Candy's Dog Quotes

From this extract we can see that the killing of candy’s dog is an important part of the novel, because it shows the loss of a companion for candy, making him even more alone than he already is and showing us how strong his relationship was with his old dog. Also, it shows how ruthless the ranch hands can be and selfish for not caring for candy’s feelings about the death of his dog. As well as that, the death of Candy’s dog testifies to the pitiless process by which the strong attack and eliminate the weak.
Candy and his dog have a co-dependent relationship, that is, both of them are dependent on each other. They are both old and are helpless, seemingly falling apart with age. Candy had his dog since it was a puppy and always cared for it; the dog was his only real
The main reason why he shot the dog was because he thought it smelt awful, “God awmighty that dog stinks” and that he was old and was in bad health. “He’s all stiff with rheumatism/ he got no teeth/he ain’t no good t you, Candy” Carlson is selfish about Candy’s feelings; he doesn’t seem to care that, that dog had been Candy’s since it was a puppy and was candy’s only companion and that Candy would not want to kill it just because Carlson wants the dog dead. “Shoot him right in the back of the head-/-right there, why he’d never know what hit him.” Carlson eventually takes the dog out of the room and shoots it; Candy does not try to stop him, he just sits there looking up at the ceiling, he doesn’t do anything, because slim agrees with Carlson that he should shoot it and Slim agreed to give Candy one of his puppies. Candy does not wish to defy Slim, due to his authority above the rest. This seems cowardly of Candy, as Candy loved that dog. “Candy did not move nor answer him.” After the shooting of candy’s dog not one ranch hand asked if he was okay, as his dog was just killed, they just carried on with their game of