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Of Mice And Men Crooks Loneliness Analysis

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Racism and Loneliness: Two Components for Bitterness Norman Cousins once said, “The eternal quest of the individual human being is to shatter his loneliness.” Crooks, one character from John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, battles with loneliness. He is forced to deal with racial segregation and live in a confined space isolated. Since Crooks is secluded he becomes an unpleasant human being and treats others poorly. Crooks’ method for coping with his loneliness, hurts him as a person instead of helping him. Throughout Crooks’ life, he is forced to deal with racial segregation ever since he was young. After a long day of work on the ranch, Lennie sees the light in Crooks’ room and goes inside. Crooks explains to Lennie racial segregation and how he has had to deal with this issue in his life. He explains, “‘S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S'pose you couldn't go into the …show more content…

For Crooks, it was his whole life dealing with racial segregation and in his adulthood, he always had to be isolated from others. These life events shaped him into the person that he became angry and resentful. Today racial segregation is still an issue, many people have not yet accepted that the Civil Rights ended racial segregation. Justice Scalia is a perfect example, he is ignorant and believes that African-Americans should be put in slower passed schooling. Justice Scalia said, “There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas, where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower track school where they do well.” He believes that African-Americans are not intelligent enough to go to the University of Texas, therefore, discriminating and being a racist. By separating the whites from the blacks, we are going back to the 1850s when the Jim Crow laws were in effect and separating blacks and whites in schools and other

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521 Words | 3 Pages

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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999 Words | 4 Pages

His formal opinion states that “Segregation of white and colored children in public schools has a detrimental effect upon the colored children. The impact is greater when it has the sanction of the law, for the policy of separating the races is usually interpreted as denoting the inferiority of the Negro group…Any language in contrary to this finding is rejected. We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” (“Separate Is Not Equal”). With this ruling physical facilities could be considered equal but children could not be segregated based on color.

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544 Words | 3 Pages

Crooks confines himself in solitude. Crooks, a colored man, was situated along the horse stables, in a shack, by the commander. For his skin color complexion, Crooks suffers from discrimination, leading to isolation. Declaring his loneliness, Crooks proclaims, “ … there ain’t a colored man on this ranch an’ there’s jus’ one family in Soledad… If I say something, Why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it” (Steinbeck 70).

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459 Words | 2 Pages

Back in the 30’s, segregation was a big problem. People whose skin was colored didn’t have the same rights as white men. Crooks is isolated from the rest of the guys because he is black and he gets put into a broken old shack instead of a real bunkhouse. In this quote, Crooks feels that if the men aren’t letting him in the bunkhouse, why should he let some white man come

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1099 Words | 5 Pages

Although he uses this to convince the Republicans and his writer. When he was talking to Elizabeth Keckler, he told her “you can expect what I expect.” This is also a moral argument, saying that blacks and whites are equals. He also makes an argument using god. “If God now wills the removal of a great wrong, and wills also that we of the North as well as you of the South, shall pay fairly for our complicity in that wrong, impartial history will find therein new cause to attest and revere the justice and goodness of God.”

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1118 Words | 5 Pages

This is Justice Harlan saying that because white people asserted themselves as dominant, and would no doubt continue to force their dominance upon the other races. Which, would in turn mean that this racial segregation would be effecting the black people and making them feel less than human. This feelings were echoed by all the justices present for Brown v. Board of Education. “The justices felt that even if the facilities were physically equal, separating children based solely on race, would create a feeling of inferiority and would perpetuate the ideals of white people back before slave were freed. (Summary of decision)”

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630 Words | 3 Pages

Ignorance of actual science is not a proof of racism. He knew at the time that most of the black race was more uneducated than the whites and therefore would not qualify for the holding of office, jury duty, or holding of a political office. He indicated that no man, woman or child he had ever met wanted a perfect equality. However, with time he began to push for voting rights for educated blacks. Basically, to understand the meaning of his remarks they need to be viewed from the time in history and political climate in which they were said.

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1817 Words | 8 Pages

And as a person of color, Crooks realizes and sees all this happening, just before the conversation, Lennie asked, “‘Why ain’t you wanted. Cause I 'm black,’” Crooks responded (OMAN 68). Crooks sees all of the small but racist actions that are done upon him by the other workers, not letting him play cards, saying he stinks, Crooks knows that this is all just because he is

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878 Words | 4 Pages

Because crooks was black he was isolated and not allowed to near the other men. Lennie asks, “ Why ain’t you wanted… Cause I’m black” (Steinbeck 68). Crooks at first did not want Lennie entering his room but realizes Lennie is different and is not racist. Usually Crooks would tell people that they have not right coming into his room. He uses his isolation as a way to hide from everyone and get privacy.

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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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435 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

Steinbeck’s characterization and setting expresses his belief that it is both social barriers and personal choice that causes the loneliness and isolation of the characters. Civil rights caused separation and isolation towards black people when Of Mice and Men took place. As Crooks mention himself “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I 'm black.

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786 Words | 4 Pages

People Affected by Loneliness Loneliness can make anyone affected by it very depressing and sad to see. It is seen in Of Mice and Men in many characters that are prominent in the story. The main ones are Crooks (the black stable hand), Candy (the old worker with his old dog), and Curley’s wife (who is ignored so that they do not get into trouble). Each of these characters have had lasting events that led them here.

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282 Words | 2 Pages

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.

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513 Words | 3 Pages

Crooks was forced to sleep in a separate room next to the stable, apart from the bunks where the rest of the ranch workers resided. Crooks was unable to participate in anything that the rest of the ranch workers did. All of this was a result of his ethnicity. “ “Cause I’m black. They play cards, but I can’t play because I’m black.

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