. This essay will argue that John Steinbeck created Candy as an instrument to represent and convey the ethics and morals of the treatment of those who are not as physically able to work because of age, or physical disabilities and the loneliness and alienation which stems from it. Candy is important as it shows the prevalence of mistreatment of people who are not as productive or able to function as well as others
Out of all these alternatives, the most important theme in Of Mice and Men is the grim lesson about the nature of human existence. This lesson shines through the loneliness, isolation, and a false sense of reality perceived by the characters. To begin with, Of Mice and Men teaches the brutal reality of the nature of human existence through the loneliest of characters. Candy is seen only having one hand, and his only companion being a dog that rivals him in age. Both of these instances have left him feeling like an outcast amongst the other men at the ranch.
Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunk houses they’ll put me on the county. Maybe if I give you guys my money, you’ll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain’t no good at it. An’ I’ll wash dishes an’ little chicken stuff like that. But I’ll be on our own place.” Here, Steinbeck uses Candy as a representation of an individual’s goal to be a contributing member
(Steinbeck 60). Candy also wanted the freedom of owning his own land. He would have been able to do what he wanted, without anyone making decisions for him. He also won’t have to do strenuous labor in his old age. Candy still expresses his dreams even after they’ve become unaccomplishable: “Now Candy spoke his greatest fear.
