Of Mice and Men
Prompt #12 · Of Mice and Men
Prompt Type: Character Arc
Throughout the novel, Candy transforms from a passive old man resigned to his fate to someone who desperately grasps at the possibility of the dream farm. Analyze how Steinbeck uses Candy's arc to illustrate the power of hope and the devastation of its loss. Explain how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Quote 1
“You seen what they 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.”
Chapter 3
Argument
Early in the novel, this quote establishes Candy's baseline state of passive resignation and powerlessness, as he draws a parallel between his dog's fate and his own anticipated end, accepting his worthlessness without resistance.
Quote 2
“S'pose I went in with you guys. Tha's three hunderd an' fifty bucks I'd put in. I ain't much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some.”
Chapter 3
Argument
This quote marks the turning point in Candy's arc, as he actively proposes joining the dream farm with specific financial contribution and labor plans, transforming from passive acceptance to desperate grasping at hope for agency and purpose.
Quote 3
“You an’ me can get that little place, can’t we, George? You an’ me can go there an’ live nice, can’t we, George? Can’t we?”
Chapter 5
Argument
In the final stage after Curley's wife's death, Candy's frantic, repetitive questioning reveals the devastation of hope's loss, as he desperately clings to an impossible dream even as it disintegrates, demonstrating how hope's destruction is more painful than never having hoped at all.
Quote 4
Chapter 3
Argument
This quote deepens Candy's turning point by revealing his profound regret over surrendering agency in his dog's death, motivating his fierce determination to seize control over the dream farm and avoid repeating his passive mistake.
Quote 5
“—I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”
Chapter 5
Argument
George's admission that he knew the dream was impossible all along underscores the devastation of Candy's loss, as it reveals that the hope Candy desperately clung to was always illusory, making his transformation and subsequent collapse even more tragic.