The Theme Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

331 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Common themes in literature

"The problem is not the persons disability..the problem is societys view of the persons abilities." In the novel Steinbeck expresses in the formation of the character candy a variety of aspects that contribute to the overall theme of loneliness. On page 59 of Steinbecks novel it states" candy looked helplessly at him , for slims opinions were law."maybe it'd hurt him,"he suggested."i don't mind takin' care of him." Durring this conversation in the bunker they are considering about killing Candy's Dog which is Candy's only friend on the ranch yet we can sense some symbolism between the two possibly because candy sees his dog as a representation of himself being old and useless because of his stub of an arm so when carlson shoots his dog it destroy candy ultimately on the inside because he is alone again. The second example is on page 80 "you seen what they done to my dog tonight? …show more content…

When they can me here i wisht somebody'd shoot me. But they won't do nothing like that .I won't have no place to go, an' I can't get no more jobs." Which shows that the world treats old men just as badly as they treat old dogs. Candy even says in this quote that he'd rather somebody shoot him than have to suffer in loneliness and isolation because of his old age. The last example is when he states in the beginning "I got hurt four years ago,"Candy said,"they'll can me purty soon. Jus' as soon as I can't swamp out no bunkhouses they'll put me on the county." (Steinbeck 60)In this quotewe can interpret that candys disability seperates him greatly from the other ranch men since his job mostly relies on physical strength so in the end we see that candys tragic life ties in with the thought of loneliness greatly due to his handicapped hand ,death of his only friend(dog) ,and his old

Show More
Related

  • of mice and men...theme of lonliness in the book

    558 Words  | 2 Pages

    Candy also feels the burden of loneliness and shows it by his relationship with his sheep dog. The dog, being described as “ancient”, “stinky”, and “half-blind”, had been in Candy’s life for a very long time and Candy had grown attached to it.

    Read More

  • Is It Ethical To Euthanize Your Dog?

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, a ranch hand named Carlson addresses a fellow ranch hand, Candy, regarding his old dog, “He’s [Candy’s dog] all stiff with rheumatism. He ain’t no good to you, Candy. And he ain’t no good to himself.” (Steinbeck 44). Candy’s dog is ancient and Candy and the dog live on a ranch during the Great Depression. It would be a hard life for anyone, especially for an old dog with an even older owner. The dog was falling apart at the seams; near blind, no teeth, and ached every time he stood. I’d imagine life loses meaning at that point, the dog wasn't enjoying life and probably hadn’t for years. Carlson, the ranch hand also states in regard to Candy’s dog, “Can’t eat, can’t sleep, can’t walk without hurtin’.” (Steinbeck 47). Dogs are, by nature happy creatures and this dog was anything but happy. Naturally,this dog would have died long ago and honestly, it was the best option at this point for the dog. You know what people alway say, quality over quantity and at this point the quality of his life was

    Read More

  • Exploring Discrimination in 'Of Mice and Men'

    1019 Words  | 3 Pages

    This time it’s directed at curley's wife. When George and Lennie arrive at the ranch, one of the first characters they meet is curley's wife. After meeting her, George says to lennie, “well, you keep away from her, ‘cause she's a rat trap if i've ever seen one. You let curley take the rap. He let himself in for it,” (32). Even after George and Lennie meet her for the first time, George is already calling her a “rat trap”. They had such a brief encounter that the two men are already talking about her is ridiculous. If that’s how they treat one women they barely know, imagine how awful she is treated by the rest of the men. Eventually, curley's wife took a turn for the worse. When she went to go talk to lennie, a simple conversation caused her death. After the death of curley’s wife, sexism is still shown when candy whispers, “you god damn tramp… you done it, di’n’t you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knows you mess things up.” (95). Her death wasn’t even her fault, so when candy says that she's probably dead, it’s showing how much she was blamed for everything and how disliked she was. The men didn't try to hurt her, they ended up killing her. After all, she would have lived if it wasn't for how negatively she was treated. Steinbeck is able to show how women were treated, and how everything was their fault, thu the way curley's wife was treated throughout the

    Read More

  • Social Outcasts in John Stienbeck´s Of Mice and Men

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    Candy is old and missing a hand this is what exclueds him from the otheres because he is seen as being outworn in his ability to function as a worker on the farm. Because of this it is hard for him to interact with society like the younger non-handicap ranchhands are able to. Candy's handicap is what causes him to be an outcast in the story. Candy is lonley because of his outcast statis even more so afther the loss of his dog that he has had for a long time. Because he is old, missing a hand and cant work much any more he thinks that when he cant work any more that he will be just trowen aside and not needed by any one.

