Crooks Loneliness In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

Of Mice and Men is a novel written by John Steinbeck. The story takes place in California during the Great Depression. It depicts a tale of two men, Lennie Smalls & George Milton, and their journey as migrant ranchers. The overall tone of the book is hopelessness which is shown through various characters. Crooks is the African American stable hand, who gains his name from his crooked back.

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

According to Dictonary.com, the definition of racism is “A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement.” In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck displays race and racism through his characters and their ideas. Throughout the novel, Crooks is mistreated, becomes very isolated, and endures many racial words because he is African-American. The isolation of Crooks is shown in the following three instances. First, in Novels for Students, Diane Telgen writes, “Crooks, the old black man on the ranch, lives alone, ostracized by the ranch hands because of his race” (Telgen 247).

Steinbeck uses Crooks’ conversation with Lennie as a means for Crooks to vocalise his position. Lennie asks why he is not welcome in the bunk room and Crooks is aware of the fact he has to spell it out for Lennie (and the reader) and replies

In the American Classic Of Mice And Men there is a character that goes by the name of Crooks. He is a very lonely crippled black man who is in need of a friend as this quote shows "George can tell you screwy things, and it don't matter It's just the talking. It's just bein' with another guy. That's all."(71). Crooks says this with a sadness that shows his longing for somebody to be there for him. He is talking about how the conversation doesn’t matter, as long as you just have someone there to keep you company and be friends with. And this proves to be true, because the whole time Crooks is enjoying himself by pouring out his life story and explaining his loneliness. And while this is happening Lennie is just asking about his pup and mentioning

Loneliness can be a very harsh emotion. Some let it take over their whole lookout on life . The way each individual deals with it is different but sometimes it bothers people to the point where they let it affect their dreams and decisions. In the book Of Mice and Men, characters make big decisions that affects their dreams that leave them unhappy.

Steinbeck illustrates Crooks having an aggressive and defensive character when he and Lennie meet each other for the first time. This expresses Crooks since he uses a defence mechanism through loneliness to keep people away from him to stop him from getting into trouble. “‘a guy goes nuts when he ain’t got nobody’” this reflects upon Crooks miss having company and makes him jealous of George and Lennie’s relationship therefore suggesting to Lennie that George will leave him. This affects the reader as it gives us the impression that Crooks has spent a long time in isolation therefore forgotten what it is like to have someone want to greet him. The word “nobody” can be referred to Crooks experiences in living in a barn and not in the bunkhouse where he could play rummy as one of the

Another lonely character is Crooks, the African- American stable hand who works on the ranch. Sadly, Crooks is the only black man on the ranch, so he is cast aside for his skin color. One day, Lennie goes into Crook’s little shack, and Crooks gets angry. He knows that he is not welcome in the bunkhouse so he doesn't know why Lennie is aloud in his room. In the end, he is happy for the company, as the none of the other ranch hands talk to him. Knowing Lennie will not pick up on anything he says, Crooks rambles about his plight. Having nobody like you or that you can identify with is extremely isolating and annoying, especially during the Great Depression when black people are not thought of positively. Crooks even admits. Although in vain,

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world” (Steinbeck 13). Loneliness affects people in different ways. Some people go out of their way to get attention from others, and others isolate themselves. In the story Of Mice and Men, some of the people living on the ranch are struggling with loneliness themselves. Loneliness affects characters in Of Mice and Men through Crooks isolating himself from others, Curley’s wife flirting with other men for attention, and Lennie worrying about George leaving him to take care of himself alone.

“Let me tell you this: if you meet a loner, no matter what they tell you, it’s not because they enjoy solitude. It’s because they have tried to blend into the world before, and people continue to disappoint them.” This quote, written by Jodi Picoult, explains the true meaning of how people can become lonely. Sometimes people’s differences can cause others to push them away. In the fictional novella, Of Mice and Men, written by John Steinbeck, he displays this notion through the diversity of his characters.

The theme of loneliness is pervasive throughout Of Mice and Men through Steinbeck’s word choice, especially in the case of isolation through profession, isolation from nature, and isolation at home. Through diction, Steinbeck portrays loneliness in George and Lennie’s professions. As migrant workers, their lives are extremely solitary. They must constantly shift through different areas of California, looking for temporary work. Also, these workers hardly have any fixed home. .

Through his motif of failed dreams, John Steinbeck criticizes the accessibility of the American Dream

Unfortunately, despite a need for companionship, people set up barriers that maintain loneliness, and they sustain those barriers by being inhumane to each other. One barrier is based on gender: The bunkhouse is a male world, where women are not to be trusted. While Curley's wife is always looking for attention, Curley's jealousy causes all the hands to stay away from her. Although Curley's wife is often portrayed as cruel and troublesome (and therefore, we can see why she is left alone), the real thing that isolates her is that she is a female in an all-male world. Race is another barrier. Crooks, for example, must occupy a room in the stable alone, and he is not welcome in the bunkhouse. For Candy, the barriers are age and handicap. He is

Many people from the Great Depression were poverty-stricken and forced to wander the countryside for a continuous supply of jobs just to allow for the occasional drink, a trip to a cat house, or survival necessities. Endlessly wandering to find jobs prevented settling down, building a family, and the formation of steady friendships, so most traveled alone and didn’t care for anyone other than themselves for long stretches of time. Whether it be from a desire for attention that was never obtained, behavior issues, or the weight of constant responsibility, loneliness is a recurring theme in the novel Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck, and throughout the novel many characters show and discuss their loneliness. Curley's wife wanted attention and so, she would wear provocative clothes, do up her hair and wear heavy makeup to gain attention from the men on the ranch.

What is it like to be truly alone? Perhaps, it’s getting stuck in an unhappy marriage. During the Great Depression, many people were treated unequal, which lead to many people being alone. Many people of color could not live with white people, people with disabilities weren’t respected and women were seen as objects, they weren’t treated equally during that time period. In the book, “Of Mice and Men” John Steinbeck teaches on an important topic to readers about how greatly the time period affects the way people viewed others. This affected many people because they were left alone and isolated.