'Of Mice and Men' Revision: Candy (student notes)

CANDY

 Candy is "a tall, stoop-shouldered old man … . He was dressed in blue jeans and carried a big push-broom in his left hand."

His right hand is simply a stump because he lost his hand in a ranch accident.

owners of the ranch keep him on as long as he can "swamp" out or clean the bunkhouse.

Candy gives Steinbeck an opportunity to discuss social discrimination based on age and handicaps.

Candy represents what happens to everyone who gets old in American society: They are let go, canned, thrown out, used up.

 Candy's greatest fear is that once he is no longer able to help with the cleaning he will be "disposed of." Like his old dog, he has lived beyond his usefulness.

Candy and his dog parallel the relationship of George and Lennie. Like Candy's dog, Lennie depends on George to take care of him and show him what to do.

 Candy, like George, is different from the other ranch hands because he has his dog as a constant companion, someone devoted and loyal to him.

When the Carlson suggests that Candy's dog be put out of its misery, Candy abdicates the responsibility to Carlson. He tells George later that he should have shot his dog himself, foreshadowing George's decision to take responsibility for Lennie's death and "be his brother's keeper."

Candy also plays a significant role in the dream, providing the money needed to make the down payment.

Because of Candy, the dream almost becomes real.

Candy's down payment causes George to believe that, perhaps, the dream can be realized. But none of them count on the tragic meeting between Curley's wife and Lennie in the barn.

Even then Candy still thinks he can have his safe haven, a place where no one will throw him out when he is too old.

The dream is so strong in him that he pleads with George, to no avail, to have their farm despite Lennie's death.

Lonely because his dog is shot and cannot relate to other workers as well as the other characters can because of the boundaries of his disability.

'Of Mice and Men' Revision: Curley (student notes)

Weakness

·         Size – hates being small

o   “Curley is like a lot of small guys: he hates big guys,”

o   Immediately angry to bigger men

o   Obsessed with proving he is still powerful

·         Father will always have more authority

o   He’s the “boss’ son”

·         Insecure – ends up in a fight that wasn’t necessary

o   “No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me”

o   Causes his drastic mood swings and volatility

·         Unsuccessful marriage

·         Not respected

o   No one would stand up for him

o   Wife thinks he deserves to have his hand hurt

o   All farmers willing to join in telling Curley they don’t like him when Curley is wrong about Slim and his wife – ‘“This punk sure had it comin’ to him,”’

Dreams

·         Dreamt of being a boxer

o   Failed – shattered dreams

·         Still trying to prove he’s great

o   Continually fighting – “Curley’s shoulders dropped and squared”

o   Everyone knows he was a boxer – Candy describes him as “handy”

Strengths

·         Has a lot of power over each farmer – the boss’ son

o   And uses it to his advantage

o   Able to get into fights without getting into trouble – “Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier,” (Terrie being a hunting dog)

o   Can boss people around, they have to do what he says

·         Physically quite strong, handy and experienced

o   “slashed,” “smashed,” “slugging,”

o   “balanced and poised,”

·         Quick-witted and observant

o   Helpful in fights – ‘Lennie took his hands away from his face … Curley slashed at his eyes,”

Culpable for his wife’s death

·         He is the one who left his wife lonely, causing her to seek comfort

·         Responsible indirectly

·         In the chain of events, he’s the ‘trigger cause’

·         Although, he wasn’t even in the barn when she died, and tried to keep her in the house

Summary

·         ‘Curley’s face reddened. “I’m goin’,” he said. “I’m gonna shoot the guts outta that big bastard myself, even if I only got one hand.”’ (P.135)

o   Repetition of the pronoun ‘I’ reminds us that Curley is on his own throughout the entire novella. He’s only going to kill Lennie for himself, not for his wife. No one else is mentioned in coming, for example a friend, to help him.

o   Use of the adjective “big” highlighting his insecurities, that he hates being small.

o   “only got one hand” tells us again that he isn’t going to shoot Lennie for killing his wife, he clearly doesn’t really care about her, but that this fight is personal – he’s getting revenge on Lennie for making him appear weak and helpless in front of the other farmers.

o   “shoot the guts” reinforces the idea that Curley is a violent man, always looking for a fight, looking for a way to look the strongest, wanting to be the toughest.

'Of Mice and Men' Revision: Friendship (student notes)

·         At harsh time of Great Depression – community on ranch

“The shouts of men, playing, encouraging, jeering” (p.120)

·         George has his companion, Lennie – he enjoys travelling around with him even if he can sometimes find him annoying – their friendship is the strongest

“Lennie’s a God damn nuisance most of the time but you get used to goin’ around with a guy an’ you can’t get rid of him” (p.67)

·         Curley’s wife doesn’t have any friends on the ranch (only woman)– so tries to make friends with the workers

She seems to have a connection with Lennie + takes advantage of his weak mental ability, considers Lennie as friend

“She turned to Lennie, ‘I’m glad you bust up Curley a little bit.’”

