How Does Steinbeck Present Crooks In Of Mice And Men

One of the main themes (or lessons) that steinbeck teaches is that we are all humans, and therefore we all have a lot in common. We need each other. The problem is that we ignorant humans have set up a system where we have put divides in between different groups of people that are nearly impossible to overcome. Steinbeck uses characterization to showcase this theme.

Steinbeck gave each character a defining “physical” characteristic and a personality/main emotion. In the story we see characters being treated a certain way based solely on their physical characteristics, not their personality, even though one would think that personality should make a bigger difference. Curley is physically small, and his personality is mean, his main emotion

He also has the disadvantage of being a cripple with a hurt back. The personality traits he exhibits include being proud, aloof, wary and worn out. Crooks main emotions exhibited are irritated and lonely. In truth, all of crooks aloofness stems from his constant loneliness. Crooks himself tells us “S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that?....Sure you could play horseshoes till it gets dark, But then you got to read books (alone). Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long's he’s with you…...I tell ya a guy gets too lonely and he goes sick.” (Steinbeck 72) Crooks aches for a companion of any kind, yet he isn’t allowed to talk to or be with any of the other men on the ranch because he is an african

But they also both had their more caring and friendly sides revealed to the audience when they interact with Lennie. Most of all they are both very lonely and desperate for human companionship. Yet when they are given the chance to talk to each other and become close companions it does not go well. “ Crooks stood up from the bunk and faced her. “I’ve had enough.” he said coldly “you got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room. You got no rights messing around here at all. Now you jus’ get out an’ get out quick.”...She turned on him in scorn. "Listen, Nigger," she said. "You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?".....Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. "Yes, ma'am." "Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny” (Steinbeck 80) Basically, when Curley’s wife (albeit quite un-tactfully) tells the men she wants someone to talk to, and proceeds to make conversation about rabbits and broken hands Crooks attempts to tell her to leave his room and leave them all alone. She doesn’t like being told what to do by the man lowest in the ranch hierarchy so she puts him in his place by threatening to tell the boss that he spoke to her. In the time period when this book was written a black man could get hanged simply for looking in the general direction of a white woman. Where did the society-enforced