Historically, the black American solution to racially imposed loneliness and homelessness was to embrace the structure of family. White characters in the novel appear without families, for whatever reason. However, black Americans were compelled to come together as a people despised by others, to shelter and protect, even to the point of the creation of extended families, much as George assumes a protective all four. Significantly, Crooks does not receive an invitation to join George, Lenny, and Candy on the farm, even though he broaches the subject. Racial and ethnic minorities in America in the 1930s understood the importance of this strategy for survival because otherwise they would not have survived. Crooks gets described by Curley’s wife as “weak” because he is crippled and a Negro, two conditions which Steinbeck conflates into being synonymous in the novel. He functions in the role of a victim-savant. Acting as an insightful thinker and clarifying the meaning of loneliness for the reader, he remains an “outsider,” someone for whom the reader feels more pity than respect.246 By remaining on this ranch, experiencing unfair treatment, Crooks chooses his own racial victimization each and every day.246 The …show more content…
universal theme of loneliness and homelessness appears differently in this novel, revealing its most radical dimensions when it is incarnated into fictional characters such as Crooks.239 Even though Crooks has intelligence and can read, unlike many of his fellow white coworkers, he almost never interacts directly with them; only when his services become essential do the others stop ignoring him. No one takes time or effort to become acquainted with Crooks; they do not even want him to sleep in the same room as the others, therefore he has his own small room in the barn. As a result of years of isolation and sneering, Crooks has become a man full of hate and abhorrence for his coworkers and society, but also increasingly lonely. He does not understand why his coworkers have no respect for him and do not taken seriously because of his color.17 More than all the other characters in Of Mice and Men, Crooks has thought of philosophically about the epistemological meaning of loneliness, and how about how inter-subjectivity is crucial for confirming the truth of our perceptions. Sadly, and because of racial segregation, Crooks remains locked inside himself.243 Even romantic companionship has no possibility for Crooks. Since he cannot go into town to visit Susie’s cat house, praised highly by the character Whit, one can assume his celibacy. This represents his emasculation, or at least the loss of sexualization created by white authors. Disregarding the absence of local female characters other than Curley’s wife, this portrayal of Crooks as having no obvious interest or desire to seek out a companion of the opposite sex has malicious purpose. Emasculated black males do not pose a threat to white society. 242 Experientially, the Other is one’s mirror, the means for checking up validity of one’s perspective.
This standard applies in social relations as well as in the method of science, which always begins with a first-person to see some phenomenon that must become confirmed by the perception of others.243 If loneliness and homelessness are the central themes in Of Mice and Men, Crooks, despite the minor role Steinbeck gives him in the novel, epitomizes this experience more completely than all the other characters. As the descendant of slaves kidnapped in Africa and brought against their will to America, his original home lies across the Atlantic Ocean, and, in America during the 1930s, he remains a second-class citizen denied a true home among
whites.244 The character of Crooks serves to highlight the injustice and stereotypes of the 1930’s in a relatable way. Balci, Fatma. "Classic Literature in the Modern Classroom." University of Gothenburg, 7 July 1987. Web. 9 Dec. 2015. Meyer, Michael J. The Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow, 2009. Print. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
When Curly’s wife went to Crooks to ask if he has seen Curly around, Curly said that he hasn’t seen him, but still she was standing there and Crooks said, “You got no rights coming in a coloured man’s room. You got no rights messing around in here at all.” Steinbeck’s use of Crook’s dialogue shows that Crooks had enough pride and independence to stand up to Curly’s wife. She turned on him in scorn. “Listen, Nigger,” she said. “You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself. Steinbeck uses Curly’s wife’s dialogue to tell the readers that Crooks was always discriminated against. When Lennie was wandering around at the ranch and went into Crook’s room, Crooks said, “You go get outta my rooms. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house and you ain’t wanted in my room.” Steinbeck uses crook’s dialogue, racism and loneliness to demonstrate that Crooks wanted to be left alone, but also from inside he wants to talk to someone. Readers may feel sympathy at Steinbeck’s idea of racism. Crooks was always treated badly and is always discriminated against.
Crooks, the black stable buck, is isolated from the community of migrant workers because of his racial status. When Lennie goes into the barn to see his puppy, he and Crooks have a conversation. “'Why ain't you wanted?' Lennie asked. 'Cause I'm black. They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black'” (68). Lennie is too kind-hearted and intellectually slow to visualize the apparent racial boundary that sets Crooks aside from Lennie and the rest of the workers. Crooks is so isolated from the rest of the workers that he says he “can't” play cards, not that he isn't allowed to, which means that the racial boundary is like a wall Crooks cannot cross. Because he is black, Crooks believes that he cannot play cards with the white men. He can't get over the racial boundary, and believes he will be forever separated from the white men. In the beginning of chapter 4, Steinbeck describes Crooks' living space. “Crooks, the Negro stable buck, had his bunk in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the...
Several characters in the novel Of Mice and Men are presented with additional obstacles throughout the book. Whether because of color, sex, or disabilities, John Steinbeck purposefully did this to illustrate oppression. Of Mice and Men explores the
Crooks expressed feelings of loneliness through out Of Mice and Men. Crooks? loneliness is caused because he is black, at the time the story took place there was racism. Since Crooks is black he wasn?t able to socialize with the white men. When Steinbeck describes all of Crooks? possessions, it shows that Crooks has been at the ranch a long time and that his possessions are all the he cares about. In Crooks? room, Lennie comes to talk to him. Crooks is cautious at first, this was from the years of racism that Crooks endured, he learned not to associate with white folk.
