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Depression In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

435 Words2 Pages

The Great Depression was very crucial in history with some of its major events: The Stock
Market Crash of 1929, and the Dustbowl of 1934 which caused many droughts and affected farms causing food shortage and major migration. Therefore, it seized about 3.2 million farmers to lose their livelyhoods and become known as migrant workers.. In John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men it portrays the hardships of the depression and how it affected the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curley’s wife. In this piece, Crooks is darker skinned, so he has to be separated from the others in his own room. Candy is an old man and has lost family, friends(his dog), and is working as a Swamper . Other Characters Curley’s wife is discriminated because of looks and gender. However, …show more content…

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. 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. Books ain't no good.” (P. 72). Here Steinbeck lets the reader know that Crooks "has nobody”. He has no family left and no friends on the ranch. He reads books to fill his time and keep him company because the other workers do not want him in the bunkhouse to simply play a game of cards, but a book cannot compare to a human being. It is obvious through these quotes that Crooks feels isolated and lonely throughout the novel because of his

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Crooks is constantly being discriminated against which is the effect of being colored at this time. During the book talks to Crooks about the farm he desires, Crook says to Lennie, “S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that?” () Crook is at the bottom of the social hierarchy because of his race. This inequality is the barrier to his dreams of being

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994 Words | 4 Pages

Crooks is a character that is very overlooked in the novella. The book took place a little after the American Civil War, and lots of these vets are still alive and well. So, the basis of racism is still prominent around the nation and especially in the vast regions of the farming lands. Which keeps Crooks contempt from reaching his dreams in life because of his race. For example he says, "S'pose you didn't have nobody.

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This showed that even though she doesn’t have any power she still has power over African Americans. She can even threaten to have Crooks killed because he talked to her. After she said that “crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. ‘yes, ma’am’” (80). This shows that the words Curley’s wife has a terrible effect on Crooks.

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887 Words | 4 Pages

Crooks being the only black person on the farm, there was a lot of racism towards him. He had been isolated, and got threats because of his skin color. Though sometimes he thought it wasn't all that bad. He had also been accepted by Lennie. Crooks never really left his room because they had kept him isolated because he had a different skin color than the rest.

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313 Words | 2 Pages

Crooks is mostly lonely because he's black and blacks back in the time of the book were disrespected. “He reads a lot. Got books in his room.” (Second page of chapter 2). This passage suggests that Crooks is a lonely man and based off of that shows when he is lonely he reads his books and isolates himself.

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1050 Words | 5 Pages

(Steinbeck 68). This quote shows that Crooks was set aside from everyone else because he was different. Loneliness gets to some people when they are left alone for too long. Crooks says, “... Maybe if he sees somethin’, he don’t know whether it’s right or not.

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708 Words | 3 Pages

Lennie asked Crooks “Why Ain’t you wanted?” Crooks replied “Cause I’m black” he also told Lennie, “I tell ya a guy gets lonely and he gets sick.” The explanation supports the fact that Crooks was plagued by loneliness and alienation and he wanted

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661 Words | 3 Pages

When Crooks explains to Lennie why he is left out, he says, “Cause I'm black.” He then goes on to say “They play cards in there but I can’t play because I'm black” (Steinbeck 68). People purposely don’t include Crooks in their activities simply because he is black. Showing how his race affects him in the story. In the moment when Crooks is being described by the author, they mention, “He kept his distance and demanded everyone kept theirs” (Steinbeck 67).

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766 Words | 4 Pages

Crooks really open up to Lennie and Candy and vents about his sadness then, and other times throughout the novella as well. On page 71 Crooks says, “‘S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’s you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read book… A guy needs somebody - to be near him.’

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880 Words | 4 Pages

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

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559 Words | 3 Pages

Within the novel Crooks deals with loneliness, because he is segregated by his skin color. “S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse and play rummy ‘cause you was black... A guy goes nuts when he ain’t got nobody” (72). Crooks is black, and in

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458 Words | 2 Pages

Lennie wondered into Crooks room looking for someone to talk with, and immediately Crooks exclaimed, “You ain’t got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me” (68). Crooks is isolated from the other men because he is black. They do not allow him to enter the bunkhouse or go anywhere with them unless they are playing Horseshoes, because he was very good.

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540 Words | 3 Pages

Crooks he is lonely because he is the only black person at the job. “Many people don’t come in the niggers ranch very much”(70) he told Lennie “Growing up I always been the only black family,or black man in a place.”(70) In the book it’s proven that Crooks is lonely because when Lennie came into to his ranch he began to mess with him and act like someone hurt George and he was not coming back he did this because he usually does not get to have fun He stop before Lennie hurts him he does this because he usually never gets to have any fun with anyone because no one is ever around. Crooks has it really hard the boss takes his anger out on Crooks. He is not allowed in the ranch there really one thing he can do if he gets lucky and that is play horseshoes outside the

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282 Words | 2 Pages

Crooks is a black man who has been given the nickname because of his crooked back. He is another character in the novel that is discriminated against. Similarly, as Lennie and Candy are discriminated because of their weakness, Crooks is discriminated because of his race. For example, he says how he “ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse… can’t play [cards] because I’m black” (68). His race causes him to be separated from everyone else and be isolated in his own room.

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513 Words | 3 Pages

They say I stink. Well I tell you all of you stink to me.” ” (65) Crooks was shunned because his physical appearance and wasn’t treated the same as the rest of the men. This makes Crooks a key character that informs us of the social injustices that where prominent during the time period of the novel.

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