Many characters Of Mice and Men are either isolated or alone. The three characters I chose were Crook, Curley, and Curley’s Wife. Crook is a African American stable buck. Curley is a Lightweight boxer. Curley’s wife is a pretty women.
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.
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.
Imagine being discriminated by your community due to your ethnicity, or being the only women stuck in a loveless marriage, or having to kill your friend, and bury all chances of breaking free from the life of the average migrant worker. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck develops a conclusion based off how people survived in a modern tragedy Crooks, the African American stable buck, is isolated from the community of migrant workers because of his race. When Lennie goes into the barn to see his puppy, he and Crooks have a conversation. “'Why ain't you wanted?' Lennie asked.
John Steinbeck uses Crooks, an african american man, as an example of discrimination. An example is, “’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me.”
In the novella, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck illustrates a ranch in the 1930’s during the great depression where those who fit into mainstream society run the show, and those deemed “outcasts” are rendered useless. Steinbeck depicts characters with setbacks that diminish their value in the eyes of society, and contrasts them to characters that have no difficulties conforming to the norm. Crooks, being a black man isolated by his race, and Candy, a elderly man limited by his age and missing limb are examples of Steinbeck characters that experience hardships because of the differences. The poor treatment of Crooks and Candy by the other characters, and their chronic unhappiness in a place that doesn’t value them, comments on how
The Book “Of Mice And Men” by John Steinbeck was written in the late 1930s. A time period in which racism and sexism were acceptable. These themes are represented in this book by the characters of Crooks and Curley’s wife. They were both victims of this discrimination, which could give the reader historical context. Crooks suffered discrimination through racism.
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.
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.
Definitions can be rather difficult things. There are, of course, dictionary definitions, but that’s often not (for lack of a better word) good enough. Definitions are generally very personal, as they are feelings and such that one associates with that specific word. Take, for example, the words “loneliness” and “solitude”. Crooks, a character from John Steinbeck’s highly esteemed novel Of Mice and Men, is an African American living in the U.S. during the 1930’s, or the (notorious) era of the Great Depression.
Steinbeck’s characterization and setting expresses his belief that it is both social barriers and personal choice that causes the loneliness and isolation of the characters. Civil rights caused separation and isolation towards black people when Of Mice and Men took place. As Crooks mention himself “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I 'm black.
