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.
The loneliest person on the ranch has to be Crooks, who suffers from extreme loneliness because he is black and he is living in a ranch and the surrounding area which is very racist. He lives by himself, because the other men do not like him. He does not take part in any of the social activities in the ranch and is left out completely. He is so lonely that he turns to books, which soon becomes boring and
Crooks has to go through life on the ranch without any real friends and no one to talk to. Crooks spends his time reading books but this is not enough as he would like someone to talk to. None of the men in the ranch talk to crooks, as he is black. Another example of a character being lonely would be Curley’s wife. She is an example as she is the only woman on the ranch and tries to make friends by flirting with the other men.
The room is made out to be a privilege because it keeps him closer to the horses, but in fact it is really because the other hands do not want him sharing a bunk house with them. As a result of this prejudice Crooks has become bitter and very lonely. When Lennie comes to pet puppies, not even knowing that Crooks’ room is ‘out of bounds’ he tries to enter it; Crooks instantly becomes uncivil “I ain’t wanted in the bunk room and you ain’t wanted in my room”(Steinbeck 68). Lennie with his childish innocence is completely without prejudice “Why ain’t you wanted” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks retaliates with this: “Cause I’m black, they play cards in there but I can’t play because I’m black.
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
He states that the worst thing about being poor isn’t because of not having enough food but not having enough money to support him in difficult times. He even motivates himself by thinking “being hungry makes food taste better” (8). The worst thing happened to him that makes him hates being poor is when his family doesn’t have enough money to bring their dog to the doctor. By saying “I want to hate dad and mom for our poverty. I wanted to blame them for my sick dog and for all the other sickness in the world.” Although he doesn’t want to blames his parent and their previous generation to have born in a poor situation, he doesn’t have any order choice.
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.
Whereas Curley's wife feels lonely because she IS alone with nothing to but sit in her house and has no one to talk to and gains sympathy based off that. Some people feel lonely at times and are trying to figure out why. Crooks is lonely because he suffers discrimination from the workers on the ranch for being the only worker of color. While all the other workers get to sleep in the bunk house, Crooks has to sleep in the barn because no one will let him stay with them. “It's cause I’m black.
What is loneliness? Loneliness is when you have nobody there for you when you feel like it’s only you in the world and you keep everything inside you. Of Mice and Men, a novel by John Steinbeck, relates to loneliness because of the character Crooks. Crooks is discriminated against everyday. Everyone stays away from him because he’s black.
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).