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Racism and the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men AUTHOR(S). Anitha, R
Role of animals in of mice and men
Of mice and men animals/nature
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In the story, Crooks' home is, "a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn." This suggests that he is isolated from the other men and treated like the animals he cares for and as such is made to live with them. Crooks' "bunk" was actually a long box filled with straw, which could further reinforce the fact that he is treated like an animal or it could show that he is poor and has low, if any social status. To say that Steinbeck seems to make his characters seem low and poor, Crooks seems to have a number of pleasant possessions, however, some are damaged but this could represent their amount of use. These include, "a single barreled shotgun" which suggests that he feels threatened and needs protection, although it could be a trophy from previous times in his past that he would like to remember. Also, he owns a "big alarm clock" which may show that he is punctual, ordered and that he requires being on time given the job but it may also show that because he is isolated from the other men, he relies less on others to awaken him in the mornings. ?A tattered dictionary? is another of his personal items, which could define his character as intelligent, but that he wants to be seen and it could be a way to prevent his constant loneliness from being a problem. Another piece of his home comes in the form of ?a mauled copy of the California civil code,? which can be used to represent his character?s intelligence plus that he reads to escape solitude, in addition to this point, as a coloured person in those times, Crooks? life must have been difficult, knowing his right as a person could aid in protection with which he needs. The last article in Crooks? inventory of significance would be his ?gold-rimmed spectacles,? which could enable him to see clearly, but may also allow him to view the world in a different perspective. The last point regarding Crooks? room may perhaps be seen as a relevant one, ?this room was swept and fairly neat?? could illustrate Crooks as a proud, aloof man. Finally, the fact that Crooks keeps his distance and demands that others keep theirs could again reinforce the point that he feels threatened and this would keep him protected. When Lennie enters the room, we learn more about the effects of isolation.
Steinbeck clearly shows that Crooks never has any say on the ranch. No one cares about him. He’s just a “negro stable buck” (66). In this novella, No one ever talks to him except for candy. Lennie finally finds himself going into his room. While in there they speak about racial profiling. Crooks tell lennie that he’s the only African Americans on the ranch. He tells Lennie how he’s “alone out here at night” (73). He has nobody to talk to all he does is read books and think. The people on the ranch care less about his needs and wants, all they want him to do is to continue his work...
Crooks is a character who is mistreated in many ways because he is black. Crooks is the stable buck of the barn. It’s not certain whether Crooks is his name, or his nickname, but we know he got kicked in the back by a horse and had a crooked back ever since. Nevertheless he gets yelled at by the boss every time something’s wrong. " ‘The boss gives him hell when he’s mad. But the stable buck don’t give a damn
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. 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.
Firstly, I am going to talk about Lennie who was known as a man with
“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.
Crooks is an African American stable-hand on the ranch, who because he is black is very isolated and lonely. He is the only black man on the ranch and is segregated from the others on multiple occasions. All Crooks wants is to be able to do daily activities with the other ranch workers, even simply a game of cards. However, since Crooks is black, he is not allowed into the bunkhouse, and is forced to live alone in the barn. He wants to feel like someone cares about him, "Don't make no difference who the guy is, long’s he's with you. I tell you, a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick." (80) Lennie finds Crooks one night in his room when he is playing with the new puppies on the ranch. After Crooks tries to play a joke on Lennie, Crooks realizes that Lennie is slow and thinks like a child, therefore can’t understand that he is just playing a joke on him. Crooks then invites Lennie to stay with him for a while, and forgets about his loneliness for one night. Crooks looks to Lennie for companionship; he sees that si...
...ther workers. Crooks is so badly isolated from the rest of the men that he is forced to live in his own area without contact from any of the other men. At one point, Lennie goes to Crooks’ room in an innocent attempt to make a new friend, but Crooks sharply shuts him down. Crooks said, “You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me” (Steinbeck 68). This quote is very significant in that is gives the reader a great sense of how strongly Crooks feels that his room is the only room in which he has any rights over the others. Steinbeck uses Crooks as a significant way in which society isolates people that are different. One last example that Steinbeck uses as a brilliant example of isolation is his insertion of Curley’s wife into the novel.
Crooks is isolated because of his race, his disability and his deep mistrust of others. He is physically separated from the other men and has his own room in the barn. "It's cause I'm black" (68). Crooks has been alone for a so long, making him not care about having and making new friends any more. Crooks may constantly be surrounded by the other workers, but that doesn't make him feel less alone. "You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me" (67). Crooks is quiet and weak, meaning no one in the ranch listens to him, nothing he says matters. "This is just a nigger talkin', an' a busted-back nigger. So it don't mean nothing, see?" (70). Crooks is someone a reader can easily feel sorry for, even though Crooks doesn't put much effort is making new friends. He is in a difficult situation, which he certainly doesn't what to
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
Crooks is the last and final character shown in the novel Of Mice and Men and, shows that dreams don’t always come true. This novel took place back when race was a huge thing back in the day. He was treated much different than the other workers, in the novel. The different race affected his dream in the story he was treated like a nobody, because of his race. “I ain't wanted in my bank house, and you ain’t wanted in my room. The quote shows that crooks is treated different, by no one wants to be around
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.
Crook has many symbolical items, his disability is a symbol of his loneliness. He constantly rubs his back with medicine to inoculate to himself, this is a symbol of the pain he intakes. He is extremely lonely. His book of California rights is a symbol of power and knowledge of his rights of freedom. The neatness of his stable is a symbol that he is trying to show that he has got the same things as white people.
Crooks is discriminated against for being black. He is isolated from the other men in his own room. “‘Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me” (Steinbeck 68). All the ranch workers forget about Crooks because they have ignored him for so long. They do not give him a second thought as long as he stays out of their way. Slim is the only one who sees Crooks because he is the boss of the men. When Lennie first greets him he is bitter and wants nothing to do with him. Soon he becomes fond of the conversation and enjoys it. “Crooks’ face lightened with pleasure in his torture” ( Steinbeck 71). Crooks has all his necessities to live and lives in comfort compared to the other Americans during this
in my room...They say I stink”(75). It is obvious that Crooks has been treated badly. he wants company but he does