Literature Essay Outline: Candy (student work)

Candy is a significant character in the novella Of Mice and Men. Although he starts off as a more minor character, as the novella progresses his marginalised character grows and he becomes more interactive with other workers and more involved with the theme of best laid schemes.

Candy is an old, disabled man who works as a swamper, showing his low position in the hierarchy of authority on the ranch. We learn Candy lost a hand while working on the ranch, “He pointed with his right arm, and out of the sleeve came a round stick-like wrist, but no hand”, in the time of the great depression there was a lot of competition for jobs and the fact that Candy is disabled puts him at a disadvantage to the other working men. Fortunately for Candy the Boss continues to employ him however when Candy is no longer able to work he will be fired and have to find someplace else to go. This is significant because it shows the injustice of his situation and it represents human fragility. It becomes evident that humans seem to have no control over how things turn out in the grand scheme of things. Many other migrant workers would have experienced a sense of human fragility when their crops and livelihoods were destroyed through no fault of their own but due to the weather.

Key events that Candy is involved in are:

·         Dream with L+G

o   Candy becomes involved in a common American dream at the time of the great depression, of being able to live independently and off their own land.

o   Candy aspires to the dream that he will one day be able to work for himself, “I planted crops for damn near ever’body in this state, but they wasn’t my crops”

o   From joining with L + G Candy’s dream becomes reachable and with this comes a new sense of hope and stability for candy.

·         Dog’s Death

o   Candy cares for a very old, well loved dog that is his only companion. When Carlson bullied Candy into letting him shoot his dog Candy is shown as weak and vulnerable. “He looked helplessly “.

o   It is quite a significant event for Candy because consequently he realises that he should not have let people push him around and he should stick up for what he believes which he later does against Crooks and Curley’s Wife. He says to George he wished he’d shot his own dog.

Themes

·         Vulnerable

o   Candy is vulnerable because he has no stability in his position on the ranch, he has no backup plan. However his confidence grows when he joins the dream farm with Lennie and George because he does have a future.

·         Dreams

o   The fact that Candy wants to join in with L+G shows he still has aspirations and when they become reachable he is determined to make them happen.

Conclusion…