Character Analysis Of Crooks In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

John Steinbeck reflects on the context of 1930’s America in his novel entitled ‘Of Mice and Men’. The public would perceive Afro-Americans solely by their physical features and society would segregate them as a result of their racial distinction. I will be exploring how Steinbeck presents Crooks and his development through literary devices, and hence, how he changes depending on the characters he is interacting with.

People are considered to be social beings, yet, again and again, they seek to falsify the claims of civility, and show themselves as the detached individuals they tend to be. In his novella, “Of Mice and Men,” John Steinbeck designed several faulty pairings that display the true disparity and detachment that are proven to be a part of every relationship in the story. Through the associations of the main characters, Lennie and George, along with several other characters within the narrative, Steinbeck exposes the root of 1930’s relationships in promises, loneliness, and a basic need for companionship, rather than any true fondness- a junction that can easily be nullified.

Every human is original and different in their own way, and some are outcasted from society. John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men communicates to the reader in many ways how humans are all unique; some accepted, and some not. From the opening to the end Of Mice and Men, Lennie is immediately depicted as a static social outcast due to his mental disability. Crooks is another character that represents a static social outcast because of his race. Lastly, an old, sympathetic man, named Candy, was also created as a static social outcast. Candy is portrayed as a social outcast because he is old, and almost useless compared to his fellow workers. Steinbeck might have developed these characters to be static verses dynamic to prove that its very difficult

Crooks was a colored man which made him set apart from the others at the ranch. Crooks came off as character who was ornery, and wanted to spend his time alone. But as we learn more about him we begin to realize that as much as he makes it seem like he wants to be alone he really doesn’t want to and this quote shows that. “ ‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down.” (pg.69) Crooks was in some ways similar to Whit because Whit was someone who for a while Lennie and George didn’t even know about until Candy told them that he quit and he didn’t even for sure know why he was quitting, just assumed it was the food. It shows that some of the men at the ranch are kind of just left on their own and the other guys don’t really care to involve themselves in the other guy’s lives. So Crooks dream was to not be lonely that is why he finally agreed and casually says that he would come along so they would have an extra set of helping hands. Crooks says “ I aint so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.”(pg.76) This just goes to show that even if someone doesn’t say their exact thoughts that there aren’t more intentions behind

But despite Crooks being isolated from the other workers, he still values friendship, perhaps more so than most of the other workers. When Crooks is talking to Lennie in the stables, he confesses, “'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'” (72). Crooks values companionship, but is all alone as an adult. He is jealous of Lennie, who has always had George to look after him. Lennie doesn't understand what it's like for Crooks not to have anyone who is always there for him. He tries to make Lennie understand by saying “S'pose George don't come back no more” (71). Lennie can't imagine what it would be like without George, and can't understand Crooks' loneliness.In addition, when Candy asks Crooks if he wants to come into the barn, Crooks replies, “'Come on in. If ever'body's comin' in, you might just as well.' It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with

In Of Mice of Men, John Steinbeck presents the theme that Crooks is upset because he is discriminated against using diction and dialogue throughout chapter four. Steinbeck explores Crooks’ feelings about life as a black man during the time when Crooks is encountered by Lennie. Crooks explains that “ [He] ain’t wanted in the bunk house”... and “ can’t play because … [He’s] black.” (Steinbeck 68) because of this he was alone while everyone else went out to

I also dislike the separation between black and white people. Crooks is a black man who spends his time reading lonely. He is not allowed to live with other farmers because he was black. At first Crooks refuses Lennie to come to his room, but eventually a conversation takes place. Crooks feels warm to talk with someone for the first time. Then he starts to talk about his loneliness. Crooks is painfully aware that his skin color keeps him separate from others. He believes that people around him always value him less. But after hearing about the dream farm, Crooks becomes excited and feels that he is worthy and equal enough to be in the plan of the dream farm. While the sweet conversation about their dream, Curley’s wife appears in the doorway.

