Of Mice and Men Candy Quotes

“Yes sir. Jesus, we had fun. They let the n***** come in that night. Little skinner name of Smitty took after the n*****. Done pretty good, too. The guys wouldn’t let him use his feet, so the n***** got him. If he coulda used his feet, Smitty says he woulda killed the n*****. The guys said on account of the n*****’s got a crooked back, Smitty can’t use his feet.” He paused in relish of the memory.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Candy tells George how Crooks was allowed to enter the bunkhouse at Christmas time when the boss bought a gallon of whiskey for the men. There he is treated in a very demeaning manner by the ranch hands.

The old man came slowly into the room. He had his broom in his hand. And at his heels there walked a dragfooted sheep dog, 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 he shad a minute scratchin’ my dog.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Candy has a very close relationship with the old dog, a bit like George’s friendship with Lennie.

“Curley’s like a lot of little guys. He hates big guys. He’s alla time picking scraps with big guys. Kind of like he’s mad at ’em because he ain’t a big guy. You seen little guys like that, ain’t you? Always scrappy?”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Candy explains about Curley to George. Curley looks to assert his manliness by fighting. But his victims are always more vulnerable in some way than him. He takes an immediate dislike to Lennie because he is such a huge guy and attacks him in the bunk house.

“Well, Curley’s pretty handy,” the swamper said skeptically. “Never did seem right to me. S’pose Curley jumps a big guy an’ licks him. Ever’body says what a game guy Curley is. And s’pose he does the same thing and gets licked. Then ever’body says the big guy oughtta pick on somebody his own size, and maybe they gang up on the big guy. Never did seem right to me. Seem like Curley ain’t givin’ nobody a chance.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 2. Candy on Curley, who goes after Lennie because he is big and he doesn’t expect him to fight back. Curley sees Lennie’s vulnerability and abuses it right away.

Candy looked a long time at Slim to try to find some reversal. And Slim gave him none. At last Candy said softly and hopelessly, “Awright – take ‘im.” He did not look down at the dog at all. He lay back on his bunk and crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. Candy finally gives in and allows Carlson to take his dog and put him out of his misery. He doesn’t look at the dog, his friend that he loves, because he feels bad about having it put down.

“I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some. How’d that be?”
George half-closed his eyes. “I gotta think about that. We was always gonna do it by ourselves.”
Candy interrupted him, “I’d make a will an’ leave my share to you guys in case I kick off, ’cause I ain’t got no relatives nor nothing.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. George is discussing his and Lennie’s plans for a place of their own, where they’re the boss. Candy, a sad and lonely figure who has lost his beloved pet dog, pleads for a place at the table.

Carlson laughed. “You God damn punk,” he said. You tried to throw a scare into Slim, an’ you couldn’t make it stick. Slim throwed a scare inta you. You’re yella as a frog belly. I don’t care if you’re the best welter in the country. You come for me, an’ I’ll kick your God damn head off.”
Candy joined the attack with joy, “Glove fulla vaseline,” he said disgustedly. Curley flared at him. His eyes slipped on past and lighted on Lennie; and Lennie was still smiling with delight at the memory of the ranch.

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 3. Candy is verbally attacked by the other men because they recognize how much of a coward and bully he is and only picks on people who can’t retaliate.

“Everybody wants a little bit of land, not much. Jus’ som’thin’ that was his. Som’thin’ he could live on and there couldn’t nobody throw him off of it. I never had none. I planted crops for damn near ever’body in this state, but they wasn’t my crops, and when I harvested ’em, it wasn’t none of my harvest.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4. Candy to Crooks about the farm worker’s dream of having his own place. But wealthy farms exploit poor itinerant farm workers, pay them low wages so they never have enough to buy their own farm.

Candy’s face had grown redder and redder, but before she was done speaking, he had control of himself. He was the master of the situation. “I might of knew,” he said gently. “Maybe you just better go along an’ roll your hoop. We ain’t got nothing to say to you at all. We know what we got, and we don’t care whether you know it or not.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 4. Candy to Curley’s wife, who enters the stable buck’s room looking for Curley. Candy looks upon Curley’s wife as inferior to him because she is a woman, and a young woman at that. He feels he can tell her what to do. Lonely and flirtatious, she is discriminated against by the men, who are contemptuous of her and won’t engage in conversation with her for fear of being fired.

“Then – it’s all off?” Candy asked sulkily. George didn’t answer his question. George said, “I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks an’ I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house. Or I’ll set in some poolroom til ever’body goes home. An’ then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.”

– John Steinbeck

Of Mice and Men, Chapter 5. Candy’s greatest fear – that the dream of owning land with companions is over. For George the slice of the American Dream is definitely gone, as he looks forward to a life of cat houses and pool rooms.
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