candy Flashcards
(19 cards)
stoop-shouldered old man
hes the oldest man on the ranch, and is physically weighed down by the relentless work and poor living conditions
could also metaphorically be weighed down by his oppressions
shuffled
he moves around the boss like a frightened animal, maybe hes trying to subtly shift away from him so that the boss dosent realise how ‘useless’ he is compared to the other men
its also a moment where we see a man at the very top of the hierarchy next to a man at the very bottom
stick-like wrists, but no hand’
hands are a symbol of power (lennies paw symbolises his animal strength) his injury places him at a weak position as his use on the ranch is limited (especially since power is all about how useful you are)
candy looked a long time at slim to try to find some reversal
he has no fate of his dog and as the weakest character he has to look at one of the strongest for help over the fate of his own dog
emphasises powerlessness
lousy ol sheep
curleys wife insults mirror the way candy is viewed on the ranch: his age makes him considered useless on the ranch
contexts of weak characters
candy is weak because he is old and disabled
the elderly were hit hard during great depression. their life savings completely disapperared after the wall st crash and there was no elderly relief before 1935. this meant that it threw them back into employment because it cancelled their retirement
it was expected that the elderly would be looked after by their family. during this financially strained time many young families had very little to offer towards the care of their parents because they didnt have enough money. those without families to support them were left to fend for themselves
the elderly faced tough competition (with the younger and stronger) for a job at a time when unemployment rates reaches as high as 25%. it was even harder on disabled people the overall unempoyment rate for disabled people was upward of 80% translating into crushing levels of poverty.
i aint much good
candy is very aware of the comparatively few skills he has to offer, which has affected his self regard
god he was a good sheep dog
parallels are drawn between candy and his old dog. candy holds onto memories of what a skilful dog he once was but past accomplishments are useless in the world of capitalism where your worth is determined by how productive you can be today
sheep dog was viewed as a burden which is the same way candy is viewed
whynt you get candy to shoot his old dog and give him one of the pups to raise up
just like the sheep dog is viewed as replaceable by a puppy, soon candy will be replaced by a younger worker. (who will also grow old eventually and get thrown out just like candy) this is an important reminder that all workers are venerable
just as soon as i cant swamp out no bunk houses theyll put me on the county
candy is aware of his venerable position on the ranch and how easily he will be disposed of as soon as he can no longer provide a service
disposable context
industrial capitalism supported social Darwinism: the belief of the survival of the fittest, the idea that certain people become powerful in society because they are innately better, social Darwinism, has been used to justify imperialism, racism, eugenics and social inequality at various times in history and gained popularity of among the political, medical, and economic elite of the united states in the 1920 and 1930s
the belief left no room for compassion for the likes of candy whose struggles would be considered a natural order of things.
they wouldn’t feel social responsibility to help candy they just thought that it was life and some people would just be better than other.
parallels drawn between candy/dog and george/lennie
‘at his heels there walked a dragfooted sheepdog’
the dependence of the dog on candy mirrors the dependence of lennie and george (we also dont see lennie on his own and if we did then he would look lost)
both relationships are symbiotic, dog and lennie gain protection and guidance from their ‘masters’, candy and George gain companionship. sets the apart from the other characters on the ranch who live a life of solitude
however, their friendship isnt genuine as its a friendship thats been born out of a desperate situation, they need each other because they dont want to be alone
‘i ought to have shot him myself. i ought to of not let no stranger shoot my dog’
foreshadows and justifies the decision eventually made by george. it also suggests that there is an inevitability in lennies death
context behind parallels between candy/dog etc
high demand for work amongst migrant workers created a competitive and hostile environment. furthermore, the transient lifestyle of these workers made it almost impossible for long term friendships or to have a family as they saw eachother as competition
tart’, ‘you goddamn tramp’
candys misogynistic attitude towards curleys wife serves to highlight the unequal tratment of women at the time. her accusation of being a ‘tart’ is completely unfunded and his emotionless reaction to her death normalizes violence against women (when he blames her for her own death)
‘nice fella’.’n*****’
the juxtaposing descriptions that candy give crooks and his casual use of derogatory language reveals how deeply entrenched racisms was in 1930s
steinbeck was careful to not create any character in this novella that is entirely likeable or blameless. he wanted to stress the complexity of mankinds and explore their flaws
context behind prejudiced
candys unfounded anger towards curleys wife is representative of a partiarchal world where men are fixated on dominating women. hes mad that shes outside her house ‘where she belongs’ and that shes wearing make up and speaking to other men. he dosent like that fact that shes not under control
racism was an everyday part of life in southern states it was accepted and encouraged. even though slaves gained their freedom 50 years prior to when the novella is set, attitudes towards blacks had not changed at all
eyes blinded with tear’,’ leanede forward eagerly
theres a noticeable change in candys demeaner when he heard about the american dream . he yearns for companion ship and protection
you an me can get that little place cant we george? you an me can go there an live nice cant we george cant we
candy clings onto the dream despite how unlikely it is. his continuous questioning reveals how desperate he is for this dream to come true as it offers an escape from the cruel world
dreamer context
the dream of owning a ranch is a symbol of american dream. the failure of candys dream highlights how unattainable the american dream was during the great depression but also emphasizes the necessity of having dream to make life bareable