This shows a reader that Crooks must have different kinds of shoes to do different jobs. He also possesses a gun, which shows a thoughtful reader that Crooks feels unsafe. This is most likely an effect of him being the only black man on the ranch, and constantly needs to be watching his back because the other men could attack him at any time for no reason other than the fact that he is black. Also, Crooks’ room has many “leather working tools” and “pieces of harness… a broken hame, and a trace chain with its leather covering split.” From this description, a reader can tell that Crooks is a man who works with his hands and fixes things. That job is a solitary one, and a reader learns that Crooks is a man who prefers to work alone. He is isolated from the other men because of his skin color. However, since he is a prideful man, he chooses to show that he is not being isolated, rather, it is his choice to isolate himself. In all, the first two paragraphs of chapter four show many things about Crooks, including his solitary and prideful

In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Crooks, the African-American stable buck, is very different from the other ranch hands for many reasons. When Lennie goes into Crook’s shed, the reader learns that Crooks has a “‘busted-back’” (71) man, who is “more permanent than the other men” (67), due to him being a cripple. Other than Candy, the other men on the ranch seem to be young and healthy, which is a stark contrast from Crooks. In addition, Crooks is also the only black man on the ranch, and he is discriminated against because of it. When Lennie asks him why he can't play cards with the others, Crooks replies, “‘They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink’” (68). It is clear that Crooks wants to be included,

Crooks’ aloof attitude and his own insecurities mask his loneliness. Lennie carelessly approaches Crooks in his room, but Crooks immediately tells him to leave and that he “ain’t wanted in the bunk house, and you ain’t wanted in my room” (Steinbeck 65). Crooks may not be able to go see the others, but that does not mean he does not want to. Past experience of discrimination about his color and prejudice against him creates trust issues against others who approach him. When Lennie stays, Crooks finally says “Come on in and set a while… Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down” (Steinbeck 67). Crooks gives Lennie a chance to stay because he realizes Lennie does not understand the discrimination

In the early 1900’s African Americans were treated very cruely. In the story Of Mice and Men a farm worker explains and shows the difficulties of being a black man in this time period. Being a African American in the time period of the story was rough, blacks were treated poorly and not many people cared about them and there well being. The character in the novel name is Crooks, and he is living with a negative impression because being alone makes him go crazy. Crooks is a quiet character throughout the novel but he is powerful in explaining how being alone causes a man to become insane.

Crooks is one of the only black characters in the book which means a lot of disadvantages for him. He gets separated from everybody else he's not allowed in the same sleeping quarters as the others. Everyone is racist towards him because he is black, ¨If you guys don't let me in your house to play cards,

The society of america in 1937 was much different than it is now, people who were seen as “less” were treated as inferior. African americans suffered from great amounts of racism, women were captive to a misogynist culture and the mentally disabled were viewed as worthless compared to the able bodied. Each one of these groups was represented in their suffering in some form of character or interaction in john steinbeck's of mice and men. Characters such as crooks, lennie and curley’s wife were all purposefully marginalized to represent society's harsh treatment of the “outcrowd”.

In the novel "Of Mice and Men" John Steinbeck, the author, uses the character of Crooks to represent racism and symbolize the marginalization of the black community occurring at the time in which the novel is set. Crooks is significant as he provides an insight into the reality of the American Dream and the feelings of all the ranchers: their loneliness and need for company and human interaction. Crooks got his name from his "crooked back," this suggests he represents something different and he is not your average ranch hand. The reader has to decide whether Crooks deserves sympathy, or if he is just a bitter, cruel and gruff stable-buck.

“...’A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody’” (Steinbeck 72). Crooks is a character in the novel Of Mice and Men and he has faced discrimination for being African-American at a ranch filled with white men. His dream is depressing, especially during this time period. Of Mice and Men is a novel about two men, George Milton and Lennie Small and their journey of finding a job during the Great Depression. They settle and start work on a ranch and meet new faces. It seems like all of the characters that they meet have many dreams and aspirations, but they don’t really have anyone to rely on in times of desperation. Crook’s dream of having someone by his side and wanting to be a slave again has affected many people, some examples are Lennie, Curley’s