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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
He has this big dream of living at a ranch, with his own family, and what a typical ranch has. Unfortunately, he cannot pursue his dream. Crooks is African American. The setting of the novel is during the 1930s which is America's time of the Great Depression. Therefore racial equality by law has a long way to go.
Langston Hughes’ “I, Too”, written in the Harlem Renaissance time period, focuses mainly on the “New Negro” concept. By concentrating on the rise of the African American people, Hughes demonstrates that African Americans are, indeed, Americans and that they are not in their own substandard category. He displays this position through the use of literary devices such as figurative language, imagery and tone. Hughes utilizes figurative language when he states “I, too, sing America”, showing that he deserves to be part of an equal society and deserves to be treated as such. Through his connection with America when he “sing[s] America”, he declares his right to feel devoted to his county, that he does not wish to just sit on the sidelines with
-Crooks In the book, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck masterfully uses the character of Crooks in order to show the discrimination black people currently face at the time the novel is set. Crooks is one of the many characters that reinforces the theme of alienation or loneliness that is constantly being carried out throughout the story. The quote shown above is an indication of how lonely Crooks is, and how he constantly feels the need for company and human interaction.
Of Mice and Men, a story of friendship between to migrant farmers. Now when you here this you don't really think anything of this, but during this time migrant farmers didn't have friends it was just them no one else. Then you meet George and Lennie the two who break this stereotype of migrant farmers not having friends. In the book George and Lennie have ran away from their old job because of Lennie's mistakes, causing them to have to go find a new job.
Humanity can have a different meaning to everybody, but to John Steinbeck and many others, racism is not humane. Lennie has to tend to the puppy, so he ends up going to the shed, where Crooks lives. Crooks, as an African American, is not allowed to do much at the barn, which is why he doesn’t let others in his room. Lennie of
Crooks was very lonely because he was isolated from everybody else due to the color of his skin. He was the only colored man around which left him without anyone to talk to because of how prevalent racism was, Steinbeck described him by saying, “... Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his distance and demanded that other people keep theirs.” (Steinbeck, 67).
When Crooks explains to Lennie why he is left out, he says, “Cause I'm black.” He then goes on to say “They play cards in there but I can’t play because I'm black” (Steinbeck 68). People purposely don’t include Crooks in their activities simply because he is black. Showing how his race affects him in the story. In the moment when Crooks is being described by the author, they mention, “He kept his distance and demanded everyone kept theirs” (Steinbeck 67).
To begin, Crooks' experience with his racism ruined his dream and drastically changed his actions and how he responds to the blatant racism. Direct Quote #1-The narrator described “Crooks had reduced himself to nothing”(Steinbeck 81). EXPLANATION: The blatant racism shown to crooks made him feel sad and depressed changing his personality. The way Crooks responded to the situation changed the way the other men in the room and the audience saw him.
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
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.
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
Crooks criticizes this and implies Lennie and Candy, a man who faces discrimination due to his age, are “stupid” for even thinking that they can succeed in this dream, but soon feels inspired and wants to join them in the future (Steinbeck 76). But, after he receives a racist remark from Curley’s Wife, he feels uninspired and tells Candy to forget about it (Steinbeck 83). Lennie is still hoping for his dream, but unfortunately due to his disability it is unachievable. These two characters and the interaction between them directly shows the relationship between minorities and the American dream. It demonstrates how they are more likely to struggle in their attempts in achieving the American dream due to discrimination, which correlates to both the previously mentioned immigrants and African Americans in the United States, who also struggled in reaching their goals.
It prevents people from completing tasks in life or doing what they want to do because they are shut down just because they are different from others. Through the examination of Lennie and Crooks’ characters from Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, discrimination and racism negatively affect their lives, ultimately tearing them from their dreams. Crooks, an African-American man, is one of the few that have had his dreams ruined by racism. He is suppressed by the people of his country for simply being different. In a conversation he has with Lennie, Crooks explains, “‘There wasn 't another colored family for miles around.
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.
