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Kalia Hamid

American Lit.

March 20, 2018

David Reynolds

FIA: Analyze and connect to thesis

Sweet like Candy

Sometimes, the little things in life makes the biggest difference. John Steinbeck uses this

philosophy in Of Mice and Men, using minor characters to affect the story. Through Candy,

Steinbeck emphasizes the discrimination and therefore the loneliness faced by the elderly and

disabled. The minor character of Candy in Of Mice and Men portrays how being discriminated

against can lead to extreme loneliness and ostracization.

One of the most significant ways that Steinbeck used the character Candy was by his

relationship with his dog. Candy’s merciful love for his dog was mirrored by George’s love for

Lennie, in spite of the trouble that each brought to them. This parallelism highlighted the

relationship between George and Lennie. He, like George, had a companion which set him out

from the rest of the migrant workers. Candy’s dog was once “the best damn sheep dog I ever

seen,” (44), but grew too old to continue herding. The dog became more of a burden than a help,

similar to the way Lennie caused trouble for George. However, George and Candy’s love for

their companions outweighed all of their disservices. It was the other mens’ influence that forced

George and Candy to make tragic decisions they wouldn’t have constituted on their own. George

and Candy both overlooked the disabilities of their loved ones, but others could not. After

Carlson shot Candy’s dog, Candy opened up to George, “I ought to of shot that dog myself,

George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog” (61). Although Candy didn’t want
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to kill his dog, Carlson shot it. He didn’t respect Candy’s opinion because Candy was old and

disabled. Steinbeck utilizes this incident to powerfully foreshadow Lennie’s death as well as

demonstrate unfairness toward Candy. Insensitive discrimination, like that shown to Lennie,

Candy, and his dog, was one of the main contributors to isolation during the Great Depression.

Steinbeck brought a great deal of attention to the subject of misjudgement to the disabled

and elderly. He portrayed this though many characters, such as Crooks, Lennie, Candy, and his

dog, who all suffer differently: Crooks, through racial bias, Lennie, through a mental difference,

and Candy and his dog through physical differences and old age. Farm workers who were in

more fortunate positions made these characters feel unimportant. After Candy lost his hand in an

accident on the farm, the boss took on the moral responsibility to keep him. Candy was fully

financially reliant on the boss; he often found himself thinking what he would do if he were let

off. He knew he was dependent on the job. It seems as if he felt guilty, but at the same time he

knew he had no other option. The death of Candy’s dog fed into his uneasiness about getting

fired from the farm. “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good

to himself nor nobody else. 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” (60). Candy

saw how they treated his dog because of its old age and he dreaded the same for himself. During

this time period, jobs were scarce. Employers wanted the youngest, strongest men working for

them. Candy couldn’t compete with other workers because he was old with only one hand. He

lived in constant fear of losing his job because of his incompetence. Commented [1]: handicap? or other word

Of Mice and Men takes place during the Great Depression, a time of migrant workers and

sorrow. Loneliness was prevalent in everyone’s lives, especially farm workers. “A guy on a

ranch don’t never listen nor he don’t ast no questions” (24). Most migrant workers traveled
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alone, worked alone, and died alone. Originally, Candy had a friend, his dog, but unfortunately

that friendship was buried in a grave. When he heard about George and Lennie’s dream, Candy

instantly became attached to the idea, because losing his hand made him feel like an outcast on

the farm. The loss resulted in a small gain of money, paired with a large amount of loneliness.

Candy was willing to put down his life savings for people whom he only knew for a day, just to

feel significant again. After the death of his dog, this dream was the only thing he had. He was

concerned that he would lose it after Lennie’s death. “Now Candy spoke his greatest fear. ‘You

an’ me can get that little place, can’t we George? You an’ me can go there an’ live nice, can’t

we, George? Can’t we?’ Before George answered, Candy dropped his head and looked down at

the hay. He knew” (94). After losing his dog, he felt a deeper sense of loneliness. He no longer

had companionship to shield him from the opinions of others, and like George and Lennie, he

used the farm as a safe haven from the bleakness of society.

Overall in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the minor character Candy to enrich the

story and advocate issues along the lines of loneliness, discrimination of disabilities and elderly.

He does this by making the relationships between Candy and his dog parallel that of George and

Lennie, that loneliness is something very real in this time, and how Steinbeck uses this book to

shed light on the issues concerning disability and ageism.