·         George doesn’t want Lennie to become friends with Curley’s wife and get involved with her – knows the result and what could happen (could lose job)

“Don’t you even look at that bitch.” (p.54)

·         Slim has a strong connection with George – he metaphorically hugs George at the end after he kills Lennie.

 Likes the fact that Lennie and George travel together, “Ain’t many guys travel round together, I don’t know why.” (p.57) – builds on friendship with George.

Because of his mystical qualities and kind manner Slim is liked by all the men on the ranch and gets on well with them all – they look up to him and seem to be his ‘worker friends’, “A quiet so profound that all talk stopped when he spoke.”

·         Candy and his dog have a light friendship – both of them had similar qualities

Loneliness hit Candy after his dog died – showed this friendship meant a lot to him, “Then he rolled slowly over and faced the wall and lay silent” (p.76)

Wants to find hope with George and Lennie (share their dream) – shows want to be friends with them and build on his own life

'Of Mice and Men' Revision: George (student notes)

George

·         Described as leader, ‘the first man’

·         ‘sharp, strong features’ – bold character

·         ‘strong hands’ – good worker

·         ‘every part of him was defined’ – he’s independent, knows what he’s about

·         ‘dressed in denim’ – practical, cheap clothes – George doesn’t have much money

·         ‘brass buttons’ – proud even with his situation

·         Name → Milton – creates a relation between George and John Milton who wrote a poem about shattered dreams: foretells George’s own shattered dreams

·         Strengths:

o   Resourceful, perceptive

o   Understands other’s feelings (Candy after dog was shot)

·         Weaknesses:

o   Can’t accept his own failure

o   Needs an excuse for it – uses Lennie as his scare goat (someone he can blame)

o   Can’t accept situation he is in – blames Lennie for bad situations

·         Needing Lennie:

o   Lennie helps George get jobs + could produce a higher pay – strong, promising worker

o   Lennie produces protection, companionship for George

o   Boosts his self-esteem, confidence, feels superior to Lennie

o   Provides a sense of responsibility to live for

o   Someone to project self-pity/frustration on

·         George in:

o   Section 1: described as seen to other people (see descriptions at the top)

o   Section 2: Seen as confident with other ranch men, suspicious of them – yellow can he found by his bed that kills lice and other creatures, short tempered ‘George was working up a slow anger’

o   Section 3: George seems friendly – makes friendship with Slim, we see his empathy for Candy (dog shot)

o   Section 4: spends time with other ranch men – sociable, irresponsible to leave Lennie behind?

o   Section 5: See George’s love for Lennie, sadness for him

o   Section 6: George’s kindness to make Lennie die happy

'Of Mice and Men' Revision: Crooks (student notes)

Weaknesses

·         He is a “nigger”

o   He has very few rights and cane be treated very badly he would be blamed in a law court for a crime

§  Curley’s wife exploits this when she says “you know what I could do... I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”

·         She would be believed as she is white but he would not

o   He has become proud and aloof in order to be defensive about his position on the ranch and society

§  He does not like people coming into his room- “you ain’t wanted in my room”

·         He clings onto the few rights that he has

·         “nobody’s got any right but me”

§  The others don't want him in the bunk house and he knows why “cause I’m black”

·         Only Slim treats him the same as the others, uses “Crooks” instead of “nigger”

o   He is treated like an animal

§  Sleeps on straw “long box filled with straw”

§  His medicine and the horses is kept together “a range of medicine bottles both from himself and for the horses”

·         He is disabled

o   He was kicked in the back by a horse and has a crooked back

§  Reflected in the surroundings of his work space where everything is broken, it is like him

§  Gave him his nickname of “Crooks”

§  This causes him pain all the time and he uses “liniment” to try and ease it

·         The pain in his back reflects the emotional pain of loneliness that he goes through on the ranch as a result of being excluded

Loneliness

·         despite being aloof Crooks is very lonely on the ranch

o   he as his own room and no one to talk to

o   he reads for comfort

§  to escape reality

·         harsh situation as a “nigger”

§  to ignore /escape loneliness

·         These books are described as “dirty” and “old” suggesting that they have been well used.

·         They are also on a “special shelf” suggesting that they are very important to him in his bad situation

§  When he hears about the dream farm he is willing to work for nothing in order to get away from his situation and loneliness

·         After Curley’s wife puts him down, he does not want to any more, he is scarred by what has happened to him

o   When Lennie and later Candy come to his room he allows them in

§  “come in and set a while… long as you won’t get out and leave me alone”

§  “it was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger”

Power

·         Crooks has very little power as a nigger but when Lennie comes into his room Crooks enjoys having power over him

o   When he discovers Lennie’s weakness (inability to cope without George) he exploits it asking what would happen if he did not come back

§  He enjoys having power over Lennie as he has no power over anyone else “Crooks face lighted with pleasure in his torment”

Curley's wife

Is this how you envisaged Curley’s wife?  Why or why not?

Shattered dreams

There are several examples of shattered dreams in Of Mice and Men.  In your opinion, which example is the most tragic and why?