Similarities Between Crooks And Curley's Wife

Can you imagine being left out because you are different from everyone else around you? These people are called outcasts. An outcast is someone who is rejected by someone, or a group of people. Certain characters in Of Mice and Men, by author John Steinbeck, feel this way. Two characters, Crooks and Curley’s Wife, who is also the daughter in- law of the boss, are like outcasts in this situation. Both these characters live on the ranch, like everyone else, but because of their personalities, are treated differently. This makes them feel isolated, which makes them act differently towards other characters in the book. Both of them share some qualities which make them similar, but have different needs from everyone else. Crooks and Curley’s Wife

Crooks is the only black man on the ranch who has a crooked spine, which gives him his name. He is a stable buck on the ranch. Because of his race, Crooks is limited to many things. “‘They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black…” (68). This puts him in a bad mood in general, and he is mean to others on the ranch. In the text it states, “Crooks said sharply, “You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room…”” (Steinbeck 68). He spoke sharply and rudely when Lennie tried coming into his room. This shows that he is angry about everyone treating him differently. Curley’s wife on the other hand, isn’t necessarily angry, but flirts with others to fill up her feeling of loneliness. Though she is white, she is the only woman on the ranch. “She puts her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward.” (Steinbeck 31). This quote shows how she flirts with the boys on the ranch. All she is looking for is attention, which she gets from Lennie. He keeps staring at her, and was “fascinated”. This is the type of attention she is looking for, because she has no one to talk with. Both Crooks and Curley’s wife are alone and they deal with it in different