Steinbeck makes use of the character “Of Mice and Men” to show the discrimination against African Americans in America in the 1930s. Black Americans suffered from hostility and bigotry during the Great Depression. Jim Crow laws were a stronghold for racial segregation in the South, and organizations like the Ku Klux Klan played a significant role. Steinbeck doesn’t intend to be a racist, despite his humanism. He simply depicts the harsh realities of the times. We see how this affects Crooks psychologically and emotionally as readers.
For most white Americans in the 1930s, racism was commonplace. According to popular prejudices at the time, blacks were considered “inferior”. This unfortunate historical context is well highlighted by the realism of “Of Mice and Men’s” dialogue. Steinbeck mimics the voice of ranch workers, giving us a clear insight into the context. Crooks 16 times is called a ‘nigger’ in the 186 pages. Candy mentions Crooks first in section two. He immediately responds by saying that he thinks Crooks is a nigger. This perfectly demonstrates the normality in racism in 1930s America. Candy is very respectful of Crooks. He isn’t using the term “nigger” to make a slur, as it is in 21st-century usages, but as part his everyday language. Crooks’ real identity is kept secret by the reader. Crooks is probably a nickname for “he’s gota crookedback where a horse kicked” His colour and job are the only things that identify him. He is often called “the stable buck” and “the nigger”, in derogatory or positive terms. It is this constant reference to Crooks that makes it difficult for readers to identify him as a person. The scene is set. Crooks sits alone in his “bunk inside the harness” room. It’s a tiny shed that leaned towards the barn. According to us, he has a “tattered” dictionary and a copy of the California civil code 1905. This suggests that he is keen to know the rights that black men have. He is clearly more educated than the rest of the men. His room is not separated from the rest of the house, but is part of the barn. It may be a reference to the fact he is treated the same as any animal regardless of his being born black. His medical supplies are shared with animals. He has an “applebox over his bunk” that houses a range of medicines. Crooks is described to be a proud and aloof man. He was a reserved man who demanded respect from others. His “pain tightened mouth” suggests that he’s suffered and hints at the hard life he probably lived as a Black man.
It’s Saturday night, and everyone has gone to town to spend their earnings. The exceptions are the three mentally and physically disabled “outcasts” from the farm, Candy, Lennie and Crooks. Crooks is initially adamant that Lennie cannot visit Crooks in the room. Crooks tells Lennie “you have no right to enter my bedroom.” This is my bedroom. Lennie is turned away by him. Lennie, however, does not know the unwritten code for racial separation and refuses to leave. Crooks tells him “You go on get outta my room. Crooks clearly resents the unfair treatment he is subject to as a black American living in 1930s America. He considers his room his only space. He has very few rights, and Crooks is known for referring to his rights often. Crooks has a painfully high self-awareness. Crooks tells Lennie, “Why don’t ya want?” Crooks replies, “Cause you’re black”. Lennie’s innocence contrasts with Crooks bitterness, which highlights the importance. Lennie’s simple outlook is that he doesn’t care about skin color. Crooks is defeated and Lennie’s “disarming look” wins. Lennie also has a desire to be with people. Lennie is invited to join him. Crooks is now a lonely man.
Steinbeck portrays Crooks as vulnerable, shaped in prejudice by his time, and we feel sympathy for him. But, Crooks shows us a cruel side when he suggests that George might not come home from town. Lennie becomes upset and afraid, while Crooks’s expression is described as “lightened by pleasure in his torture”. Crooks doesn’t like being the “upperhand”. Crooks is accustomed as a Black man to be at the bottom. He’s used to feeling vulnerable and weak. Crooks is a master at using the situation to make himself feel superior. Crooks realizes that Lennie is in danger and stops taunting. Lennie knows he isn’t trying to scare her. Lennie realizes that “a guy could talk” to him, and he “won’t be blabbing”. Crooks opens up and says that a man needs someone to talk to him. He also mentions that a man can go crazy if he doesn’t have anyone. Steinbeck uses emotive adjectives to describe Crooks, saying that he is “crying” as well as “whining” in order to show the emotional pain Crooks is going through. Lennie is not mentally disabled, but he still has George. Crooks, a “nigger” who lives in prejudice times, is bound to envy this companionship. Lennie is told that Crooks becomes lonely and then gets sick. Crooks’ negative psychological effects on Crooks start to be very obvious. The reader may begin to understand why Crooks treated Lennie so cold-heartedly.
