Carlson Character Analysis

From the onset, it is obvious that the author does not emphasize this character. The first thing we know is that he is an insensitive character. He does not want to know how Candy relates to his dog. All that Carlson says is that the dog is old and should be killed. Though, he explains that death is good for the dog, it is still not convincing enough.

Moreover, he is the person that offers to kill the dog since Candy cannot bring himself to do it. Carlson kills the dog with one gunshot. His insensitivity is also seen in the fact that he does not want to know the situation that Lennie is going through. When he is sent to bring the gun so that Lennie can be shot, he does not hesitate to bring it. The only positive thing is that by the time he was going for the gun, George had already stolen it.

To some extent, it can also be said that Carlson is caring. For instance, he may be genuinely concerned about the dog’s health, and that is why he wants it dead to save it from more suffering. Besides, he only kills the dog when he is sure Candy is going to get a puppy.

Carlson comes out as someone daring. While Candy fears killing the dog, Carlson offers to kill it on his behalf. He kills the dog with one shot and does not even shed a tear. That proves that he is courageous.

However, Carlson is friendly. The reader can see that he interacts with the other workers pleasantly. For instance, he makes an inquiry from Slim on how Slim’s dog is doing. Carlson borrows on a puppy from slim to be given to Candy.