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Crooks : A Great Example of How Racial Segregation Affects Behaviour Racial segregation has always been a problem in the U.S. Black people have always been pushed off the society and regarded as property, thus becoming lonely. In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, Crooks is the only black guy in the entire story. Crooks has been pushed off to the side, not talking anyone and living by his own. Furthermore, he acts rude to people around him as a result of being alone for a long time. Because of being left out and pushed off the society due to racial segregation, Crooks acts cynical of others; he tries to make them feel how he does, alone. In the story, Candy describes Crooks as a “Nice fella” and a guy that doesn’t really care about the
opinion of others on himself (20). Crooks has a crooked back where a horse kicked him (20). He is really lonely that he doesn’t even tidy his room “leaving things about” (66) . Also, he doesn’t enjoy the white people’s company, kicking them out of his room. However, when Lennie comes in, he starts talking to him because he knows Lennie wouldn’t get a thing from his words. He gets his thoughts out of his mind. He starts talking about his childhood times, and he moves on to playing with Lennie, telling him to suppose George is hurt and dead. He asks him how he would feel, as he knows that’s how he feels reading books all day and sitting by himself. Lennie gets furious, moves up to Crooks and starts asking him who hurt George. That moment, Crook realises his mental state and calms him down. As the events progress, Crooks hears about the “dream” that the guys have. First, he calls Lennie “nuts” (69) and thinks Lennie’s just a fool. Later in the story, he really believes this dream and offers Lennie, George and Candy help, stating that he would do “odd jobs” and “work like a son-of-a-bitch” (76), if they accept his offer. He really wants to get out of the loneliness in order not to go crazy. However, when Crooks starts talking to Curley’s wife, he realises it’s just a dream, and it’s not the reality for him because of the color of his skin. Curley’s wife describes his inferiority in the ranch by saying that it wouldn’t be funny how easily she would get him hung by just talking. In that moment, he just tells the guys that he will be out of the “dream”. To sum up, Crooks knows that because of his skin complexion, he will never be a part of society where white men are the majority. He is isolated; and as a result, he is rude to people around him because it was how he was treated around. Throughout the story, he somehow considers joining white people, but the spark just fades away after a conversation between him and Curley’s wife.
Crooks also feels a great deal of loneliness, as he is an outcast on the ranch. He lives in his own room where hardly anybody ever bothers him. He is never invited to play cards or do anything fun with the other guys. One day a curious Lenny asked, “Why ain’t you wanted?” Crooks replies “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They think I stink. Well I tell you, you all stink to me” (pg. ). Crooks’ attitude towards this is shown when he saw Lennie playing with his puppy outside of Crooks’ quarters. Crooks states that “if me, as a black man, is not allowed in the white quarters, then white men are not allowed in mine” (pg. ). However this is merely a front as the more open side of Crooks is shown later on in the book.
Crooks, An African American in Of Mice and Men, who is not able to fit in because of his race, symbolizes racial profiling in society today. Steinbeck clearly makes his point in the novella by concluding that Crooks is not important to them because he is African American. This relates to society today through the Trayvon Martin Case. Trayvon was shot and killed because a Latino thought he was harmful because of his race. Trayvon and Crooks are both victims of racial profiling in society.
I believe everyone has that one person they can count on whether it’s your best friend from school, Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, ect. But there’s just this one thing holding back the character Crooks from Steinbecks book Of Mice and Men. That is making and desiring a friendship someone he can talk to and not be whipped or discriminated on. Crooks is the African American, hunchback man who lives in the horse stables. Steinbeck shows many examples of how Crooks desires a friendship.
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...
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 guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. ‘I tell ya’ he cried. ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.” (Page 72-73) As you can see, Crooks also spends most of his time alone because he is black. He is not allowed to enter the bunk house nor go to town with the guys. He is not allowed to enter the bunk house, he is not allowed to go to town with the guys and nobody likes him because he is black. This shows that he has no friendship and his whole life is filled with loneliness. His case is different from Lennie’s.
Although discrimination is still present during the time period of the book, Crooks still attempts to make friends. Others treat Crooks unjust because he is different from others given that he is black. He does not know how to treat others because of the way others treat him; with disrespect. Furthermore, he does not know how to vent his frustration and as a result, lashes out at others because they are cruel to him. Crooks is not allowed to participate in daily events with white people. He is treated unfairly and therefore acts the same way toward the white people (the ones who offended him.)
Crooks suffers from loneliness, because he is black, not because he is an unfriendly person. Crooks, though, may seem mean, but he is just tired of being rejected and disrespected by everybody around him. Crooks has a horrible life. He will never have a companion or anybody that will respect him unless he meets another black person. Crooks says,” I’ll tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick. (Pg. 73)” He doesn’t even have the opportunity to have a companion, and that is sad.
It is common for loneliness to convert to anger. Throughout the book crooks is not the nicest to others. When he is spoken too he replies in a cruel and sarcastic manner.for instance when Lennie goes into crooks room; “ ‘You go on get out of my room. I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse, and you wait wanted in my room’ ‘why ain’t you wanted?’ Lennie asked. ‘Cause i’m black’ ” Crooks is isolated and misunderstood because he is black. Anger is his defence against racism.
Segregation was a big deal in the United States. Most white people believed they were better than the blacks. Water fountains, seating sections, and the bus seats are examples of things that were segregated. Segregation had a major effect as our country was leaving the 1800’s and going into the 1900s. The Jim Crow laws, White Supremacy, and the Plessy v. Ferguson trial were crucial setbacks for blacks in the late 1800s and the early 1900s.
Racism, which is an important aspect of Of Mice and Men, exhibits the historical value conveyed in the novel. The Great Depression is a monumental facet used in this novel to alter the way the characters behaved. A character from the novel who goes by the name Crooks is greatly impacted by the Great Depression because he is a black man living and working among men who are white. Due to his skin tone, Crooks is treated differently than all of the other workers. Consequently he is forced to live by himself and not interact with the white men. As soon as Lennie showed any interest in him, Crooks grew dreadfully sensitive and overprotective of all of his rights and belongings, he said to Lennie, “Well, I got a right to have a light. You go
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.
Crooks as one of the characters of the novel, has been affected by prejudice in the form of racism. This impacted everything he did and how people saw him as a person, “This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing…” (pg.70).
In the city of Elk Grove they are many acts of racism targeting the black race. An article in the Sacramento Bee by Anita Chabria and Diana Lambert, stated that, “Francois said the N-word is commonly used on campus. She has had it screamed at her from a car filled with white kids while walking home from school. She listed other incidents when the word was used and, in one case, threats were made against African American students”(Chabria and Lambert). As shown in the novel, Crooks was usually not called by his name but he was acknowledged as n*****. “They let the n***** come in that night” (Steinbeck 20). This is not the only case where African Americans were targeted for their race. In the school, U.C Davis, a student shouted racial slurs at an innocent black women. According to Sacramento Bee, Benjy Egel, stated that,“three men reportedly shouted racial epithets at a 21-year-old African American student...”(Egel). This is similarly portrayed in the novella, Crooks’ boss would yell and treat Crooks horribly when the boss was mad. Crooks explained how, “The boss gives him hell when he's mad” (Steinbeck 20). Crooks was treated as an object used for venting out anger. Starting at the Great Depression to this current day (1929-2018), so many black communities have been facing constant racial hatred. As Steinbeck
Since Crooks is a black man, his human rights are not respected. Due to his race, Crooks does not have any right to speak or even live near the white men. He is all alone, which makes him so cynical. Crooks has lost his rights to freedom, too, since he is unable to move anywhere because he won’t be able to get a new job.