Candy is a kind old swamper who has lost a hand and identifies very strongly with his blind old dog. He is deeply saddened after it is shot as a smelly nuisance, though he agrees to have it killed. He sees in the dog's end his own ignoble demise when he can no longer work.
Candy, fearing he will be left poor and alone to die, is very much taken with the idea of going in on the farm George and Lennie dream of buying. For him, it would be a dream come true because it would provide him a stable and secure place to stay when grows old. It offers him the hope of independence and dignity.
Candy does menial tasks on the ranch, taking on whatever he can to make himself useful. He comes across as an unpretentious person who only asks for a fair deal in life—one it seems he is unlikely to get.
Candy is the first one to greet George and Lennie when they arrive on the farm in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men. Candy is described as an "old swamper," which is a term for a ranch worker who does odd jobs. Readers first see him sweeping the bunkhouse. Later in chapter two, he is cleaning the washroom.
Candy is very old. He's lived his whole life as a ranch worker and doesn't have much of anything to show for it. He is straightforward and honest in his dealings with George and Lennie. George is suspicious when he sees a can of bug or rat killer on the beds that Candy points to them. He thinks Candy is giving them the worst bedd, possibly lice-infested ones. Candy could have used the opportunity to torment them or be mean, but he doesn't. Candy explains that the guy who left the can was fastidiously clean. When George inspects the bed, he finds what Candy says to be true. Candy also seems to be respectful and concerned with making sure George and Lennie know that he wasn't eavesdropping on their conversation after they meet Curley.
Candy is very thin and missing a hand. He lost the hand in a farm accident, and it is a significant handicap to be a ranch worker without a hand. Candy also has a dog, a very old do, who probably should be put down, but Candy can't bring himself to do it. This shows his tender heart. Here is the description of Candy's dog:
The old man came slowly into the room. He had his broom in his hand. And at his heels there walked a dragfooted sheepdog, gray of muzzle, and with pale, blind old eyes. The dog struggled lamely to the side of the room and lay down, grunting softly to himself and licking his grizzled, moth-eaten coat. The swamper watched him until he was settled. "I wasn't listenin'. I was jus' standin' in the shade a minute scratchin' my dog. I jus' now finished swampin' out the wash house."
In chapter 2, Candy is an old swamper missing a hand, which he lost during a farm accident. He is a relatively kind old man and immediately befriends George and Lennie when he initially meets them. Candy is by far the oldest worker on the ranch and has lost his money working for other people his entire life. Candy also has an old, useless dog, which stinks up the bunkhouse. Carlson encourages Candy to shoot his dog and put it out of its misery, but Candy refuses to do so. Unfortunately, Slim gives Carlson permission to kill the dog, and he takes the dog outside to kill it. Candy, who has been the dog's owner its entire life, is upset and regrets letting a stranger kill his beloved dog. Candy is similar to his dog because he is also old and relatively useless. Candy's age and handicap make him a liability on the farm, and it is only a matter of time before he is fired. Candy sympathizes with his dog and realizes that he will be the next to go.
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