Crooks opens up and Candy comes knocking at the door. Again, Crooks’ defensive barrier rises. Crooks invites Candy to come in. Both men seem uncomfortable at first, Candy being described as “Embarrassed”. We find out that Candy has never been to Crooks’s room before and that there is a clear social boundary. Crooks tries to hide this by putting on a tough exterior. Steinbeck reveals that Crooks secretly enjoys having more company. He says “It was difficult” to hide his anger. Candy and Lennie talk about the “dream farm”. Crooks appears to be observant and smart as he listens carefully to their conversations, but he does so with great cynicism. Crooks interrupts the conversation “brutally”, saying that “you guys are just kidding yourselves” and then he makes the harsh comment “Nobody ever gets to heaven, nor does anybody get any land.” But, Crooks becomes more involved in the dream as the men continue to talk. This is an indicator that Crooks is lonely, as he longs for a safe place to live. He finally admits that he would like to help and that he is not a stranger. This dream is impossible, security is not possible in a world that is prejudiced, especially for a black stable hand with an obtuse back. Curley’s wife interrupts their daydreaming and appears.
The section on racial discrimination is at its peak. Curley’s wives claim that all the weak ones were left here. She continues, calling them “a nigger and’ a Dum-dum” and “a lousy Ol’ sheep”. Crooks, however was somewhat encouraged by Curley and his wife’s company. He suggested to Curley that Curley should go to her home as they “don’t want to make any trouble”. Curley’s husband is soon offended by Crooks’s comments about being a black man. He tells Curley that he has no rights in a room with coloured men and to “get out of my way.” Curley’s spouse, Curley, is jolted into the reality of that era by her words “you know what you can do to me if you open my trap”. He acknowledges that he is living with racial prejudice and stares “hopelessly” at the trap. It’s metaphorically called “growing smaller”. Curley’s wife makes a real threat by calling Curley “nigger”. You can be tied up on a tree with ease. Crooks doesn’t respond to this as it is his reality. She could have easily gotten a lynch mob with him.
Crooks’ circumstances exemplify the racism of the 1930s. Many white people believed that blacks were inferior and accepted their prejudice as a way to live. Steinbeck says that Crooks “reduced himself” to nothing after Curley’s last threat to his wife. “There wasn’t a personality, no self-image, and nothing that could rouse love or hatred.” This futility shows Crooks’ limited power. Crooks slowly comes out from the protection he has put on, and he dismisses the men who are there. She is correct in what she said. Candy tells him to forget about his involvement on the “dream ranch”. He protects himself by saying he was only foolin.
Steinbeck allows us to empathise with Crooks’ character through colloquial dialogue, and at the end strong imagery. Racism feeds the larger theme about loneliness. As section four progresses you can see that Crooks’s crippling senses of isolation as an African-American man have inevitably led to him being bitter and rude. Crooks isn’t without faults. Crooks’ humanity is up to the individual reader. Crooks’ personality can only be known if he isn’t black. One could argue that he may be just a harsh, cynical individual by nature. Crooks is smart and cruelly plays with Lennie’s emotions. Crooks’ behavior is likely to be retribution for his treatment. Crooks is disempowered, much like Curley’s spouse. He uses his vulnerability as a weapon against those even weaker. Steinbeck offers ample evidence to show that Crooks hides his humanity. While this doesn’t justify Crooks’ cruel actions, it is hard to not feel for him. Crooks clearly feels irritated by the discrimination he has experienced. He’s trapped in a vicious, never-ending cycle of loneliness. It is almost as if he cannot deal with the idea that someone might try to be kind to his situation. He is both horribly aware that he doesn’t have any hope of ever having a better future.