How does Steinbeck demonstrate the idea that The Great Depression was a lonely period using the relationship between Candy and his Dog?
Candy's dog is to Candy is as Lennie is to George. Both are Lennie and Candy's dog are both considered liabilities on their own. Lennie is strong and can work hard but without George, he is merely like a child. Candy's dog is a liability because, like Lenny, he is completely dependent on someone else. I a world that only rewarded productivity of the fittest; there was no place for the dog and Lennie. Their only saving grace was a person who loved them. The shooting of the dog becomes a harbinger for the shooting of Lenny. The depression only magnifies the sense of desperation and loneliness.
