Society treated people with different skin color, particularly African Americans, awfully and treating them like slaves because they believed that African Americans were inferior to upper class. John Steinbeck, author of the novella Of Mice and Men described society’s racism against Crooks, the African American stable buck. Crooks was isolated from others and being required to stay in own
Then Steinbeck opened the character up by talking him to Lenny. Crooks felt as if he could be totally open with Lenny because Lenny couldn’t properly follow track of the conversation and wouldn’t tell anyone else what he has said. This showed the readers the suffering that black people suffered. For example Crooks says to Lenny “Spose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black.” This shows the social outcast that black people were. By including this character, John Steinbeck was protesting that treating black people as social outcasts and as second class was not fair.
The men who view him this way are totally different from each other. For example, George plays the role of the family member to Lennie, which at times makes him act cruel towards Lennie. At first, Crooks views Lennie as just another one of the workers who treats him badly then later realizes he is a nice and caring man. Curley on the other hand strongly dislikes big men and being that Lennie is a big guy, Curley never gives Lennie a chance to be friends. Lennie is viewed by s few characters in the novel and it affects their characterization.
Everybody refers to Crooks as a “nigger”, and although using that slang is common in that era, it is still derogatory. Even Candy, who is relatively polite and nice to Crooks, still refers to Crooks as a “nigger”. He also tells of other people’s view of Crooks by saying, “The boss gives him (Crooks) hell when he’s mad,” (22). The boss obviously sees Crooks differently than some other low class ranch workers, and then specifically picks on Crooks. The workers also segregate Crooks from their activities and game.
This results in Dimmesdale having to hide his guilt when he is out in public, which in return slowly destroys his soul because he usually is not put into a position where he must lie. If Dimmesdale is to confess his sin he will no longer have to hide it, just like Hester which will result in the mending of his body and soul. Secondly, since Dimmesdale is seen as such a pure and holy man it is extremely difficult for him to confess. When Dimmesdale has to hide his guilt he turns into a, “poor, miserable man! What right had infirmity like his to burden it with crime?
CROOKS Crooks, like Curley’s wife has no name. Crooks is merely a nick name and it appears that the novel does not mention the most inferior characters names. He appreciates Lennie’s company “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely, an’ he gets sick.” Crooks is happy to admit that he has no company and is isolated because of his colour, he also admits to have no dream as he is afraid of being disappointed. It seems lonely characters can talk to Lennie as he will not tell anyone. Crooks is used to being ignored and as a result of this he is very protective of his possessions “Ya got no right to come in my room!” The characters are rendered helpless by their isolation, and yet, even at their weakest, they seek to destroy those who are even weaker than
27 October 2011 Title Harper Lee’s book, To Kill a Mockingbird, is full of moral wrongdoings and unfair treatment toward the already broken black community of Monroville, Alabama. The majority of the ill treatment is overlooked by the whites of the small, southern town. Atticus Finch, the father of Scout and Jem Finch, and the lawyer appointed to Tom Robinson, is a morally sound man who tries to instill his beliefs in his young children. According to Atticus it is wrong to kick a man while is he is down, or knowingly take advantage of someone. He reinforces this belief by saying “The one place a man ought to get a square deal is when is in the court room, be he any color of the rainbow, but people have ways of carrying the resentments right
Crooks personality makes him not have any friends, he is not the type of person who would want friends. If he wanted friends he would have made a little more of an effort and talk to the other men in the ranch.
Steinbeck introduces Crooks as a black man. We begin to learn about Crooks through gossip with Candy calling him derogatory terms like 'nigger' and 'stable buck'. The way he is openly referred to as 'nigger' exemplifies the casual racism directed towards him by the others- they don't insult him deliberately, but the use of the term shows he is constantly degraded both verbally and physically. This suggests to us that he is a social outcast. Readers at the time would have related to the situation as racism was still a common habit in the 1930s.
Atticus was there to protect him, and keep the mob away. “And I hope and pray I can get Jem and Scout through it without bitterness, and most of all, without catching Maycomb’s usual disease. Why reasonable people go stark raving mad when anything involving a Negro comes up,” (Lee 117). Atticus was constantly worried throughout the novel about his children catching