CROOKS DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF CROOKS IN THE NOVELLA OF MICE AND MEN. CONTEXT 1930’s America was a tough place to live in for black people, or in fact, anybody that was not white. During this time, black people were treated like second class citizens and frequently found themselves segregated and ostracised due only to the fact of the colour of their skin. They did not have the same rights as white people and in some parts of America were in fact considered no better than animals. The rise of white supremacist groups such as the KKK during this era also meant that black people had to ‘know their place’ for if they didn’t they often faced severe punishment.
Steinbeck also suggests that Crooks is extremely lonely, when he quotes, 'Crooks could leave his things about'. Therefore, Crooks had no worries that someone will enter his room and mess things about because never experienced another man entering his personal quarters which is highlighted by the scattered personal items on the floor. On another point, Crooks is mean to Lennie to make himself feel better but I guess the reader could forgive him for it because of his awful state and lonely life he leads. His possessions
Crooks got his name from his "crooked back," this would mean that he could not do much manual labour because he is not as fit as the other workers due to his physical impairment, suggesting that black people at the time were considered useless to society. We first hear of Crooks when Candy calls him a "nigger," in our time this would be seen as racism and unacceptable. This implies that the term "nigger" is acceptable during the time period. The term "nigger" is used by most of the ranch hands, this proves that the term is used casually and black people were naturally seen as not worthy and lesser humans. Steinbeck also shows Crooks’s room on the ranch in great detail.
He is ignored by everyone on the ranch because he is black , this makes his character bitter and mean"Books ain't no good . A guy need somebody to be near him . "Crooks mainly keeps his distance between himself and the other men at the ranch to ensure he doesn't cause any problems . When Lennie approaches him in his bunk house his first reaction to him is fuelled by envy by his and Georges friendship .Crooks teases Lennie and makes out that George wont be coming back for him *quote*. He only does this to Lennie to show him what it like for him having nobody there and how he needs a companion , like Lennie and George ."
I’ll tell you! Your fathers no better than the niggers and trash he works for!” When the kids had told Atticus, Atticus didn’t take it to heart because he knew Mrs Dubose was old. But the kids where really upset when they she had told them that and they thought she was a mean, cranky old lady. Social prejudice was expressed well in this book. It shows how a person’s wealth and background can affect their lives.
Crooks also has a fake hope that he is protected by his “wrights” but toughs are dashed by his argument with Curlys wife. "S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black...Sure, you could play horseshoes 'til dark, but then you have to read books." This shows that Crooks pities his own circumstances and vulnerability. However on pg73 "his tone was a little more friendly" and pg77 "I didn't mean to scare you" gives us the impression that Crooks has a kind heart under his mean exterior. Crooks brings into perspective the lonely experienced of all the characters in "Of Mice and Men" by saying on pg77 "Books ain't no good.
They were never judged as the people that they were, but only by the colour of their skin. She was assumed to be a bad influence on the children, and an unfit feminine figure. She was disrespected and not surprisingly treated as a “slave” by Scout’s aunt and Atticus’ sister, Alexandra, who was also brought into the Finch’s house to rub off “positive” attitude on the children. Another aspect of racism in To Kill A Mockingbird was towards Tom Robinson, a black man who was accused of raping Mayella Ewell, even though he was paralyzed in his one arm, making him unable to lay a hand on her, let alone rape her. In the end, after a long trial, he was pleaded guilty, even though his lawyer, Atticus Finch, proved he did not do it.
Alienation is complete isolation without close companionship. It is caused by being so set apart or disliked by others around them. Alienation presents itself in various forms: having no friends, meaning no social life, big age difference with those around a person, living alone, exclusion from activites, being mean in a group of kind people, and much more. The type of people most alienated were the ones with mental or physical disorders. They were outcasts in society back then, but not as much these days.
When members of society are discriminated, they start to develop feelings of loneliness which affect their self-esteem and general self worth. Crooks, the African American was discriminated due to his race which caused him to be seen as a lonely, bitter, quiet individual, the insecurity that possessed Curley’s wife caused her to be seen as a superficial, flirtatious female character but readers learnt that loneliness caused this persona and Candy who had only one companionship experienced solitude due to the loss of his dog and because of being an elder, disabled worker. Often in our society, we are discriminated due to our physical characteristics, race and genders; this makes us vulnerable to the feeling of loneliness. To overcome this, we need to seek companionship in someone who will make us feel accepted and
The word “nigger” is also designed to make the reader feel inferior and ashamed of the way the character has been treated. However Candy justifies his Bosses actions as he sees nothing wrong or immoral in them. By doing this Steinbeck is showing the reader that the society was used to this kind of treatment and that it was applied towards black people on everyday life bases. This quotation shows us that black people’s rights were very limited and that they were not able to stand up for their believes and they accepted the racism they had to endure with. Secondly we are told about Crooks humble accommodation, and the way he had been isolated from the rest of the society due to the fact that he is not a white resident.