Question

Why did Steinbeck include the scene about killing Candy's dog? this is the book mice and men

Answer 1

Because there are similarities to that and what happens at the end of the book.

Answer 2

In this book, the author John Steinbeck, tries to emphasize on the foreshadowing of Lennie’s fate by adding the scene of the killing of Candy’ dog.  

Further Explanation:

Of Mice and Men is a novella written by John Steinbeck which was published in 1937. In this book, Steinbeck presents two main characters by the name of Lennie and George who migrate to the ranch to work. The life in the ranch is shown to be cruel and loneliness lingers in the lives of every character. In the story, the characters George and Lennie are best friends who dream to have a farm of their own someday. While they are planning about it, Candy overhears them and offers to make a down payment in order to be a part of their farm. They seem to be hopeful that the good days are just around the corner.  

However, on the other hand, Carlson a handyman in the ranch keep insisting Candy to put his dog down since he is old. Carlson constantly complains about the smell of the dog. The dog in this book symbolizes a worn-out entity who awaits death. Steinbeck here tries to emphasize the truth of old age. Even though the dog was Candy’s best friend, no mercy is shown towards him in the ranch and Candy finally gives in to the decision. This very act of killing Candy’s dog acts as a foreshadowing of future events and the consequential killing of Lennie by George. When Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife, George thinks that it is best to shoot Lennie rather than to let him face the worse. Ironically, George uses the same gun to kill Lennie as used by Carlson to kill Candy. Thus, it was important to include the scene of the killing of Candy’s dog as Steinbeck wanted to emphasize on the events that will follow next and how Candy and George will be left alone and their plan of having a farm together will never be fulfilled as their best friends will be put down.

Learn more:

1. A __________ is a group of words containing either a subject or a predicate, but not both. brainly.com/question/1593441

2.  Which tense allows for an event that began in the past to carry into the present moment in time? brainly.com/question/510250

Answer Details:  

Grade: Higher-Secondary

Subject: English Literature

Chapter: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Keywords: novella, John Steinbeck, of mice and men, George, Lennie, Candy, Carlson, ranch, dog, killed, foreshadowing, symbolizes, gun.