Examples Of Crooks In Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men was written by John Steinbeck. It depicts the reality of the American society in the 1930s during the Great Depression. To begin with, we should recognise that the Great Depression is the worst economic recession of all times in modern human history. Therefore, it is sensible to imagine the impoverished lives of the Americans after enjoying such a long period of prosperity and harmony in the 1920s. Minor characters should be defined as characters such as but not limited to Slim, Crooks, Carlson and Curley’s wife. This novel illustrates the lives of the Americans in three aspects.

First and foremost, these minor characters are unable to attain their own dreams. One of the notable examples is definitely Curley’s wife. In chapter

One of the recognised examples is Crooks. Crook is introduced in chapter 4, as a ‘negro stable buck, having his bunk in the harness room’. Mainly due to his race, he is forced to ‘keep his distance’ from other ranch hands; yet, he keeps the California civil code 1905 as he still believes he has the civil rights as protected by the law. In this chapter, Lennie first attempts to enter Crooks’s room when he is coldly received by this self-protective man. Then, Candy enters and chats with both of them. Shortly after, Candy’s wife enters the room and Crooks demands her to refrain from entering his room. Curley’s wife then claims that she is now ‘standin’ here talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs-a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep’. She even threatens to ‘get him strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny’. Therefore, she clearly pays no respect for Crooks solely because of his race. His black race was considered inferior at that time even after the civil war. He then seeks companionship from books but he recognises that the only way to combat such loneliness is to talk with others. Also, Steinbeck attempts to criticise discrimination in this novel based on the characterisation of minor characters who discriminate against others, such as Candy’ wife. As mentioned above, she uses derogatory terms, for instance, ‘negro’, and she is

Candy is one of these examples. Candy’s dog ‘stinks to beat hell’ and ‘walks lamely with mild, half-blind eyes’. Carlson believes that this dog ‘can’t eat, can’t see, can’t even walk without hurtin’, and attempts to kill the dog even when Candy is reluctant to do so. Clearly, Candy is not as powerful as the elite members of the American society. The dog is a clear example of Candy’s powerlessness. Steinbeck shows that the dog is subject to decisions of the more powerful members. This also demonstrates the inability of Candy to defend for his own properties (if we consider the dog as his companion). Candy himself is not that strong either: he is crippled and is only a swamper. He eventually creates a dream with George and Lennie, yet fails to achieve the dream when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. Candy is powerless throughout this story and is unable to change his fate.

To conclude, the truth of the American society is untold in this novel. Not only were the Americans unable to achieve their own ‘American dreams’, but they were also discriminated against by other members of the society. Being the weaker members of the community, they were powerless and treated