Crooks, a black stable-hand, is segregated because of the pigment of his skin. Steinbeck depicts discrimination through Crooks’ isolation from other men, his desire for friendship, and his way of turning his vulnerability into a weapon. First, Steinbeck demonstrates Crooks’ loneliness through his separation from the other men on the ranch. Initially, the other ranch hands discriminate Crooks because of his disability that sets him apart from them. Steinbeck describes Crooks’ living condition to be, “For being alone…Crooks could leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men” (67).
Crooks, named for his crooked back, is one of the most vulnerable characters on the ranch, mostly due to his race combined with general racist attitudes at the time. He lives by himself because he is the only black man on the ranch, and he has been so beaten down by loneliness and prejudicial treatment of that he is now suspicious of any kindness he receives. Crooks is painfully aware that his skin color is all that keeps him separate in this culture. This outsider status causes him to lament his loneliness, but he also delights in seeing the loneliness of others, perhaps because misery loves company. When Lennie arrives at his room, he turns him away, hoping to prove a point that if he, as a black man, is not allowed in white men’s houses, then whites are not allowed in his, but his desire for company ultimately wins out and he invites Lennie to sit with him.
This is apparent within Willy and his sons. Willy is driven to commit his greatest wrong by feelings of shame that arise out of his sense of inadequacy as a man. His adulterous affair with “The Woman” in Boston, which haunts both him and his son Biff, is a desperate attempt to confirm and maintain his self-esteem. (Fred Ribkoff 123) Willy feels guilty because he let Biff down when he got caught cheating in Boston and of course he let his wife down. Willy cheats on Linda out of loneliness and he wants to feel like an important salesman because he cannot face the fact that he’s not.
Lennie is considered as an outsider because of his mental disability. Crooks is considered an outsider because he is an old black man whom back is hurt and can’t really stand up straight the reason why he’s even working in the ranch is because he’s the only one who knows how to keep the stables in control. Candy is considered an outsider because he’s an old man with one of his hands disabled. Curley’s wife was considered as an outsider
I tell ya," he cried, "I'll tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick" (Steinbeck 72). Crooks does not have anyone to talk to, this shows another side of him. While he talks about men in general feeling lonely, he really is talking about the way he feels. Crooks is mostly affected because he is shut down from activities and the workers in the ranch mistreat him because he is black. While talking to Candy he says, ".
Therefore, it brings people who are often associated with these stereotypes a lot of inconvenience in their daily life. There are three authors who are talking about different racial stereotypes in their articles. The first article "The Myth of Latina Woman" (1993) by Judith Ortiz Cofer argues that the negative
Paul despises his common life so much that he feels he must hid it from his peers through lies. He tells them false information of his ‘upper class’ life, such as announcing his travels to far off places, to make them believe he is above the average middle class person. Every lie Paul tells, the further away he gets from realizing and appreciating the good that is already present in his life (such as family) and from
This just goes to show that these character’s disabilities have caused them to be viewed as being lower in importance and power. Steinbeck also presents the lack of power through race with Crooks. Crooks is discriminated against and made to sleep with the horses as if he, himself is an animal. The way the other workers act towards crooks is completely inhumane and because of his nationality, he is unable to do anything about it. He is beat up and used as a human punching bag by the boss when he needs to let off a bit of steam.
As the novel goes on we see that Crooks accepts things the way they overall are. Crooks doesn’t talk to the other men and they don’t talk to him. This causes the greatest amount of loneliness in Crooks out of all the characters. When Crooks states “I tell ya a guy get to lonely an he gets sick” ( Steinbeck; 73). This quote shows that rejection can cause most people to become crazy, as it did to Crooks.
His father was very laid back and accomplished nothing in life and Okonkwo hated him for it. Okonkwo’s eldest son Nwoye is lazy and weak from an early age. Okonkwo’s fear of his father’s laziness rubbing off on his son Nwoye changes Okonkwo from hero to villain when he beats him to make himself more masculine. What he thinks is helping his family is actually causing pain. Okonkwo’s wives are often beaten for the simplest of things, sometimes even for not explaining to him where they have gone.