3.1.9
Candy
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Candy's Physical Character
Candy is old and weak. This makes it difficult for him to work.
Physical appearance
- Candy is an old and physically weak character. In addition to his age, he has lost a hand as a result of an accident with farm machinery: “Tall, stoop shouldered old man.” (Section 2).
Candy's dog
- Candy is also described through his dog.
- Candy and his dog share many similarities, and Steinbeck uses Candy’s dog as a way of helping the reader to imagine Candy himself: “A drag-footed sheep dog, grey of muzzle and with pale, blind old eyes.” (Section 2).
Weakness
- Curley’s wife is quick to point out Candy’s physical weakness, referring to him as “a lousy ol' sheep”. (Curley’s wife, Section 4).
Holding On To a Dream
Candy wants to join George and Lennie on their dream farm.
George and Lennie's farm
- When Candy overhears George and Lennie talking about their dream, and realises he could become involved, Candy is described as “grinning with delight” (Section 3).
- Having given up hope after the death of his dog, the prospect of living on a farm with George and Lennie seems to give him a new lease of life.
Candy's savings
- It is at this point that Candy reveals that, unlike the other men, he has some money saved up which he can contribute to the purchase of the small farm.
- This shows that Candy is useful after all: “An' they give me two hunderd an' fifty dollars 'cause I los' my hand. An' I got fifty more saved up right in the bank, right now.” (Candy, Section 3)
The death of the dream
- Candy pins all of his hopes and dreams on being able to purchase the farm, and he is therefore heartbroken at the end of the novel when Lennie ruins it by killing Curley’s wife: “Old Candy lay down in the hay and covered his eyes with his arm.” (Section 5)
Candy's Loneliness
After Carlson shoots Candy's dog, we see that Candy is desperate for companionship. This shows his fear of loneliness,
Candy's affection for his dog
- Candy clearly loves his dog very much and relies on it for companionship: “I had him so long. Had him since he was a pup.” (Candy, Section 3).
- When he is eventually persuaded to allow Carlson to kill the dog, Candy expresses regret that he did not kill it himself: "I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.” (Candy, Section 3).
Fear of loneliness
- Like all of the men on the ranch, Candy fears loneliness. With his dog gone, Candy is left with nobody.
- Perhaps this is why he attaches so much hope to George and Lennie’s dream.
1Context & Overview
1.1Context & Overview
2Plot
2.1Section 1 - Analysis
2.2Section 2 - Analysis
2.3Section 3 - Analysis
2.4Section 4 - Analysis
2.5Section 5 - Analysis
2.6Section 6 - Analysis
3Key Characters
3.1Main Characters
3.2Minor Characters
4Themes
5Authorial Method
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Quotes per Section
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
Jump to other topics
1Context & Overview
1.1Context & Overview
2Plot
2.1Section 1 - Analysis
2.2Section 2 - Analysis
2.3Section 3 - Analysis
2.4Section 4 - Analysis
2.5Section 5 - Analysis
2.6Section 6 - Analysis
3Key Characters
3.1Main Characters
3.2Minor Characters
4Themes
5Authorial Method
6Recap: Main Quotes
6.1Quotes per Section
6.2Text Structure - Quotes
Practice questions on Candy
Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.
- 1Who is Candy described through?Multiple choice
- 2What does Candy have which can contribute to the dream farm?Multiple choice
- 3Candy's reaction to the death of the dream:True / false
- 4
- 5Like all of the men on the ranch, what does Candy fear?Multiple choice
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