Of Mice And Men Candy's Disability Analysis

Steinbeck’s View on Candy’s Disability When someone dies, people look at the person’s “glory days.” This is because people only contribute towards society during those “glory days.” When people get older, they become useless in society and become less productive, which ultimately leads to death. 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

In chapter three, after Candy’s dog is killed, Candy lies down in the corner of a room, since he is sad. In the same room, George and Lennie start talking about their dream, having their own ranch and being together, without noticing Candy in the background. Soon, Candy starts talking and becomes a part of the plan. The idea gives Candy some joy. However, later in the book, Lennie kills a woman, which ends the dream, because George cannot be with Lennie anymore. Since the dream is ended, Candy again has nothing left to look forward too. To express his anger and sadness, he talks to the dead body and says, “You God damn tramp... you done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose your glad... I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys” (Steinbeck 96). Through this quote, Steinbeck shows Candy’s passion for their dream, but more importantly shows how Candy doesn’t have a say in anything. Although the dream could still happen without Lennie, Candy is in no position to ask George to continue the dream, because George can criticize Candy on how he never helps society, including Lennie. Because of the situation, Candy is powerless. Again, Candy has no purpose in life, and is therefore useless to