Controlled assessment
Explain how Steinbeck presents the character of crooks in of mice and men. What is the significance of his role?
Explain how Steinbeck presents the character of crooks in of mice and men. What is the significance of his role?
In the novel "Of Mice and Men" John Steinbeck, the author, uses the character of Crooks to represent racism and show the marginalization of the black community occurring at the time in which the novel is set (1930’s). Crook provides the reality of the Jim Crow law and the feelings of all the ranchers: their loneliness and need for company.
We first hear of the Name Crooks when Candy calls him a "nigger," this is meant as a white insult, in 2013 this would of be seen as racism and unacceptable. Candy also mentions Christmas when crooks had a fight with smitty. ‘So he took after the nigger, done pretty good too. The guys wouldn’t let him use his feet, so the nigger got him’ this implies that the term "nigger" is acceptable at the time period is in the 1930's during the Depression era and is what they would. The term "nigger" is used by most of the ranchers, Steinbeck proves that the term is used originally and black people were seen as unworthy. Crooks got his name from his "crooked back,” this was from when he had a horse kicking him in the back.
John Steinbeck describes Crooks room as a “little shed that leaned of the wall of the barn” Steinbeck uses the phrase ‘’leaned’’ this is explaining the conditions or his room and how he had to live even the fact that he has to live with horses when the other men have a bunk house and get to play cards and sleep in appropriate beds show that crooks was treated differently.
Steinbeck also uses the description of ‘Crooks bunk was a long box filled with straw, Steinbeck uses this to show that he had a completely different way of living unlike the white men in the bunkhouse as they slept in proper beds on the other hand he also tells us about crooks