ESSAY John Steinbeck novel, ‘Of Mice and Men’, contains three characters who could be described as social misfits. In this essay I am going to describe Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife and examine what Steinbeck is attempting to tell the reader about the lives and situation of each of these characters. The book, ‘Of Mice and Men’, was set in the depression of 1930s in California in a place called Soledad. ‘Of Mice and Men’, can be viewed as a compassionate story of John Steinbeck for the hard life, poor, old age ,unskilled workers displaced by the depression a bad economic and high unemployment with no hope and no future. They had to leave their families and homes just to make money. Candy is such a character. He is the bunkhouse cleaner and he is old and has no family and the only old man on the ranch. We are told him in the book, that he is a good natured old gossip. He is a useful source of information about all the character at the ranch. We know because when George and Lennie arrive in to the ranch, Candy tells them about all the characters and also tells them about what is going on in the bunkhouse, for example when he says to George and Lennie about Curley, “Curley like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys….” So first of all they know that how aggressive and bad guy Curley is. He is fond of his dog even though it is old and smelly. Candy had that dog since it was a pup. His dog is his only friend; old same like Candy. Carlson offers to shoot his dog. But Candy resists for his old, smelly, nameless dog, “No, I couldn’t do that. I had `im too long.’ Candy knows if he allows his dog to be shot he will become lonelier because that is the only companion he got and he will lose it. But Carlson is determined. Eventually he leads the dog out into the darkness of the night and to its death.
The character Candy could be considered lonely after the death of his dog. Before that he seems relatively happy and, in fact, is quite gregarious in chapter two when George and Lennie first enter the bunkhouse of the ranch. He goes on about the other characters and describes the Boss, Slim, Crooks, Curley and Curley's wife. He even gossips with George, telling the story about the glove on Curley's left hand which is full of vaseline so he can keep "that hand soft for his wife."It is not until chapter three that Candy's life turns lonely. Carlson, a laborer on the ranch, believes that Candy's dog is too old and decrepit. He suggests that Candy shoot it to put it out of its misery. Candy can't do it and, because Slim gives Carlson the approval, the man takes Candy's dog and kills it.
Candy’s dog. This is a sign of Carlson not knowing what it feels having someone besides
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, it reads “And at his heels there walked a drag footed sheep dog, gray of muzzle with pale, old eyes. The dog stuggled lamely to the side of the room and lay down, grunting softly to himself and licking his grizzled, moth eaten coat” (Steinbeck 24). This shows the dog has been in agony and is very old with his suffering self. This evidence supports my argument because Candy’s dog needs help getting around how Lennie needs help when he gets in trouble.
Candy’s dog is very precious to him, not only because he had been with him ever since he was a pup but also because he could see himself in the dogs place after a very short period of time. He was getting old and would be of no use soon. Just like the dog, everyone would be eager to get rid of him. He had lost his hand at the ranch. He is disabled, both, physically and mentally.
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, Candy, Lennie, Crooks, and Curly's wife are all seen as four social outcasts as they each relate to a specific group in American Society. After reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and looking at these characters you can see that they are all social outcasts in someway.
“You seen what they did to my dog tonight? They say he wasn’t good to himself, nor anyone else. When they can me here I wish somebody’d shoot me - Candy”. This quote shows how Candy was so lonely that he would rather want someone to kill himself instead of his dog because without his dog, he is now even more lonely. He is more lonelier than when he was before because before he was just old and he had his dog with him....
One of the factors that create an imbalance of power within a society is a person's socioeconomic status. Often people with low socioeconomic status are undervalued in society. This imbalance can cause issues with the feelings of security and confidence. Also opportunities and choices can be limited for some people, but expanded to others. People often identify with roles of different socioeconomic status groups, based on their own socioeconomic status, and this can limit creativity and the potential of groups or individuals. If the world believes that people can go from “rags to riches” in America, then there should be an opportunity for all socioeconomic groups.
When asked about John Steinbeck’s career, people often refer to Steinbeck as a playwright, journalist, and a well-known novelist. The book Of Mice and Men is a popular novel by John Steinbeck and a required read for most high school students. Most of Steinbeck 's novels have a central theme focusing on the relationship between man and his environment. The American dream for George and Lennie, two of the main characters in Of Mice and Men, is to have a place of their own, to be respected, and to work hard for everything they earn and deserve. In Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, the land and a hope of a better life becomes the talisman of an American dream for Lennie and George that is left unfulfilled.
In both the film and the book, Candy is often isolated from all the others. Because of an injury to his hand, he can 't work out in the fields, so much of his time is spent alone shuffling around the ranch doing small jobs. His one and only constant companion is his dog. It is a very old dog that he has had since he was a pup. Again, both the book and the film do a good job of showing the affection that the dog and Candy have for each other. However, the book does a much better job of conveying the importance of the dog to Candy after the dog is shot. In the film scene, Carlson broaches the subject of killing Candy 's dog to put him out of his misery. Candy looks anguished but gives in fairly quickly. Once Carlson takes the dog, he lies back on his bed and just waits for the sound of the gunshot. The men resume their card game. (DVD) Although it is obvious Candy is sad about the dog, it does not have the same emotional impact that the book does. In the book, Steinbeck better conveys Candy 's anguish and desperation to save the dog. He tries to put Carlson off by offering different arguments as to why not to shoot the dog. His arguments include that it might hurt the dog, that Carlson doesn 't have a gun, that tomorrow would be a better day and that he doesn 't mind taking care of him (44). He even pleads silently for help. "Candy looked about unhappily"(42). "Candy looked helplessly at him,
Steinbeck connects Candy with his dog in order to suggest that humans have created a society where the weak cannot survive. Earlier in the book, Candy describes his dog as the “best damn sheep dog I ever seen” (Steinbeck 44). However, in lines 9 and 10, Candy reiterates that the other workers shot his dog because “he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else.” As soon as the dog outgrows its usefulness by becoming old and blind, the other tenants team up to ensure its death, suggesting how society joins together to dispose of those who are weak. Steinbeck then connects Ca...
Soon after they arrive at the ranch, George and Lennie meet some new and delightful people that they will be living with, until they earn enough money to buy a place of their own. One of the new people that Lennie and George meet was Candy and his old dog. Candy was an old swamper, and was missing one hand, his dog was just like him, very old and in poor shape. The poor old dog was blind, deaf, had no teeth and everyone complained about it smelling horrible, “we can’t sleep with him stinkin’ around in here.'; (Steinbeck:47) All the farm ...
old who was raised by a loving mother and father. He has two brothers: one was
Conflict, by definition, is a back and forth struggle between two opposing forces. In the literary work, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, it is clear, the protagonist, George Milton, undergoes many conflicts that lead to the novel’s overall purpose. Steinbeck weaves together George’s conflicts with others, himself, and with society to illustrate what the true meaning of friendship is.
didn't allow him to hang out in the bunkhouse with them. At one point in the
his fathers estate and he must live with the fear of death at all times.