how do you think Steinbeck uses the character of candy in the novel as a whole to show important ideas about society ?
Steinbeck uses all characters in his novel to symbolise or represent a certain part of society in 10930s of america ,it is his representation of what life was like in that era , although one character that stands out from the rest is candy from the rest of the ranch workers that are portrayed in the story this is because candy is a very significant and important chatter in the novel , he reveals ideas about society at that time such as little tolerance towards people with disabilities , the view on women and a mans tat us in society. however the ranch workers labelled as a ‘ swamper” which creates an image of of a general handyman that looks after the ranch which small things , however can not do hardcore labour due to his age and state. In addition Steinbeck also states “his dog is his company and his equivalent of a friend” this clearly suggest that he is incredibly lonely and his only friend is a dog which could be linked due to his age and how the society in america in the 19030s didn't accept people with a certain age , and classified them as ‘useless’ this was linked to age discrimination , many old people were refuse jobs and thereon income of money - poor living standards. However the key word is “ equivalent” because it has two meanings, one bing that Steinbeck is trying to tell the reader that he is treated in the same way as the dog gets treated or that they both share the same status which is the value of nothing. He describes the dogs movements “ his anitcent dog lifted hid head and peered about” this mirrors candy , a sense of parallelism. In the novel carson makes it cheat when he insists that candy let him put the dog out of its misery , Candy’s dog serves a harsh reminder of the fate that awaits anyone who outlives his usefulness . though the pet was once a great sheepdog, it was put out to pasture once it stopped being productive . candy realises that his fate is to be put on the roadside as soon as he's no longer useful on the ranch
However furthermore when crooks sneers at the idea of of owning their own place , his answer shows the comfit he gains from his new fiends and the end to looniness “ we gonna do it .. me and Lennie and George “ this shows a compelling different side to candy , a side of hope and dreams . this indicted that candy too still contains the dream that seems to be never succeeding despite his age. he is still able to look beyond that , Steinbeck reinforces this as Curley wife targets him “ we got friends , thats what we got “ showing the impotence of friends and his level of what he has more than her , when in reality compared to her he has nothing , but both very limited in their position as a whole .
nonetheless , “ he leaned forward eagerly” into George's and lenses conversation , this could demonstrate parallel to candy’s desire to be in the dream as the adverb “ eagerly” suggests to the reader how desperate candy is to escape the ranch , “ forwards” showing how candy wishes to move away from ranch , perhaps showing that he feels trapped by the rancid and needs o break free, the idea of dreams were intrinsic in 1930s , america as the American dream stated , that “ all men were created equal” and are free to pursuit of happiness , especially considering the bad times of the depression where the were low wages , high unemployment and rife poverty , in Candy’s case . he wants to escape the curliness of the ranch.
what mark would i get for this? out of 15