Candy tells George that he “ought to of shot that dog [himself]“(60) and that he “shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot [his] dog”(60). Then, as George finds out about the death of Curley’s wife, it soon becomes apparent that George won’t make the same mistake as candy, that he will kill Lennie. Curley’s wife’s death is foreshadowed by Lennie’s obsession with soft
After some references to the children and “my wife”, the speaker can be seen as an adult male, father and husband, not to mention the dog’s owner. Also, the tone of the speaker is a bit melancholic, as he grieves over his beloved pet. The dog, described as “too young to know much” was still a puppy and that is probably why it didn’t have a name yet. Other elements that contribute to this idea are its illness once interpreted as a “shot reaction” – dogs are usually vaccinated when they are very young – and the fact that “she tried to bite” his hand, which is also a puppy’s behavior. The use of the subject pronoun “she” referring to the animal suggests that it was part of the family.
This also shows how the Majority and the strong has a wrath over the weak. Carlson represents the strong, he has power over what happens to the dog whereas the dog being old and sick is the weak. Since Carlson want the dog killed, the dog got killed, he have complete control over the weak. This also builds in the idea the the we should weed out the weak and only keep the strong. This quotation also foreshadows Lennie's death.
In that moment he knew he had to shoot Lennie, George thought about when Candy’s dog had to die, how Carlson shot him, and not Candy himself. George knew he had to kill Lennie himself because of that experience. When Carlson shot Candy’s dog George could see the pain in Candy’s face. George didn’t want to experience that pain for himself. Yet he was forced into the same position.
The last source of innocence is through his interactions with animals, and his last attempt at salvation lies in his mercy killings of the horses and mules. His act of murder against Captain Leather is justified in the sense that: “If an animal had done this – we would call it mad and shoot it.” (203) Robert believes that the actions of Leather are inexcusable and his self-proclaimed execution is the same treatment an animal would receive. Robert demonstrates his oneness with animals through his final expression in the barn. “We shall not be taken.”
He obliges so thoroughly that he accidentally breaks Curley’s wife’s neck. Lennie tries to bury Curley’s wife under the hay, but then he decides to leave and head for the safe place George told him about, dead puppy in tow. Lennie waits for George to show up and worries about how mad he will
Lennie is intended to be loved by the reader, but his physical actions cannot be controlled. Consequently, his actions took the better of him, accidently murdering Curley’s wife. Lennie is a sincere and innocent fellow, just like a young child, but he has the body of a bear. He had no intention of killing Curley’s wife, but he has a hobby for “petting soft things”. This follows on to the death of the lady, due to Lennie stroking her hair, gradually petting harder and harder, tragically breaking her neck.
When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch, George emphasizes repeatedly on the brush. Again and again George tells Lennie that if he gets into trouble, to go hide in the brush. Such interest in that particular order, almost guarantees Lennie will be at the brush eventually. Also, Lennie’s proclaimed love of soft things, whether it is puppies or a velvet dress was bound to stir up some trouble. Finally, the detailed account on Candy’s dog’s death foretold a major event.
Not just of the breeding dogs in the farm but most of their puppies as well. As cute as the puppy in the pet shop may seem you should always buy from a proper breeder or an animal shelter this way you will know that you are not contributing towards puppy mills and killing innocent dogs. This is one dog that was lucky enough to be saved from a puppy mill. If the dogs are not rescued and given another home from the animal shelter they will be put down and the owner of the puppy mills get away with murder. Not just of the breeding dogs in the farm but most of their puppies as well.
A puppy mill is “a large-scale commercial dog breeding operation where profit is given priority over the well-being of the dogs” (ASPCA). Replacing the term “puppy mill” with the phrase “torture chamber” may give a better insight to what they are really about. The main goal of puppy mills are to mass-produce as many puppies as possible to make a profit from. One may also describe these places as “the rude, ugly, hateful cousin of the companion-pet world. The cousin who runs the risk of tarnishing the reputation of every member of the family, even the well-meaning ones.