Candy quotes

“Made no attempt to enter”

* abides with segregation laws + doesn’t question them
* highlights maintainment of segregation
* normalised + common racist attitudes in 1930s

“Tart”

* Misogyny was common + use of derogatory terms
* She’s a young girl → different ideas of women in society
* Clashing views of young women → different generations
* struggles to adopt new ideas of women
* women were now had more independent social lives → drinking + smoking

“Old Candy” “old man”

* “Old” → not listened to on ranch
* Everyone else is working age → may not think he is pulling his weight
* Decrepit → position on ranch is very low

“Wish’t somebody’d shoot me”

* Because of his loneliness, he is aware of his inevitable cruel fate → wants to avoid this though
* Cruel fate of not being able to work → die of starvation
* Nowhere to go → no pension system for elderly in 1930s

“since he was a pup”

* dog equivalent of a friend
* others do not understand friendship → want it dead because it’s no longer useful
* the inevitable loneliness of migrant workers

“They’ll can me purty soon”

* Fears that he will lose his job
* emphasises Laissez-Faire approach to government
* When pension brought, excluded agriculture workers

“Best damn sheep dog”

* represents him not wanting to be dismissed as useless
* elderly rejected by society → Candy aware of this but wants to avoid it

“ ‘spose I went in with you guys”

* offers 2 strangers his life savings → desperate
* Makes George + lennie’s dream possible
* Candy really really wants to avoid his cruel fate → dream gives him hope

“Change came over old Candy”

* dream gave him hope + friendship (George Lennie)

→ things he hasn’t had for a long time

* gives him confidence
* Steinbeck shows → Candy had some power → hinting that marginalised should have power

“Snivelled” “voice shook”

* he’s crying over the end of the dream
* he’s devastated → he has no hope left
* given up on life → die lonely + sad

“Ain’t no good to you”

* shows that masculinity reflects power in 1930s
* because of age + immobility → further enforces his uselessness
* People preyed on those more vulnerable

“Tall” “stoop shouldered”

* height + age links to masculinity
* Stoop shouldered + old → not masculine
* no hand → emasculated
* Can’t go to brothels as he’s to old → lacks masculinity
* shows the not masculine as powerless