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.
In contrast to Mayella, Tom Robinson was treated as if he were not worth anything, for example he was being called Boy, big buck, when he was being questioned. When Mr Gilmer asked for Tom’s reason for helping Mayella, Tom admitted he had felt sorry for her. “ ‘.. I felt sorry for her, she seemed to try more’n the rest of ‘em-‘ ..‘You felt sorry for her, you felt sorry for her?’ Mr Gilmer seemed ready to rise to the ceiling”. (Page 217/218) No black man should feel sorry for a white person.
How does Steinbeck use characters and events, to show the social tensions and problems in real California at the time the novel is set? “I’m black, they say I stink. Well I tell you, you all stink to me.” This quote highlights two of the main issues involved in ‘Of Mice and Men,’ that of inequality and racism. Early on in the book we see great prejudice against the stable buck because he is black, he is labelled a “nigger” and is disregarded by other white workers. There are also many other important issues and problems brought up in the book that were linked directly to the real life social problems in rural California which Steinbeck brings to life in a variety of techniques and language styles.
4th October Explore what Crooks contributes to the novel Candy introduces Crooks into the novel as the stable buck. He talks about how the boss “gives the stable buck hell” because he is a “nigger”. Crooks is the only black man in the novel and therefore takes the role of showing how black people were discriminated by a white society. The characters’ use of racist language and the casual use of the term “nigger” to describe Crooks suggests that it was seen acceptable for Crooks to be treated with no respect this way. However Candy does describe Crooks as a “nice fella”.
Crooks retaliates with this: “Cause I’m black, they play cards in there but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well I tell you, all of you stink to me” (Steinbeck 68). This is Crooks’ attempt in showing that he desperately wants to join in, to be accepted, but because of his color he can’t and he feels the only way he can make himself better is to cut himself off further, it is a vicious cycle. When Crooks realizes that Lennie means no harm, and will not leave him alone, he invites him to “Come on in and set a while” (Steinbeck 69).
The theme of racism is expressed throughout the book by the black character, Crooks. The way the characters treat Crooks in the book shows the racism of the characters and how they act around Crooks. One instance is when Lennie decides to go visit Crooks because his light is on. Crooks acts extremely bitter towards Lennie by saying “You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room.
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).
Therefore, the black community in Maycomb was crippled with fear. A fear that they will get lynched for a crime they did not commit. Stereotyping is a human instinct. We will always stereotype people's race, class and families. When Aunt Alexandra lived with the Finches, she said this to Scout about the Cunninghams, "Because he is trash, that's why you cant play with him.
He feels isolated and bitter. He is the victim of oppressive violence and prejudice on the ranch. When he first meets Lennie, there is an immediate rejection of friendship mainly due to the anguish of his loneliness. · ‘Well, I got a right to have a light. You go on get outa my room.
Despite Crooks initial hostility to Lennie, he is obviously desperate for company and invites him in, telling Lennie how he fears for his own sanity and that “books ain’t no good” for company. As he tells Lennie, Crooks is so desperate for “just talking, being with another guy” that he tolerates a visitor who has no idea about what he is actually talking about and cannot offer any real sympathy or company. Steinbeck is very explicit about the fact that Crooks is separated from the others solely because he is black (even the similarly crippled Candy gets to share the bunkhouse with the men) and shows the social injustice with Crooks innocent childhood memories of life on his father’s