Candy Flashcards
Q: How is Candy initially presented in Of Mice and Men?
A: As old and disposable, paralleling his dog. Candy is introduced as an “old man,” and talks about his dog, saying, “God he was a good sheep dog.”
Q: What does Candy’s attachment to his dog symbolize?
A: His attachment reflects his fear of becoming obsolete; like his dog, his past usefulness is irrelevant in a capitalist society that only values current productivity. Furthermore, his only companion is being stripped from him by the utilitarian society, emphasising the unescapable isolation that comes with itinerant working.
Q: What does Carlson’s suggestion to shoot Candy’s dog and give him a pup symbolize?
A: It symbolizes the replacement of the old and weak with the young and able, reflecting Candy’s fear of being discarded like his dog.
Q: How does Social Darwinism relate to Candy’s situation?
A: Social Darwinism, popular during Hoover’s presidency, justified the survival of the fittest. Candy’s declining value reflects this harsh ideology.
Q: What do Candy’s physical descriptions—“stoop-shouldered” and his shuffle to the door—emphasize?
A: His vulnerability and lack of value in a system that prioritizes youth and strength, reinforcing Steinbeck’s critique of capitalist cruelty.
Q: How is Candy shown to be isolated in Chapter 4?
A: Lennie says, “all but old Candy” have gone to the whorehouse, highlighting Candy’s isolation due to age and disability.
Q: What does Candy’s loneliness suggest about human companionship?
A: Despite being established on the ranch, Candy is still lonely, showing that economic stability doesn’t guarantee social connection.
Q: How does Candy’s isolation reflect wider historical context?
A: After the Great Depression and Wall Street Crash, many elderly people lost their savings. Without family, they became isolated and disillusioned—just like Candy.
Q: Why does Candy’s loneliness worsen after his dog is shot?
A: His dog’s death symbolizes his own impending fate, deepening his isolation and representing the dislocation caused by capitalist individualism.
Q: How does Candy’s use of racial slurs in Chapter 2 reveal another aspect of his character?
A: He repeatedly uses the slur “n*****,” especially during his story about the Christmas fight, showing deep-seated racism and dehumanization of Crooks.
Q: What does Candy’s excitement when recalling Crooks’ humiliation suggest?
A: His casual racism is normalized, highlighting his view of Crooks as less than human and reflecting broader societal prejudice.
Q: How does Candy react when he’s in Crooks’ room in Chapter 4?
A: Though he admits “this is the first time I ever been in his room,” he “quickly changed the subject,” suggesting discomfort with acknowledging equality.
Q: Why is Candy resistant to exploring equality with Crooks?
A: He has internalized racist views common in his time—many white men of his age had lived through segregationist ideologies post-Civil War.
Q: How does Steinbeck want readers to view Candy’s prejudice?
A: While Steinbeck doesn’t prescribe a solution, he highlights Candy’s ingrained racism to encourage readers to recognize systemic injustice.
Q: How does Candy react after Curley’s Wife’s death in Chapter 5?
A: He frantically asks George, “Can’t we, George? Can’t we?” clinging desperately to the hope of their dream despite the obvious tragedy.
Q: What does Candy’s reaction reveal about his priorities?
A: He shows selfishness, focusing on his own future rather than Lennie’s impending death, reflecting his desperation to avoid being “canned.”
Q: How can Candy’s desperation evoke sympathy?
A: Readers may see his fixation on the dream as a coping mechanism for his fear of uselessness and abandonment in old age.
Q: How does Steinbeck use Candy to critique the American Dream?
A: Candy’s blind faith in an unattainable dream reflects Steinbeck’s view that the American Dream is an illusion that falsely offers hope to the vulnerable.
Q: What is the significance of Candy covering his eyes at the end of Chapter 5?
A: Candy “laid down and covered his eyes with his arm,” symbolizing his resignation and loss of hope—he appears like a corpse, foreshadowing his own mortality.
Q: What does Candy’s final gesture represent?
A: His covering his eyes suggests emotional death and total despair, a vivid image meant to elicit compassion for society’s treatment of the old and weak.
Q: How does Steinbeck use Candy’s fate to call for greater compassion?
A: By showing Candy’s physical and emotional decline, Steinbeck highlights the need for empathy towards the elderly and marginalized in society.
Q: What does Candy symbolize in Steinbeck’s social critique?
A: He embodies the fate of the old and weak in capitalist America—discarded, isolated, and stripped of dignity once they can no longer contribute economically.
Q: How does Candy parallel the fate of his dog?
A: Both are seen as no longer useful and are discarded or left to suffer—Candy’s fear is that he, too, will be “put down” once he outlives his usefulness.
Q: How does Candy’s failed dream connect to broader historical context?
A: Like many during the Great Depression, Candy’s belief in the American Dream blinds him to reality, mirroring the era’s widespread disillusionment.
