Candy's physical appearance is used by Steinbeck as an insight into her character. On page 19-20, Candy is described as "a tall, stoop-shouldered old man", which shows us that he once had power and respect as well as being a good worker, however now he is stoop-shouldered and shows that he has lost everything, including his dignity and confidence, which means he is now insecure. “He carried a big broom” indicates that he is insecure about how others see him and wants to appear useful since he could be “boxed in” at any moment. This creates sympathy for Candy because being so insecure when you used to be respected is a difficult circumstance to be in. In the 1930s, there was a lot of discrimination against old age and disability, which is a large part of Candy's insecurity. Candy has a "round stick-like wrist but no hand", this disability makes him less useful on the ranch and so he must prove his usefulness by carrying "a big broom" with him otherwise he risks being fired. Furthermore, Steinbeck uses specific wording to subtly imply certain things. Candy has "no hand" and the ranch workers are called "ranch hands", showing that he is less helpful and isn't even one of them. In the second and third chapters, Candy's dog is used as a metaphor and a direct parallel to Candy himself. . Candy's dog was a "good herding dog when he was young," but is now very different from his days as a herder. It is also a reference to Candy's position on the ranch as Candy was more useful and needed when she was younger and is now in her prime. Carlson tells Candy, regarding the dog, that "he has no teeth, he's all stiff from rheumatism" which are both canine and human aspects of old age, thus paralleling Candy who is getting older and is l...... halfway through paper...he feels stronger when he realizes that it doesn't have to be this way. However, we feel very sorry for him because, unlike him, we know that this dream is far from reality and is unlikely to come true, which will only destroy him. Candy's newfound confidence and happiness. Steinbeck gives Candy a very quiet, unappreciated voice that often conveys helplessness. Candy has little to no power on the ranch and is extremely vulnerable. They discuss Candy's dog and are very insensitive and vulgar just like they say “.it stinks like hell” in their language and we start to believe that Candy isn't even there because she doesn't intervene in the conversation and the other characters obviously don't care much about her feelings or of his presence. However, he remains silent simply because he is helpless and defenseless and therefore has no say in the matter, he has a voice of helplessness that is truly pitiful..