Theme Of Candy In Of Mice And Men

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Of Mice and Men is a novella written by author John Steinbeck in 1937. In the story, Lennie Small and George Milton are migrant workers during the Great Depression, trying to find work. Lennie is a mentally unstable yet a delicate, large man; while George is a small and quick man that takes care of Lennie. They have recently escaped from a different ranch in Weed, where Lennie was accused of rape. Now they are depending on work at a ranch in Salinas Valley, California — a few miles south of Soledad. As Lennie and George approach the ranch, the first person they encounter is Candy. Candy is an old man who tells them that the Boss was looking forward to them the night before; so that they could work that morning. Curley’s wife, Curley is the …show more content…

Candy, Lennie, and George all have the dream to own land; they discuss gathering money together to save. Lennie meets Crooks and they talk a while as they wait for George to return from town with the other workers. The pair goes through all the trials and tribulations of owning land only to be stopped by personal conflict. John Steinbeck illustrates the theme of dreams and the affection on the decisions the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife make in Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck utilizes the character of Candy to show he is aspiring the dream of owning land. Candy is an old swamper — a person that cleans — who lost his right hand in a ranch accident. The Boss keeps him around as long as he keeps the bunkhouses and everything else tidy. Candy fears of being fired; he wants to own land so no one could ever get rid of him. While listening in on Lennie and George’s plan, Candy decides this could be his opportunity to pursue his desire to own land. Candy says, “‘I got hurt four years …show more content…

The three characters all make commitments that could help guide them to their objectives. Candy was determined to own land, so he would no longer fear being fired or put out. Working and living on a biased ranch, Crooks was certain he would make associates out of Lennie and Candy. Even though Curley’s wife was killed close to the end of the book; she was persistent enough to get what she asked for. “Life is a difficult assignment. We are fragile creatures, expected to function at high rates of speed, and asked to accomplish great and small things each day. These daily activities take enormous amounts of energy. Most things are out of our control. We are surrounded by danger, frustration, grief, and insanity, as well as love, hope, ecstasy, and wonder. Being fully human is an exercise in humility, suffering, grace, and great humor. Things and people all around us die, get broken, or are lost. There is no safety or guarantees. The way to accomplish the assignment of truly living is to engage freely, richly, and deeply in the living of your dreams. We are made to dream and to live those dreams.” –

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