Take it back to when you were in the cornfield with your friends. It didn’t matter the skin color, who they were or anything. What mattered was that you were having fun. Now you're in the 1930’s, isolated and alone in a bunker rubbing liniment on your crooked back contemplating on how important your life is. Throughout John Steinbeck's novella “Of Mice and Men”, Crook’s worth of an individual's life is at the bare minimum from being discriminated because of his race, being labeled as disabled, and having to work under everyone else. Race discrimination is shown by directly being based on a character named Crooks who people treated differently because he was black. “Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.”(75) Crooks was always left out of everything as if he was only a piece of dirt. Imagine feeling like nothing …show more content…
“Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego- nothing to arouse either like or dislike. He said “Yes, ma’am,” and his voice was toneless.”(89) Crooks has almost the least amount of power on the ranch besides George and Lennie who just arrived. Crooks is threatened multiple times that he could be fired by Curley’s wife but she does nothing at the ranch except look for her husband. How much power a person has really depends on connections a person has. For example, the only reason Curley’s wife has the capability to hold Crooks’ job over him is because she is married to Curley who is the son of the boss. Crooks working beneath people who abuse their power towards him just threaten him to show him that he’s nothing besides a worker and gets no say at all to anything. In conclusion, Crooks worth as an individual stays at the bare minimum without a change. Throughout the whole novella Crooks is emotionally abused breaking him down to feel powerless which will leave him to feel like
He is told that he “stinks” because he is black, and they do not let him be around the others because of that. Crooks has absolutely no social power on the ranch because he is constantly treated differently and discriminated against. Crooks also says, “You got no right to come in my room... Nobody got any right in here but me.” (Steinbeck 66).
Although at first when Lennie barges into Crooks’ room he seems annoyed, he secretly enjoys the company. Crooks says to Lennie after scolding him about coming into his room, “‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well set down’” (69). With this dialogue from Crooks, readers can infer that he doesn’t get any company, and he invites Lennie to stay. Additionally, both Crooks and Lennie were not invited to go into town with the rest of the workers. He is racially divided and excluded from the rest of the ranchmen’s entertainment, which results in his confinement.
Crooks isn’t allowed to sleep in the bunkhouse or play cards with the white men. He gets lonely and resentful from having to stay in the barn all the time. When he is talking to Lennie, he says, “‘S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunkhouse or play rummy
John Steinbeck’s novella, Of Mice and Men, depicts race as a critical factor to the dominance of people during this time period. Racism is presented most evidently in chapter four by the treatment of Crooks, the stable buck. Crook’s and his fellow workers discussed ambitions in his quarters, which happened to be separate from the others clearly due to his skin tone. As the men conversed topics regarding the near future, Curley’s wife abruptly barged into the area searching for her husband. Noting the peril with which Curley’s wife is associated with,
While alongside Lennie and Candy, Crooks’ fellow ranchers, a woman who is commonly known as Curley’s wife, interrupts their cordial conversation and snootily insults each of the men to which Crooks righteously defends them. However, primarily due to his skin tone, Curley’s wife threatens to “‘get [Crooks] strung up on a tree’” which is seemingly “‘so easy it ain’t even funny’” (Steinbeck 80). Subsequently, Crooks has “reduced himself to nothing” and his solitude is even more pronounced as society repeatedly illustrates his differences. Although quite untrue, Crooks feels that he is not even an equivalent of a person, more of a machine whose only usefulness are his inadequate working
Every day over 352,000 babies are born. The second these babies enter the world, the opportunities and privileges given to them vary but are set at their birth. Privilege constantly determines opportunities whether the individual can help it or not, and it is revealed constantly throughout our country's history. In the past privilege has affected minorities lives and their opportunities in careers, freedom of speech, and much more. Unconscious biases and privileges are still very well present today but not as obvious.
Crooks’ motivation is George and Lennie. After he hears what they want to do he gets excited and that motivated him to follow his dream. He isn’t afraid to tell Lennie his dreams and trusts Lennie unlike the others who he thinks would laugh at his dreams. Another motivation is leaving this farm to live with George and Lennie when they get their own ranch. Crooks knew that he will have an easier life and will be freeier.
Crook’s character is being discriminated due to his skin color which soon caused him to be disregarded. Although at a certain point, Crooks stood up but no good has come to him. Challenging discrimination is strenuous, however it is necessary in order for an individual to advance. One of the most lousy assumption made during the novel’s time period is the hierarchy between the color of men.
Crooks is very lonely and solitude for being alone every day. As a result, he wants to have friends who he can communicate with. No one has come into his room except for Slim and the boss, so when Lennie and Candy come, it is difficult for Crooks to “conceal his pleasure with anger” (75). Although he wants to express anger about people coming into his room, inside he is happy about it and enjoys it. This instability and loneliness that he has leads him to say how he could work for George, Lennie, and Candy on their farm.
Crooks is constantly being discriminated against which is the effect of being colored at this time. During the book talks to Crooks about the farm he desires, Crook says to Lennie, “S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and play rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that?” () Crook is at the bottom of the social hierarchy because of his race. This inequality is the barrier to his dreams of being
Crooks is an African American farm worker that works with horses on the land. Being a colored person in this era was harsh, and the color of your skin automatically determined the amount of power you would have, so African Americans did not have power compared to everyone else in society. “Lennie watched her, his mouth half open. Crooks had retired into the terrible protective dignity of the negro.” (79;ch.4).
there are two characters that interact with Crooks. Curley’s wife and Lennie. Lennie is a very strong man and he has a mental disability, and Curley’s wife is the only women on the ranch
Crooks was forced to sleep in a separate room next to the stable, apart from the bunks where the rest of the ranch workers resided. Crooks was unable to participate in anything that the rest of the ranch workers did. All of this was a result of his ethnicity. “ “Cause I’m black. They play cards, but I can’t play because I’m black.
He reads a lot. Got books in his room. ’”(Steinbeck 20) This demonstrates that even though Crooks is black he is still smart and does more than sit in his room feeling bad for himself because he is alone. This quote also shows that even though Crooks is black he is still seen as a nice guy.
Crooks (named crooks after being kicked in the back by a horse) is a very controversial character as he is the only black member of the farm and doesn’t actually feature to much in the book. When he is in it though most of what we find out is when Lenny walks into his room. From the start its clear that crooks is a very abused and defensive because he says “You got no right to come in my room” as soon as he notices Lennie stood in his room even though Lennie doesn’t really see any difference between skin colour and doesn’t understand why this is happening. Most of what can be known about Crooks is from the items in his room. His room is actually connected to the barn showing they do not value him as a person but only as a stable buck.