    Read More

  • A Man´s World in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • Animal Imagery In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    495 Words  | 1 Pages

    Steinbeck uses Candy’s old, smelly dog to help us understand Candy’s character. Very much like his dog, Candy has nothing to offer anyone but a small amount of comfort. Candy's dog was his only companion, but the dog was not a real companion in the human sense. The dog needed to be cared for and tended, much like George and Lennie’s belief that any comfort it offered was intangible and ultimately misleading. It’s through this use of imagery between Candy and his dog that we better understand the characters.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Loneliness in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    1777 Words  | 4 Pages

    alone just to try make some money. This was a very bad period in the

    Read More

  • The Theme of Loneliness in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    know how powerful he is and likes to pet animals. The other men on the

    Read More

  • Curley's Wife Loneliness Analysis

    598 Words  | 2 Pages

    My introduction : Throughout the novel, many are lonely. Of the characters, Curley's wife, Crooks and Candy all show signs of desperate loneliness, though they respond quite differently. Each is isolated because of special mistreatment. Because Crooks is black, he is shunned and separated from the other men. He spends most of his time in his room, alone and bitter. Curley's wife also spends her days hounded by her mean, spirited husband; her attempts to reach out to the other men backfire and win the the undeserved reputation of a flirt. Candy has a disadvantage being handicap, and he has an unconditional love for an old and feeble and after his dog is shot he looks for new companionship. Throughout the characters of Curley's wife, Crooks and Candy, Steinbeck proves that one can be lonely, even if he's constantly surrounded by people.

    Read More

  • How Does Steinbeck Present The Theme Of Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

    686 Words  | 2 Pages

    First, Candy is a character that contributes to the overall theme of loneliness. Candy is a crippled old man, whom his only family is his dog. When contemplating whether to shoot the old dog to put it out of its misery, Candy explains, “Maybe tomorra. Le’s wait till tomorra.” (Steinbeck 47). Candy wants to put off shooting his one and only possession because he knows that his dog is a part of him and

    Read More

  • How Does Steinbeck Show Loneliness In Of Mice And Men

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    The great and famous author john Steinbeck once said, “All great and precious things are lonely.” In the Steinbeck book Of Mice and Men, many of the characters show their loneliness in many different ways. Candy, Curley's wife, and Crooks all show perfect examples of how they are lonely. The characters in of mice and men show that loneliness is a problem that must be overcome in order to live a happy, fulfilled life.. all three of these characters know what is feels like to be lonely.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    876 Words  | 2 Pages

    “‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick,” (Steinbeck 73). In this statement, Crooks, a character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, divulges what effect loneliness can have on a human being. In the novel, the two main characters escape to a ranch where they must face the conflict that seems to follow them. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Steinbeck brilliantly portrays the loneliness and suspicion that was common during the time. Much like in everyday life, we can see the way in which loneliness drives people to become isolated, crave companionship, and refuse to express emotion.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men, 3 Characters with Loneliness

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    Steinbeck expresses the theme of loneliness in the character of Candy. Candy is lonely because his is missing half an arm. Candy?s disability separates him from society, an example of Curley being set aside is when everybody else goes to town he is left in the barn with Crooks, Lennie, and Curley?s wife. Candy?s only friendship was with his old, smelly dog. Candy?s dog was a symbol of himself (old, and useless). When Carlson kills Candy?s dog he kills Candy on the inside as well.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Candy In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    340 Words  | 1 Pages

    The character Candy demonstrated his isolation by not having any relatives or good friendship in the workplace. He had his old dog that spent most of the time with and less interaction with his workmates due to the loss of his right arm. However, after Carlson shot Candy’s dog, Candy became really lonely since he spent the most of the time with his dog. He expressed his feeling to George and stated, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They say he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me”, (60). This also shows that although Candy had someone to talk to, it was not a human. He could not play cards with his dog or tell him how happy or upset he was. Also, Candy got really excited to

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men - Symbolism

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    The central element of this novella is its symbolism. This novella has plenty of symbolical forms, such as people, creed, and some of the animals. Candy has several terms of symbolism, for example his disability is a symbol of the migrant workers who are just literally forgotten about, they are forgotten when they are no use to the owners. Candy’s dog is a symbol of a life only for advantage to others Lennie also for shadows this, he is belittled of his mind but enormously commented for his strength. Also he is compelled to lie about the fight he had with Curley, this is a symbol of typical male society in the, “Depression era”.

    Read More

More about The Theme Of Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Open Document