He is a gossiper because he talks about others a lot as we see in the book as soon as Curley turn up then he talks about him to George and also he talks about Whitey the person who lived in Ranch house before. “Tell you what … This here black-smith-name of Whitey- was the kind of guy that would put that stuff you have around even if there was no bugs-just to make sure, see? Tell you what he used to do- At meals he’d peel his boil’ potatoes an’ he’d eat it. And if there was a red splotch on an egg, he’d scrape it off.” This shows that he focus on everything other people do- when he said about how Whitey eats tells us that Candy always looks at people and observing them while eating; but this doesn’t mean that he is harmful or horrible to others it’s just because he is alone.
And by him trying to have a conversation to others gives us the thought that he wants to make friends as he, in the future will be chucked off the ranch because everyone gets older over time, so that means that he’ll be no use to the ranch- his actions would be as slow as a snail.
He is quite kind and helpful. As we read in the book, he helped Lennie and George nearly succeed their dream- “I ain’t much good with on’y one hand. I lost my hand right here on this ranch… An’ they give me two hundred an’ fifty dollars ‘cause I lost my hand.” This is where he talks to Lennie and George about the dream, which tells us that because he lost his hand and he was given a compensation for it. This also shows us that he’s smart because he used this opportunity so that he won’t be lonely in the future.
Candy is “a tall, stoop shouldered old man came in. He was dressed in blue jeans and he carried a big push-broom in his left hand.” He lost his right arm due to an accident in the ranch. That’s why he was reduced to being a cleaner in the bunkhouse. Because of his age and his disability, his future would not be as brighter as the others as the boss probably just keeping him as long as he can clean.
"Curley's like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He's alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he's mad at 'em because he ain't a big guy."- is what he said to George and Lennie when they were checking the ranch when they got there.
When Carlson keeps on telling Candy to kill his dog because it’s stinky and is also handicapped, he always says “I been around him so much… I had him so long. I had him since he was a pup.” To prevent
Carlson from killing his dog.
"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn't ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog."- said Candy which seems like he’d regretted letting Carlson kill his precious dog because he wanted to personally do it as a way of saying goodbye. This quote also foreshadows to the end of the book as George shot Lennie by himself.
People doesn’t really talk about Candy but talks about his dog. Carlson said “ That dog of Candy’s is so
God damn old he can’t hardly walk. Stinks like hell, too… I can smell that dog a mile away. Got no teeth, damn near blind, can’t eat” when he was criticizing how the dog smells and that it’s no use to anyone even
Candy. These characteristics of the dog seems to be like him because he’s also old and by saying that his dog stinks, is probably telling us that he also stinks as he is the carer of the dog- if he doesn’t wash his dog means that he doesn’t wash himself.

Candy plays quite an important role in the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ because he makes the reader feel interested by making them feeling sympathy because he’s alone as his dog was shot and also if he was not in the book the chance of the dream of Lennie and George won’t come true. Life is going as time goes so he gets older and it will be a misery for him so he took the chance in joining Lennie and George’s dream because he fears of being alone.
He also played the role of the people who are old and handicapped to tell the readers and let them feel what’s life’s like for people like them when living in such a world with economic problems and nowhere to go because it’s hard to make a living. He also represents the future of the ranch hands- they’ll get old and have no place to go to.
As John Steinbeck likes to write about normal people especially the migrant workers at the time, he introduced us to the different aspects of human society specifically to the American society judging by the
‘Of Mice and Men’ book. Candy gives Steinbeck an opportunity to discuss discrimination based on age and handicaps. He’s been able to show the life of disabled people as well as the old ones and also how they were treated back in 1930’s USA.
He interpret Candy as a wise man because he barge in between George and Lennie’s dream just so that he won’t feel alone if the boss will get rid of him in the ranch. He also showed him as a gossiper but yet a lonely, fearful man. Steinbeck portrays him as one of the outcast of the book as a result of discrimination because of his age.
With names and nicknames, it’s easy to know what the person’s character is. Candy is an openminded, friendly and honest as he talks about everything about anyone. His name is derived from the word
‘candid’ which means being frank and honest and is ‘characterized by openness and sincerity of expression’.
