In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, when Carlson starts to take Candy’s dog out to be shot, Slim reminds him to “[t]ake a shovel.” What does...

Slim is reminding Carlson that he is going to have to bury the old dog after he shoots it. Steinbeck has Slim say this to Carlson to show that Slim is an authority figure among the workmen. Furthermore, Slim shows that he is brighter and has more foresight than the others.

Slim said, "Carlson."

"Yeah?"

"You know what to do."

"What ya mean, Slim?"

"Take a shovel," said Slim shortly.

"Oh, sure! I get you."He led the dog out into the darkness.

Carlson wasn't thinking about disposing of the body after he killed the dog. But he would have had to think about it once it was dead. Steinbeck wants to have the dog's execution all wrapped up after the men in the bunkhouse hear the shot being fired outdoors. This little episode provides some drama to the chapter because of the conflict between Carlson and Candy over the dog's fate. Steinbeck sprinkles his book with many such minor conflicts to make the entire work dramatic. In Of Mice and Men, events occur in a "naturalistic" manner. The purpose of this particular event is to show that George can see that there is a German Luger, where it is kept, how it is loaded and fired. He will use this knowledge later when he goes to kill Lennie at the riverside campsite. George learns where to point the handgun when Carlson explains to Candy how he can kill his dog painlessly.

"If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head--" he leaned over and pointed, "--right there, why he'd never know what hit him."

The novella was written in such a way that it could be quickly converted into a script for a stage play. The book and play came out the same year, 1937. Steinbeck had to keep the staging in mind when he was writing the story. He has the men hear a shot outside. They all know this means Candy's dog is dead. The burial is also done outside. Steinbeck could not simulate a dog's burial offstage, so he prefigures it for his audience by having Slim and Carlson foretell what will happen. When Slim says, "You know what to do," and Carlson says, "Oh, sure! I get you," they are really explaining to the audience what is going to happen outside. Carlson does not come back for some time after the shot is heard offstage. The audience knows he is digging a hole in some dark, out-of-the-way spot and burying the dog. The dog might be said to symbolize what will happen to all the workmen when they get too old to be useful to the ranch owners.