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Of Mice And Men Candy And Lennie's Relationship Analysis

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Of Mice And Men Candy And Lennie's Relationship Analysis
In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the connection between Candy and his dog is very similar to the relationship between George and, Lennie. Candy and George are both caretakers; they look after their partners, even if they don’t fit in. The old dog is blind past his prime, and Lennie is naive and childlike in nature. It is not their fault that they are who they are because they don't know any different. Candy defends his dog when the other workers try to convince him to get rid of him. George also does this for Lennie. Up to and including the point when Lennie kills Curley’s wife, George does whatever he can to protect him and keep him out of trouble. Because of the dog and Lennie’s dependency on Candy and George, when the end …show more content…
The dog is old, blind, deaf, and doesn’t really have much left to live for. He isn’t good to himself, and Candy doesn’t want to accept it because he doesn’t want to lose his best friend. Candy regrets letting Carlson kill the dog for him, and he tells George, “‘ I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog,’” (61). This moment with Candy seems to influence how George decides to handle Lennie. After Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife, George knows that Lennie won’t ever be able to take care of himself. If Lennie lives, especially if Curley is the one to find him, his future will be dark. He would likely be killed by Curley and, if not, he will be tormented and abused for the rest of his life. Lennie is a lot like Candy’s dog; he can’t take care of himself, and he is reliant on George, as the dog is with Candy. Seeing the guilt and regret that Candy feels for letting a stranger kill his dog, George understands that he needs to be responsible for Lennie’s mistake and be merciful through taking Lennie’s life. Candy’s dog and Lennie are similar because they both rely on their friend to help them through life. The parallels between Candy and George show that they are each connected to their partner from a young age, and at this point they have been with them so long that they have developed a responsibility to them. There is a strong bond and trust. Candy’s decision to let

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