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.
I chose these people because they are either lonely or isolated. Crook is an African American stable buck who was kicked in the back by a horse and gave him a crooked back. They only mentioned crooks name a few times until chapter 3. Crooks is isolated in this story because he has a lot of items on the ranch. One of the items that tells us he's the oldest is because Crooks has a WW2 Right Book.
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.
This goes with the thesis proving that Curly has anger issues that could cause him to do the wrong thing and cause problems for him or for others. Crooks has an impairment of his own and that is that he has a crooked back. Crooks is the stable hand at the ranch and he has a crooked back thus his name suggests. Crooks got his crooked back from when he got kicked in the back by one of the horses he tends at the stables. This physical impairment make working at a ranch challenging to complete his daily tasks.
He is not even viewed as a human being, and therefore sleeps with the horses in the barn, on page eighty one, Curley’s wife says to Crooks, “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.”. This enhances how alienated Crooks is, as they threaten to kill him like some common
He feels brought down and dehumanized. After Curley’s wife left, Candy tells Crooks that she shouldn’t have said those things. Crooks says, “it wasn’t nothing…you guys comin’ in an’ settin made me forget. What she says is true” (82). This shows that Crooks knows that even though he thought he could get a place with the other guys, he knows is would never happen, because he is black and he will always be treated
Crooks is by far the most pitiful of the three outcasts. We have to keep in mind the setting of this novel. In this time period in history, black people were oppressed. Crooks was not allowed to play cards with the other men, nor was he allowed in the bunkhouse (68). He had to stay out in the stable with the animals, because that’s how big the difference was between him and the other guys.
American statesman and former president of the United States, John Adams questioned if it, “Is the jealousy of power, and the envy of superiority, so strong in all men, that no considerations of public or private utility are sufficient to engage their submission to rules for their own happiness?” But fails to challenge if ambition, thoughts, and the barrier of vulnerability are commonalities that contribute to the constant need for power. Both ideas are prevalent in Of Mice and Men, a story that takes place in the times of the great depression and is ruled by men who are constantly striving to be superior than the rest. Specifically, throughout the book John Steinbeck illustrates how people often use power and predatory instinct to take advantage of others to combat the reality of their own
Antagonists in a story oppose and cause problems for the protagonists and other characters. One way an antagonist causes problems is based on their characterization. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck starts the story with Lennie and George who takes a job at a ranch in order to achieve their American dream. There, they meet Curley’s wife who they see as having a capacity for trouble. In the end, Curley’s wife tries to talk with Lennie, resulting in her accidental death.
The definition of a sympathetic character is one whom the writer expects the reader to identify with and care about, though not necessarily admire. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, Curley’s wife, a main character in the book is blatantly portrayed as an unsympathetic character. This is because they only see her through the men's eyes, who only see her as a tiresome object, owned by her husband. Steinbeck’s portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair and misogynistic because he only displays her as unintelligent and promiscuous, never has a character have a turning point where they realize she’s more than an object, and he never reveals her true name. The first reason that Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley’s wife is unfair is that he never gives Curley any redeeming personality traits, he only depicts her as unintelligent and promiscuous.
Lonely, ignored, different, and unaccepted, Crooks is a segregated African American character in the fictional novella, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck. Crooks is the considered the lower class on the farm; he is also isolated from most of his co-workers. The main reason why Crooks is treated like this is because of his race. The theme statement, racial discrimination affects African Americans negatively, is best illustrated by Crooks.
Crooks feels discriminated against and is defensive and angry with the other men for not including him. Another quote which displays Crooks's loneliness is, "S'pose you didn't have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How'd you like that? Spose You had to sit out here an read books.
Crooks is an African American farm worker that works with horses on the land. Being a colored person in this era was harsh, and the color of your skin automatically determined the amount of power you would have, so African Americans did not have power compared to everyone else in society. “Lennie watched her, his mouth half open. Crooks had retired into the terrible protective dignity of the negro.” (79;ch.4).
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.
Crooks is very lonely and solitude for being alone every day. As a result, he wants to have friends who he can communicate with. No one has come into his room except for Slim and the boss, so when Lennie and Candy come, it is difficult for Crooks to “conceal his pleasure with anger” (75). Although he wants to express anger about people coming into his room, inside he is happy about it and enjoys it. This instability and loneliness that he has leads him to say how he could work for George, Lennie, and Candy on their farm.
