Candy represents what happens to everyone who gets old in American society: They are let go, canned, and thrown out of their jobs were they expected to look after themselves. Candy shows this by presenting his greatest fear as that once he is no longer able to help with the cleaning he will be ‘disposed of.’ Just like his old dog, he has lived beyond his usefulness. Carson makes clear when he insists that Candy let him put the dog out of its misery. Candy’s dog serves as a harsh reminder of the fate that awaits anyone who outlives his usefulness. Though the pet was once a great sheepdog, it was put out to pasture once it stopped being productive.
In comparison, Slim was more thoughtful and wanted the dog dead for its own good because of its poor health: “He ain't no good to you, Candy. An' he ain't no good to himself. Why'n't you shoot him, Candy?” At the end of the novel when Lennie must die, similarly, Carlson is only interested in killing the weak (Lennie), so he says, “I’ll get my luger” not thinking about anyone else. The scene that includes the killing of the old dog foreshadows the death of Lennie too; one clue is that the dog is shot in the back of the head completely unaware and with no pain with the luger. Towards the end of the novel, Lennie is also secretly shot in the same place with the same weapon by George out of mercy so his friend doesn’t experience a cruel painful death.
After that Lennie is killed, shattering all hopes and dreams George had, as well as ending a long term relationship. ‘why’n’t you shoot him, Candy?’, during the 1930’s America was going through ‘The Great Depression’ everything that people lived on were hopes and dreams because people had nothing else to keep them going but the determination to fulfill the American dream ; power, fame and fortune. The murder of the one dog created a domino effect which shattered dreams, took away lives and ended relationships. The death of the puppy could foreshadow the ending of Curley’s wife, ‘a little dead puppy that lay in front of him’, the puppy was small helpless and delicate as was she. Both could not manage the power of Lennie and both ended up on the hay dead and alone ‘Curley’s wife lay with a half covering of yellow hay.
CANDY (OLD AND INFIRM) “lousy ol’ sheep” …Carlson’s attitude towards his dog (A70,P48): ‘I don’t know nothing that stinks as bad as an old dog. You gotta get himout…he ain’t no good to himself. Why’n’t you shoot him, Candy?’ …Candy’s words about his future (A88, P66): ‘You seen what they done to my dog tonight?…When they can me here…I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.’ He believes he will share the same fate as his dog eventually, because he is old he is seen as 2useless2. In the novel old age is associated with lack of ability, even in modern times, we still believe old people to lack vital capabilities. However, there are some old people who are still fit and capable of working.
He thinks that Candy’s dog should be shot because it is old and smelly, he persistently argues to shoot the dog, an example is when he says “Well, I can’t stand him in here” and “and he stinks to bear hell. Tell you what. I’ll shoot him for you. Then it won’t be you that does it.” He suggests that Candy could have one of Slim’s puppies instead, but he does not recognise that Candy has an emotional attachment to his dog. After he shoots the dog, he does not apologise to Candy and he even cleans his gun in full view of everyone, this shows that he is an insensitive character.
Name Miss Connell English 1 (H) Due Date Loneliness in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men suggests that loneliness and isolation drive different social outsiders together. George is the first character in the novel to suggest that the loneliness itinerant ranch hands naturally face leads them to seek companionship. When he and Lennie settle in for the night before going to the Tyler Ranch, he says to Lennie, “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.
1 Explore how Steinbeck develops the theme of loneliness in Of mice and Men. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck expresses the theme of loneliness through key characters throughout the novel. Steinbeck leaves the message that loneliness is an everpresent problem for people in that time frame and ultimately, people of the present day. In the novel, some of the key characters this message is shown through is Candy, Curleys wife, Lennie and Crooks. Candy is lonely because of his old age although it is somewhat helped by the fact he has a dog but as we know, he is left high and dry after the residents of the bunkhouse choose to eradicate it for it was in pain and also smelling.
The good is Jem and his father. And the evil is the teacher. When there was a dog in Maycomb it got infected with rabies and everybody was scared. So Atticus shot and killed the dog. The dog is evil because of the rabies and Atticus is the good guy.
Candy came shufflin’ back into my place scratchin’ his stump and tells me things I didn’t want to here. ‘ He’s dead Crooks they killed him. He didn’t know what he was doing poor little sod and now George has gone and shot him I thought they were friends Crooks I really did and I thought George was better than that Lennie even ‘ad Carlton’s gun an’ George just took it off him like a lamb. Anyways I’d better be off’ And Candy left me in deep
When the unfeeling Carlson suggests that Candy's dog be put out of its misery, Candy abdicates the responsibility to Carlson. He tells George later that he should have shot his dog himself, foreshadowing George's decision to take responsibility for Lennie's death and "be his brother's keeper." Candy also plays a significant role in the dream, providing the money needed to make the down payment. Because of Candy, the dream almost becomes real. Candy's down payment causes George to believe that, perhaps, the dream can be realized.