Critical Analysis of Crooks in Of Mice and Men Essay

How does Steinbeck present the character of Crooks?

In the novel Of Mice and Men, the character of Crooks is used by John Steinbeck, the author, to symbolise the marginalisation of the black community occurring at the time in which the novel was set. Crooks is also significant as he provides and insight into the reality of the American Dream and the feelings of the people in the ranch; their loneliness and need for company.

Steinbeck presents Crooks as a victim of racism and throughout the book, he is called by the name nigger. Being black, Crooks is ostracised on the ranch. The use of the word nigger was referred to as casual racism, Ya see, the stable bucks a nigger. The use of this word dehumanises Crooks and shows how black people at the time, had no rights at all. He also says, If I say something, why its just a nigger sayin it and this shows his anger about being brutalised. However, another quote shows how threatened violence is used against black people and how the same term nigger is repeated throughout the book. Listen nigger(...), you know what I can do if you open your trap?(...)I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it aint even funny. Curleys wife takes advantage of Crooks having a go at her and threatens Crooks into getting lynched. Lynching was very common in the 1930s and Crooks seemed to grow smaller. The use of this oxymoron emphasises how he tries to fight back yet Curleys wifes social status was better than Crooks mainly because of his race. Furthermore, Curleys wife uses the word nigger and it also dehumanises Crooks and puts him in his right place. Curleys wife is also near the bottom of the social hierarchy as well as Crooks

Crooks is also affected by physical violence as one quote goes back to when Crooks gets beaten up. Little skinner, name of Smitty took after the nigger. Done pretty good too. In 1930s America, black people were regarded as toys and that white people thought it was a game to beat black people up because they were thought to be at the lower end of the hierarchy. The quote also includes the term nigger and it shows that its a recurring image of Crooks throughout the book. As we read the book, we only notice that only a few people are kind to Crooks in a way that they dont call him by the word nigger. Oh! Hello Crooks. Whats the matter? This is an example of how Slim is nice to him because he calls him by his name. This creates a sense of equality between Slim and Crooks.

Despite the fact that Crooks is a victim of racism, Steinbeck presents Crooks as a dignified human being. At first glance, this is not obvious as Crooks sleeps in what is described as a long box filled with straw. This quote shows how he is presented as an animal because black people at that time, were treated as slaves. Not only does Steinbeck give him a life and a voice, but he tries to replicate Crooks life in the book with how black people were treated in real life. Steinbeck also tries not to represent Crooks as just a slave. Steinbeck tries to defend Crooks by writing about how he stood up for his rights against Curleys wife when she entered his private space, I had enough(...)you got no rights comin in a coloured mans room. You got no rights messing around in here at all. This quote shows how Curleys wife tries to use her superior social status against Crooks as well as dehumanising him.

Another quote shows how not only does he care about himself and how he treats himself, but he also cares for the horses and the other animals in the barn. Crooks has his apple box over his bunk, and in it a range of medicine bottles, both for himself and for the horses. It also shows that he is well organised and that he cares for the animals like he cares for himself. He also takes pride in what he does.

Another quote shows how even though he knows he has rights, they are still worth nothing, And he had books too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California Civil Code for 1900s. This quote also shows that he is worried about his education and that he is intelligent even though others on the ranch thought that black people arent clever. The books must have been used a lot and so he knows the rights that he should have. Therefore, Crooks is presented as a dignified human being despite the fact that he is marginalised and mistreated by others on the ranch.

Although Crooks is a dignified human being, Steinbeck also presents him as a cruel and unpleasant man at times. This is shown most obviously when Lennie attempts to befriend him in part four of the novel. At first, when Lennie tries to enter his room, Crooks says, you got no rights to come in my room. This heres my room, and he becomes very defensive. The fact that he repeats the phrase my room shows he is feeling vulnerable. His room is the only place where he can have some privacy and have a sense of safety and this is important to Crooks because he doesnt have much and is frequently abused by those around him. Steinbeck also writes, Crooks said sharply and the word sharply supports this idea because it shows it is an immediate reaction to the intrusion. It is also like a defence mechanism as he feels slightly paranoid about what is about to happen. He lets Lennie in his room eventually but he continues to torment him, his voice grew soft and persuasive. Crooks tries to use persuasive language in order to taunt Lennie and take advantage of his condition. Spose George dont come back no more(...)whatll you do then? Crooks takes the chance to fight back from how he has been tortured in the past. He also wanted to make Lennie feel how he has been feeling for most of his life; lonely and isolated. Yet Lennie tries to fight back and Crooks gets scared and tries to carm him down.

