"You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn 't no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody 'd shoot me..." - ( Steinbeck, 60. ) Candy, and his dog. They are introduced early in the story, and at first portray the appearance of an “old timer¨ at the ranch. Specifically referred to as, ¨the aging handyman¨. Which is applicable. He is the ¨old swamper ¨ at the ranch where most of the story takes place, it is clearly shown that he is the ¨underdog¨, and plays little to no importance at the ranch. He represents what typically happens to people once they get old . They aren´t needed anymore and are even ignored. Impinging them with the burden of a lowered sense of self importance , causing …show more content…
¨They´ll can me purty soon, Jus’ as soon as i can´t swamp out no bunk houses they´ll put me on the county.¨ ( 88 ) . His word means very little on the ranch, nobody listens to him besides a select few. Soon , he won´t be able to do his work efficiently and will be layed off. Candy´s dog foreshadows what, in candy´s mind, will happen to him soon enough. Although not disclosed in the book, the readers know it will happen. Candy´s dog is killed , simply for the fact that he is aging , and ¨ smells bad¨ . Due to his old age , he is rendered useless. Candy insinuates that the same will happen to him when he becomes incompetent of fulfilling his duties . The quote ¨ I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn´t ought to have let no stranger shoot my dog.¨ ( 89 ) symbolizes the companionship you also find in george and lennie. 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