The Bleak Vicissitude of The Great Depression The Great Depression was an extremely rigorous era. This catastrophe started when the stock market crashed on October 29, 1929, due to investors trading sixteen million shares in a single day. Billions of dollars had been lost from these shares being traded which then wiped out thousands of investors. This span of ten years (1929-1939) was the longest economic failure in the Western industrialized world. John Steinbeck’s novella Of Mice and Men truly captures the harsh realities of the Great Depression through his characters Crooks and Curley’s wife. Crooks is the only African American on the ranch; His designation emanates from his crooked back. Curley’s wife is the only women on the ranch who is portrayed as a troublemaker. During this …show more content…
The white men don’t cross paths with Crooks and always try to stay away from Curley’s wife. One of the biggest reasons they don’t cross paths is because Crooks is isolated from the rest of the men. He lives by himself near the stables away from the other men(Moss 4). On account of Crooks living away from the others, there were two rules that didn’t allow anyone to go to where he lives. White men weren’t allowed to go into a colored man’s room and were to be separated at all times.(Steinbeck 75). The other rule being Crooks isn’t allowed near the other men unless it was during Christmas time(Telgen 5). Two things came from these rules that segregated Crooks and defined him as a character. Crooks feels very lonely and acts out because of his frustration. Since he is black, he is isolated from the rest of the men and doesn’t want anyone at his home where only he is allowed.(Steinbeck 68). Crooks takes out his bundled up anger on Lennie when he feels he has an advantage. “Crooks torments Lennie out of his own frustration for being rejected because he is black”(Telgen