Crooks is also presented as powerless, as previously discussed it is perhaps this lack of power that leads to his bitterness. One quote shows how Curleys wife threatens him and Crooks sits down and doesnt fight back, Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego-nothing to arouse either like or dislike. Steinbeck tries to use metaphorical language to show that Crooks doesnt want to be seen and that he fears for himself. It also shows that he is at the bottom of the social hierarchy mainly because he is the only black person on the ranch. The repetition of the word no and nothing dehumanises Crooks and makes him feel like he has nothing and he has no rights. He is also paradoxical because sometimes he insists on himself having some rights yet he is still lonely. This is why when Lennie tries to enter his room, he has a go at him explaining them. It wasnt until after he spoke that he realised that he could finally have some company. In those days, black people were presented as lower class compared to others and Steinbeck implants this in the novel to make Crooks feel powerless

Another quote shows how Crooks does have some rights even though he doesnt like them, A coloured man got to have some rights even if he dont like them. It shows how Crooks knows he has rights and that it is a defence mechanism against others being racist towards him. However, when Curleys wife interrupts them, he tries to defend himself explaining his rights but they were all worth nothing and after she went, when Crooks said do Candy that he was jus foolin yet on the inside, he knows that he can never get out of the situation others put him in.

When Steinbeck presents Crooks as powerless, this also links in with him being lonely and isolated. When Crooks is talking to Lennie, he explains how a black person like him has no friends and no company, Books aint no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him, he whined, A guy goes nuts if he aint got nobody. This shows how he is a symbol of loneliness and Crooks tries to express his feelings. Out of all the people in the ranch, the only person he could express his feelings to was Lennie, who cannot fully sympathise or understand Crooks situation. Not only is Crooks a symbol of loneliness, but so are Candy and Curleys wife because they are also marginalised in the ranch. The way Steinbeck doesnt give Curleys wife a name dehumanises her and makes her feel lonely.

Another quote goes to Crooks past and how things in those days were the same, yet he didnt know. I aint a Southern Negro...I was born right here in California...The white kids come to place at our place, an sometimes I went to play with them...My ol man didnt like that. I never knew till long later why he didnt like that. But I know now. Racism was a big issue in those days and thats why Crooks dad didnt like him mixing with the other white kids. The way he says I aint a Southern Negro shows that he isnt the typical slave that other black people were in the 1930s and that most of the black people in America were from the South. He soon became aware of racial prejudice and he doesnt mix easily with others on the ranch, He kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs. Crooks is also alienated because he cant sleep in the bunk house with the others mainly because of his race.

Crooks is also presented as weak and damaged as he suffers both physical and emotional pain. His name represents how he has a crooked back, His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head...And he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face. Steinbeck tries to emphasise how Crooks is in a lot of pain, yet he is still treated badly by the ranchers. His physical disabilities parallel with other characters including Lennie who is taken advantage of by Crooks because he behaves like a child. Crooks is also the only person in the novel who doesnt have any hopes or dreams. One moment in chapter four shows how Crooks has high hopes when Lennie and Candy talk about the dream but he dismisses it after Curleys wife destroys him verbally, I never seen a guy really do it, I seen guys nearly crazy with loneliness for land...If you...guys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep, why Id come an lend a hand. Crooks talks about how he has seen many people who have passed through the ranch with dreams yet most of them have failed. When Candy spreads their dream, he has high hopes, but when Curleys wife interrupts them, she reminds him that he has no hope of sharing the dream.

In my opinion, Steinbeck does present Crooks as a victim of racism as he is like an outcast because of his colour and Steinbeck used him to show the hatred of black and white people in the 19th century. He also presents him as a dignified human being because unlike most black people at the time, Crooks did have an education. He also presents him as cruel and unpleasant because he enjoys torturing Lennie because he is weakened by his mental illness and he is also powerless because he is treated like all the other black people in America at the time, he has no rights at all. He is also presented as lonely and isolated because he is dehumanised and separated from the other ranchers mainly because of his race, and he is also presented as weak and damaged both physically and mentally because of his crooked back and the loneliness that he feels.

Ultimately, Crooks is a very complex character, one who has suffered and slightly gained but he is definitely presented as a victim of society.