Crooks confines himself in solitude. Crooks, a colored man, was situated along the horse stables, in a shack, by the commander. For his skin color complexion, Crooks suffers from discrimination, leading to isolation. Declaring his loneliness, Crooks proclaims, “ … there ain’t a colored man on this ranch an’ there’s jus’ one family in Soledad… If I say something, Why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it” (Steinbeck 70).
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.
In the book “of Mice and Men”, Crooks works as a stable buck on the ranch. Crooks is an older man as textual evidence states “His lean face was lined with deep wrinkles”,pg.67, paragraph 3. I can surmise he is an angry man because on page 73, paragraph 3 it states ‘A guy sets alone out here at night, maybe reading books or thinkin’ or stuff like that! Crooks is a very lonely man out in the barn. Based on pg.74 paragraph 1 Crooks states ‘’ Your nuts I’ve seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’’ on ranches, with their bindles on their back on that same damn things in there heads.
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.
Based on the principles of rights ethics, individuals have certain privileged rights and one of them is privacy and protection against invasion of personal rights and property. Individual rights can be moral, legal or ethical in nature and have to be respected by everyone, be it the person next door or the government. Thus, NSA’s interference into the personal lives of U.S citizens and foreign nationals, by collecting data without their knowledge, is nowhere near ethical or moral. If they had to do so based on so called reasons of “national security”, NSA should have disclosed their actions to the public and justified their mode of operation. Overall, national security is important so safeguard the nation, but at the same time, individual
Humanity can have a different meaning to everybody, but to John Steinbeck and many others, racism is not humane. Lennie has to tend to the puppy, so he ends up going to the shed, where Crooks lives. Crooks, as an African American, is not allowed to do much at the barn, which is why he doesn’t let others in his room. Lennie of
Steinbeck displays through the dialogue and characterizations that these characters experience isolation because of both social barriers and personal choice. Crooks being an African-American on the ranch, full of whites, struggles racially which causes his withdrawal from the society. Crooks explains to Lennie his when he’s accompanied by him “ A guy goes nuts if he ain 't got nobody. Don 't make no difference who the guy is long’s
However, Steinbeck also uses light and darkness to show the hidden sides of neglected characters such as Crooks. Crooks, the negro stable buck, is portrayed to have died from the inside and is living merely as a breathing corpse. Not because of the fact that he could not achieve the American Dream or live a lavish life. But, simply because of the fact that he is a negro who is surfeited of being ill treated and discriminated. “His eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity.”, give the impression that inside Crooks is full of anger and indignation.
Contrasting Crooks’ somber attitude with Lennie's undying innocence makes it clear where Steinbeck stands on the matter. For example, Crooks is temporarily seduced by the idea of Lennie and George’s farm, but is almost immediately brought down by reality, and Curley’s wife. She brings him back to the reality of a black man at the time, saying: "Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny" (39). After this event occurs, Crooks disregards his rare idealism, saying that he “wouldn’ want to go no place like that” (41).
Since Crooks is a colored man Crooks distances himself from others, because he does not want to cause trouble. For example, when Lennie tried to go his room he dismissed Lennie with “ I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse, and you ain’t wanted in my room”(68). Through Crooks’s response Steinbeck reveals how lonely Crooks really is. He wishes to be part of the group, but because of his skin color he felt isolated. This caused him to set up barriers between himself
Crooks is used as a plot device by Steinbeck to explore themes like discrimination towards black people in the 1930s. “The stable buck’s a nigger” and because of this, Crooks has less hope than the other men. Crooks is presented as an intelligent man despite his race: “a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California Civil Code 1905.” “Tattered” means worn out; this implies that Crooks often reads these books, and enjoys reading them. This is proof that Crooks is able to read, which suggests his intelligence, but also shows us he is aware of the rights he is entitled to as a black man.
The reader is led to believe this through the author's quotes when Lennie asks, "Why ain't you wanted?”, and Crooks responds, "Because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.” (P. 68). The reader understands that Crooks is not accepted by the other workers on the ranch because of his race.
Working all the time and ultimately lead to some sort of mishap, unfortunately, Candy had an accident and lost his hand. He has to make sure that he can still perform his job well so that he doesn't get fired. He needs a backup just in case he does get let go. George and Lennie share their dream to Candy, it is very appealing to him, he regained faith in his life that he won’t end up without a home if he were to get fired. He is willing to work for them and to pitch in so they all can have a place to stay.
Crooks is a black man who isn’t allowed to be in the house with all the men. The men won’t allow him to come in because of his color. Crooks is lonely and he doesn’t bother the men. One night Lennie came in and was talking to Crooks and telling them about the farm that they were going to get. For once Crooks thought well maybe I won’t be lonely I could go with them and don’t have worry about none of them.
