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African american literature quizlet
Prejudice and discrimination against african americans in 1950
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Crooks (named crooks after being kicked in the back by a horse) is a very controversial character as he is the only black member of the farm and doesn’t actually feature to much in the book. When he is in it though most of what we find out is when Lenny walks into his room. From the start its clear that crooks is a very abused and defensive because he says “You got no right to come in my room” as soon as he notices Lennie stood in his room even though Lennie doesn’t really see any difference between skin colour and doesn’t understand why this is happening. Most of what can be known about Crooks is from the items in his room. His room is actually connected to the barn showing they do not value him as a person but only as a stable buck.
In the story Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the author emphasizes a main character, Lennie, as unworldly and ignorant. Throughout the book Lennie gives the impression through his unobservant innocent acts as a childlike character. For example, Lennie endeavors to create friendships as though a child and does not know how to make friends in the manner of an adult. When Lennie tries to make friends with Crooks, Steinbeck describes Lennie smiling at Crooks in attempting to be friends.
“(Candy) said miserably, “You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothin like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs.”’
In the 1930s, African Americans were casted away from all white people, leading them to loneliness. This topic is explored in John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men. The story takes place in California during the 1930s, a time when black people were hated by the majority of white people. Crooks, a black ranch worker lives in his own bunkhouse because most of the white ranch workers do not want to live with a black ranch worker. Most ranch workers dislike Crooks, and Crooks despises all of the ranch workers.
When world renowned author, John Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men, America went into an uproar, because he created a detailed and realistic account of the time period as he tells the tale of the main characters, George and Lennie. Readers are forced to contemplate their own past experiences and how those have affected the way they perceive their fantasies. He depicts the grit, dedication, and harshness of the reality it takes to reach our dreams. In his novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses symbolism, parallelism, and pathos to portray the American Dream through the lives and deaths of the characters. John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men portrays the American Dream through symbolic characters.
Of Mice and Men “listen, nigger,” she said. “you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” (pg.80). This shows how the word “nigger” is used to control a black person. In the book of Mice and Men the word “nigger” is used quite often but towards crooks, since he is the only black person in the book.
-Crooks In the book, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck masterfully uses the character of Crooks in order to show the discrimination black people currently face at the time the novel is set. Crooks is one of the many characters that reinforces the theme of alienation or loneliness that is constantly being carried out throughout the story. The quote shown above is an indication of how lonely Crooks is, and how he constantly feels the need for company and human interaction.
How is Crooks presented by Steinbeck in Of Mice and Men? The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck is set in 1930s America, during the Great Depression. Racism was widespread at the time, with the abolition of slavery occurring just 70 years earlier and society was dominated by white people. Steinbeck explores this using the character Crooks, a black negro stable buck who experiences this harsh racial prejudice first hand.
Crooked Treatment In the 1930’s, racism was the norm to both blacks and whites. This is evident in John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men. Life on the ranch is much harder for blacks because of the social standard of life during this time period. This is demonstrated on one of the characters in this novel, Crooks.
In the novel Of Mice and Men and the 1930s in general people were brutally judged and treated differently because of the color of their skin and what gender they were. John Steinbeck shows elements of how race and gender are obstacles into the American Dream through Curley's wife and Crooks, a colored stable buck. Steinbeck uses the 1930s as a backdrop of a society infiltrated with racism and sexism, obstructing their characters path to achieving the American Dream. Steinbeck’s novel stands as a testament to the societal change present now where racism and sexism has progressed for the better.
As society has become an integral part of the world’s culture, the opinions and misconceptions of others have dominated the way people live. Throughout history, certain groups and ideas have been suppressed by the ones in charge. These actions have sprouted an almost universal indifference to those deemed less than ideal, and therefore created a divide in the way society sees race, age groups and even gender. Coupled with the Great Depression, these beliefs are the driving force for the majority of problems individuals experience in the text. In the novel Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck uses the device of conflict to portray the external struggles of characters living in the era of the Great Depression.
The words of Smith ring true when analyzing the characterization and language of Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men through a race lens. Steinbeck’s novella brings light to the harsh cruelty and segregation towards minorities in the 1930s. The obvious example of segregation is Crooks. Crooks, being the only non white on the
Crooks Crooks has a very unfair position in society. He is the most sympathetic character in the book. Crooks is treated unequally because of his race, and in the story white men are given more privileges. Crooks is very old and has not had the best life. At his work, his boss and many workers do not treat him right.
John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California on February 27, 1902 he grown up in middle class home where his father was a multiple job holding to feed the family and his mother was a schoolteacher. Steinbeck only went to college in pursuit to please his parents because he drifted in and out for six years and still came out with no degree. (Biography.com) Now that you have some background information about john I’m now give you information into where he got the idea of writing Of Mice and Men in an interview with New York Times John said “Lennie was a real person. I worked alongside him for many weeks. He didn’t kill a girl.
In the novel “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck portrays the theme of social injustice throughout the story in the lives of several characters that include Lennie, Curley’s Wife, and the stable buck, Crooks. All of these characters are mistreated in some way, shape or form. The hardships that these characters faced help guide us to see the social injustice that is prevalent in the story. Lennie is a victim of social injustice due to the fact that he is mentally disabled. He is not treated fairly when he was accused of rape.