A main character in the novella that is affected by marginalisation is Crook. The marginalisation of Crook’s character is used by Steinbeck to represent the black community in which the time period of the novella was set in. Crook is an important character in the novella as he presents a vision of the truth of the ‘American Dream’ and all the emotions of the people at the bunk house. Crook finds himself pushed out of the social circle in which the other predominantly white ranchers are in. Crook is then pushed to live in the barn and not live with the other white ranch workers in the bunk house. The alternative men don’t enter this area because they are scared of Crook because of his skin colour. For, as he tells Lennie, "I ain't a southern negro." (Page 79) In his novel of socialist motifs regarding the socially and economically voteless travelling employee of the Great Depression, Crooks character represents the ideal voteless
This aspect is reflected by use of the time period’s race standards, as revealed in the following quote. Crooks whined in sorrow, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.” (Steinbeck 73). This quote suggests that Crooks’ exposure of discrimination has forced his isolation, preventing him from a healthy amount of human interaction and possibly driving mental illness. The indifference to women back then also donates to the effects of isolation and loneliness in the novel, as seen through Curley’s wife. Curley’s wife yells in exasperation, “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?” (Steinbeck 87). This quote illustrates Curley’s wife’s frustration and anger of being shunned by the other people on the ranch, and the lack of her actual name, only being referred to as “Curley’s wife”, may also reveal her as being considered Curley’s property rather than spouse. In the novel, the characteristic of inevitability of age contributes to the effects of isolation and need for companionship. After Candy’s dog is shot, it’s revealed that Candy faces age discrimination. Candy comments in a monotone voice: “Jus’ as soon as I can’t swamp out no bunkhouses they’ll put me on the county,” (Steinbeck 60). This example shows that Candy is aware of how useless he is in the eyes of the other men on the ranch due to his age, and will face adversity of being
Being lonely, bullied, and disabled are all problems in everyday life. People go through struggles like this just as Crooks did in the story Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. In this story, two main characters are searching for the American Dream. When they arrive to their job, they meet an African American man named Crooks. Crooks is mistreated by everybody around him and abandoned because of the color of his skin. Crooks faces many challenges throughout the story while dealing with the fact that he will never be treated the same as the others. The reader should feel sorry for Crooks because he faces many obstacles while being disabled, bullied, and lonely.
Not having any friends is one of the reasons why Crooks is lonely. The other workers on the ranch take place in fun activities, such as horseshoes and card games. Crooks never gets invited to play. This resentment is due solely to the color of his skin. The other characters all have someone to talk to. George and Lennie have each other, Candy had both his dogs. The other workers are friends with one another. Curley’s wife is also lonely, but still has Curley. The men sit in the bunk house, talk and have fun on occasion. Meanwhile Crooks is in his shed all alone. Crooks tries to explain to Lennie in
An example of how the men are discriminative towards Crooks is that he is forced to live in a shack away from the bunkhouse and also Crooks says that "They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say "I stink" and "I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse." An example of when Curley's Wife is critical towards Crooks is when she looks into his room to see what Lennie and Crooks are doing and then she states, shaking her head, that they left the weak ones behind. Also, she threatens to have Crooks hanged because a black man should never talk to a white woman the way he just had. As a result of all of these discriminatory acts against him, Crooks feels unwanted and lonely because of his color and placement on the farm.
Racial discrimination has been around for a long time, judging people for the color of their skin. Crooks is affected by this because he is black. Blacks in that time were thought as lesser than the white people. The racial discrimination affects Crooks' life in only negative ways. He is plagued by loneliness because of the color of his skin. His lack of company drives him crazy. Only when Lennie comes in to his room does he feel less lonely. He talked of his loneliness using a hypothetical scenario of George leaving Lennie. Crooks' responds to this discrimination by staying in his barn and being secluded. He doesn't want anyone to be in there but deep down he does so he can have some company. He isn't wanted in the bunk house or to play cards with the others because he is black. This effected the story by letting people walk all over him, letting them think they can do whatever they want, and ultimately making the people think they have a lot of power when really they do not.
In Of Mice and Men, George and Lenny are migrant workers in an area where they aren’t taken seriously. This is because other migrant workers that came around the farm wasted their monthly pay on drinking and gambling. George and Lenny have different plans though, they want a permanent home to live on, instead of traveling around to find work and leaving once Lenny screws up. They are treated like the drinking and gambling migrant workers throughout the book, because that’s exactly what those other workers had on their minds. During the Great Depression, this was what many had on their minds, but they could never get it because they couldn’t find work, or the work they found didn’t pay well enough. Perhaps, in the book, some migrant workers
lonely. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Crooks, a black stable buck, endures alienation due to racial
“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place” (Steinbeck 13). The “guys” on these ranches are mostly migrant workers during the Great Depression looking for a job in the late 1930’s. Candy and Crooks are two of the men in Steinbeck’s OMAM while Curley’s wife is married to the boss’s son. All three of these three characters suffer from discrimination and endure isolation. Thus, through each of these characters, the theme of loneliness is conveyed to readers.
Crooks was the loneliest person because of the segregated ranch. Crooks, in Ch.4, was excited to have company because himself and everybody else are in separate bunkhouses. Steinbeck describes Crooks as a smart african american that reads. Pretty much was a huge controversial topic. This actually shows what time period it is, so about the 30’s ish. Since the ranch is segregated, then that means that He is treated differently because the color of his skin.