In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a variety of colorful characters are introduced. George is the quick-witted friend and caretaker of his companion, Lennie. He continues to work so he can provide a life for him and his friend. Candy is the swamper at the ranch, who cares for his gnarled dog that he is later forced to give up. He wishes to have his own life where he can choose his fate. Though it seems like George and Candy are two completely different characters, they are intertwined throughout the book. Both have wishes they want to achieve, but both wishes cannot be achieved without giving something up.The similarities between George and Candy shows how they gave up major parts of their lives in order to achieve some kind of dream, which
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At the beginning of the book, he doesn’t trust anyone on the ranch. It’s a place of rather awkward and solitary work. No one there is making friends. When Lennie and George arrive at the ranch, he has a conversation with George. At first, Candy mentions gossip rather tentatively, almost regretfully, as if he fears some sort of consequence. However, as George joins in on it, “the old man was reassured. He had drawn a derogatory statement from George. He felt safe now…” (27). It’s almost as if Candy released a miniscule fraction of his vulnerability. This is surprising for the moment, considering that the people of the ranch are portrayed very solitary, seemingly very lonely. As soon as he realized that George was somewhat like himself, he let go of a little bit of fear. This represents his sacrifice for his wish of having some sort of companionship- He lets down the walls that protects him, in order to achieve happiness. As his hope and spirits raise, he shows even more of his inner self. When the guys pressure him into letting them shoot his dog, Candy is incredibly shaken up. That’s his dog that he’s raised for years. George and Lennie are talking about the farm when he overhears and wants in on the deal. He tells George that “‘[Candy] shouldn’t oughta of let no stranger shoot [his] dog’” (61). This is his ultimate motive, the main dream of his: To live an independent life and make his own choices. He was pressured into getting rid of his own dog, and he felt it should have been his decision to make. In order to achieve his own independence (and get to the farm), Candy sacrifices a few things. To begin with, he gives up some of his own money to make the down payment. He also gives up another part of his inner self as becomes more comfortable with the guys. He no longer has those walls to defend himself against disappointment, and he seems to
At the beginning of the book, he doesn’t trust anyone on the ranch. It’s a place of rather awkward and solitary work. No one there is making friends. When Lennie and George arrive at the ranch, he has a conversation with George. At first, Candy mentions gossip rather tentatively, almost regretfully, as if he fears some sort of consequence. However, as George joins in on it, “the old man was reassured. He had drawn a derogatory statement from George. He felt safe now…” (27). It’s almost as if Candy released a miniscule fraction of his vulnerability. This is surprising for the moment, considering that the people of the ranch are portrayed very solitary, seemingly very lonely. As soon as he realized that George was somewhat like himself, he let go of a little bit of fear. This represents his sacrifice for his wish of having some sort of companionship- He lets down the walls that protects him, in order to achieve happiness. As his hope and spirits raise, he shows even more of his inner self. When the guys pressure him into letting them shoot his dog, Candy is incredibly shaken up. That’s his dog that he’s raised for years. George and Lennie are talking about the farm when he overhears and wants in on the deal. He tells George that “‘[Candy] shouldn’t oughta of let no stranger shoot [his] dog’” (61). This is his ultimate motive, the main dream of his: To live an independent life and make his own choices. He was pressured into getting rid of his own dog, and he felt it should have been his decision to make. In order to achieve his own independence (and get to the farm), Candy sacrifices a few things. To begin with, he gives up some of his own money to make the down payment. He also gives up another part of his inner self as becomes more comfortable with the guys. He no longer has those walls to defend himself against disappointment, and he seems to