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Outcasts In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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In “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck uses a range of techniques to help the reader understand and feel sympathetic to the outcasted, sad characters in the novel. Steinbeck describes the state of the outcasts, which are Curley’s wife, Crooks and Candy,and in which they are discriminated against the others in the ranch. Steinbeck refers to the characteristics of the outcasts in society to make the readers feel sympathy and understand that the stereotypical categories they are put under are not always true. Steinbeck draws on emotional language to show the reader that the stereotypical categories the characters are being put under are not always veracious. “...Why can’t I talk to you? I never get to talk to nobody. I get awfully lonely.” Steinbeck …show more content…

Steinbeck using descriptions of Crooks, the stable buck's’ room was another piece of evidentiary support on making the reader feel sympathy towards a discriminated outcast. “...Crooks bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung.” Steinbeck's writes about how Crook’s is treated and where he is living. Crook’s is a stable buck, he is stationed in a region where horses are kept. He is extremely discriminated and segregated that he sleeps on hay, similar to where horses rest, however he is not as mistreated due to the fact that he’s, at the minimum, has got a blanket in order to kept warm. “...Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.” Steinbeck divulges that Crooks is well aware of the fact that him and the people of his race are unconditionally segregated against the opposite race. Although Crook’s speaks that line with obvious revulsion against the white race, Steinbeck throws in hints of sadness in the way Crooks speaks the sentence. This makes the reader feel sympathetic towards Crook’s character due to his segregation and discriminations in the 1930’s

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Crooks is isolated because he’s a black man that has a crooked back and that doesn’t have that much rights so he will spend most of his time in the bunkhouse reading books. Steinbeck used crooks in this story because so they can show that African Americans are lonely.

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However, Steinbeck also uses light and darkness to show the hidden sides of neglected characters such as Crooks. Crooks, the negro stable buck, is portrayed to have died from the inside and is living merely as a breathing corpse. Not because of the fact that he could not achieve the American Dream or live a lavish life. But, simply because of the fact that he is a negro who is surfeited of being ill treated and discriminated. “His eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity.”, give the impression that inside Crooks is full of anger and indignation.

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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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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.

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Lastly Crooks goes through this theme because he has to stay in a room next to the barn and is isolated from the others because he is black. Steinbeck uses different factors to portray the loneliness and isolation within characters such as physical or mental, which then deliver various messages to readers. Curley’s wife struggles through loneliness and isolation because she is the only woman on the ranch. Curley’s wife is

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