Candy did however have compensation for losing his arm, which he had kept saved encase he needed it. He worried about his future on the farm, so he tried to secure a sure future caring for Lenny and George when they bought their house. Steinbeck showed in the novel how the elderly were put on the scrap heap. They were seen as less important, useless and a waste of time. This affected Curley in a negative way, making him always fearful for his future.
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.
...read more. Crooks is being quite malevolent, and tries to order Lennie around, showing more desperation for power. Crooks is painfully aware that his skin colour is all that keeps him separate in this culture. He also knows that due to his skin colour, if he says anything it doesn't matter and his feelings aren't thought of. 'This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted back nigger.
She had bigger dreams than just being a housewife and I think being the only woman on the farm stifles her. She looks to the men on the farm for friendship and companionship, but obviously they take it as flirting and in order to stay out of trouble with Curley, they stay away from her. This increases Curley’s wife’s loneliness. Curley’s wife represents women in the 1930’s during the Great Depression. Women in the 1930’s were seen by men as scheming and devious.
For example George states she is a ‘tramp’. Her relations with Curley are troubled and extremely scarce as they are never once seen with one another. Steinbeck portrays many acts of Curley’s wife that significantly affect the reader’s relationship with her. Two prime examples would be when she enters Crook’s barn and shows a shear amount of prejudice to Crooks, Lennie and Candy. Secondly, towards the end of the novella, the readers see her as an innocent woman due to the way she ‘consoles’ Lennie.
The racial discrimination from the 1930s in America highly affects him, “ they play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all stink to me”, this quote shows that Crooks gets bitter because of loneliness. When Crooks scares Lennie about George not coming back, Crooks “face lighted with pleasure in his torture”, this quote demonstrates what George meant when he told Slim: “I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good… they get mean”.
Of Mice and Men-Loneliness and Isolation Steinbeck uses Loneliness and Isolation as two main themes in 'Of Mice and Men' due to the effects of the Great Depression on ordinary people in the agricultural areas of America. The Great Depression was a time when many workers lost their jobs; people became unemployed and the country was at the point of being bankrupt. These issues caused loneliness and isolation to the people within the agricultural areas of the USA. The Depression was also a time where the rate of unemployment was high and even jobs that were available were of very low pay, this was because of seasonal farming. This affected agricultural areas the most.
All the characters suffer with unhappiness in their lives because none of them can escape the misery of being on their own. While starting the novel we are told by George ‘Guys like us that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world.’ By this George means if they didn’t have each other, than he and Lennie would be all alone. While the novel continues to the first introduction of the ranch, everyone seems lonely. Crooks experiences the most isolation because the society is extremely racist. He
“After you my dear Alphonse” is written ironic because we hear Johnny say to Boyd “After you my dear Alphonse”, but Mrs. Wilson thinks that all black people are poor and underfed, so it should be Boyd, who say it to Johnny. That’s how Mrs. Wilson wants it to be. This story takes place in America, and this is how the people often are small-minded, and ignorant in small-town communities. Racism is not a theme in this short story, because racism is too big to use, where KKK (Ku Klux Klan) is based on racism. KKK is an extremist organization in the U.S who only wants the U.S for white, and its exercise of white power and racism.
Crooks reacts to this by pushing him away. However, his lonesome takes over by letting his guard down and letting Lennie stay a while. Therefore, this character shows that all he ever wanted was a companion by his side. Another character that relates to the critical lens is Curleys wife. This character relates to the critical lens because although she is married to Curley many times she is found trying to talk to the other men on the ranch.