Steinbeck probably called him ‘Candy’ because he wanted to show that he’s a sweet person who takes care of something that is close to him- Candy’s dog. He wanted the readers to expect that Candy’s a nice and even though he’s old, Steinbeck wants to give the impression that he’s attractive (candies are attractive with their colours). He also gives us the thought that even though he’s sweet he also has some bitter experience in life (candy with brandy would taste bitter) because of the loneliness that he feels throughout the whole book. But this loneliness of him was ‘covered with sugar or syrup’ by the dream of both George and Lennie.
Candy always wanted to have power because he’ll no longer needed in the near future due to his age and fears that his fate might be the same as his beloved dog (be killed).
Not long after candy’s dog was shot, he dedicated his life in living out his days with Lennie and
George. He volunteered to provide and contribute his life’s saving to them and when they calculated, they discovered that the dream would nearly become a reality- “ We got ten bucks between us…. Look, if me an’

Lennie work a month an’ don’t spen’ nothing, we’ll have a hundred bucks. That’d be four fifty… Then you an’ Lennie could go get her started an’ I’d get a job an’ make up the rest’, an’ you could sell eggs an’ stuff like that.” Candy promises them, that if he died, he would leave George and Lennie his money. This increases his chance of becoming part of the dream. They were all amazed that the dream that was once a fantasy now becoming more of a reality by the help of Candy because he got extra pay for his compensation due to the accident. This gives them hope and confidence that encourage them to work harder and achieve this dream. The dream also helps distract Candy throughout the novel from his harsh reality.
Candy is involved in many events throughout the book. In Chapter 3, his dog was killed- “You seen what they’ve done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.” (Chapter 3, page 60) Other than George, Candy has a partner that makes it different from other farmhands because it serves as his loyal and devoted companion. When his dog was killed, it hurts him very deeply and makes him distressed because he doesn’t treat his dog as something that keeps you company but treat him as his only family and a very important friend that has been with him since he was a pup. Because of this event Candy decided to give up everything as he wish that someone would just kill him so that all the pain his feeling would just end just like his dog.
He’s also involved when he joined George and Lennie in their dream (Chapter 3, page 59-61). After that event, Lennie crushed Curley’s hand- “What the hell you laughin’ at?… Come on, ya bastard. Get up on your feet. No big son-of-a-bitch is gonna laugh at me. I’ll show ya who’s yella.”(Chapter 3, page 62) Curley mistakenly judged Lennie that he’s laughing at him because everyone were having a go at him so he probably think that Lennie find it funny even though he was just thinking about their dream; so to regain his respect he decided to fight Lennie not knowing that Lennie has great strength hidden in those child-like manners and innocent eyes which ended up Lennie crushing his precious hands.
In chapter 4 of the book was the time where all the outcasts were gathered. When Lennie and Candy entered Crooks’ room, they discussed about the dream they’ve been talking about earlier and Crooks said that it was pathetic- “You guys is just kidding yourself. You’ll talk about it a hell of a lot, but you won’t get no land. You’ll be a swamper here till they take you out in a box. He’’ I see too many guys… Seem’s like ever’ guy got land in his head”(Chapter 4, page 75) this is Crooks saying that it’s no use to keep on dreaming because they’ll end up cleaning in the ranch and that he saw many people who keep on telling stuff but it didn’t come true- so basically he didn’t believe in those kind of things. When Curley’s wife appeared asking where Curley is, Crooks told her peacefully to go away but then she got angry and started threatening Crooks (Chapter 4, page 80).
By chapter 5, when Candy discovered Curley’s wife’s body, he got mad- “ You God damn tramp… You done it, di’nt you? I s’pose you’re glad. Ever’body knowed you’d mess things up. You wasn’t no good. You ain’t no good now, you lousy tart…I could of hoed in the garden and washed dishes for them guys… An’ they’d of been a pig and chickens…”(Chapter 5, page 94) this shows that Candy was taking all his anger to the dead body of Curley’s wife and blaming her for all that will happen because because of her the dream won’t become a reality as Lennie will be punished by Curley- he wanted a revenge for crushing his hand.
By Shannon Barner & Emma Wakeley