Candy Of Mice And Men Essay

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Candy: A Helpless Man The novel, Of Mice and Men, is one that takes place during the Great Depression. It is a story of the struggle to survive and live on your own in a vicious world where every man is fighting for their own successes. One of the many characters who this applies to is Candy, an old swamper who has been working on ranches his whole life. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Candy is a futile part of the ranch. As he is getting older, he is becoming increasingly weak around the ranch and now fully realizes how expendable he is. Candy is living in a time period where there is no sympathy for the weak. Jobs are hard to come by and hope is at an all time low. Throughout the novel, there are an abundance of instances where Candy comes to a cognisance of the loneliness he is facing From the beginning of the story, Candy is seen with only one hand. Candy is known to have been a very productive worker in the past but now he is unable to do too much work around the ranch. When George and Lennie first arrive at the ranch, Candy is the one to greet them. As he shows the two men their new home, “he pointed with his right arm, and out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist, but no hand” (Steinbeck 18). Candy is tremendously misinterpreted by the other workers. He is hard working and really desires to succeed and leave the ranch. Even though he has always been a loyal and contributing member of the ranch, Candy will soon just become another lonely person struggling to survive in the world outside ranch life. This is perfectly symbolized by his “stick-like wrist”. It is nearly impossible to work well in his condition. A stick, a weak, little part that has broken off from a tree, is just like Candy’s hand; something that ... ... middle of paper ... ...to be able to escape the ranch with Lennie, who is being heavily hunted down. However, At this point all hope is not lost yet for Candy as he suggests the idea of him and George still getting the ranch. Despite asking, “Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at the hay. He knew” (Steinbeck 94). Candy understands that Lennie is not getting away from the vicious ranch men. He knows that without Lennie, George will not have enough money nor the drive to go get themselves a ranch. As if this all is not enough to devastate Candy, his hopes are further crushed when George kills Lennie and then proceeds to go off for a drink with the men. This is the absolute final straw in Candy’s aspirations to move on from the life of this ranch, With Curley’s wife gone and now Lennie as well, Candy might as well say hello to a future of never ending loneliness.

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