Companionship In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

In “Of Mice and Men”, Steinbeck explores the value of a man through their social standing, how they treat others and their idea of companionship. Steinbeck presents that in his world, a majority of men value usefulness over friendship and companionship such as the bond between Candy and his dog. Candy’s dog is “ancient” and “can’t eat, can’t see, can’t even walk without hurtin’’. Carlson and the rest of the men in the barn decide it is best to “shoot him right in the back of the head”, while Candy argues he doesn’t want to as “I had him from a pup” and doesn’t want to take his life away. After much convincing, Candy’s dog is shot, to the dismay of Candy who has lost his companion, as he “continued to stare at the ceiling”. Steinbeck is portraying through the death of Candy’s dog that fate is awaiting anyone who has outlived his purpose. Candy’s dog was once, as described by Candy, as the “best

Candy’s companionship with the dog doesn’t seem to matter on the ranch, amongst workers who travel alone and don’t have friendships that are meaningful. Steinbeck shows that although Candy is a dog, it parallels to how men are treated the same way, as objects to be used up rather than beings who have a right to life without contributing anything in return. Carlson helps to convince Candy it’s the right thing to do by saying “I bet Slim would give you one of them pups to raise up”. This statement shows that Steinbeck is further emphasizing this system of replacement where once something becomes useless, it is replaced with something new that