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Crooks - Coggle Diagram
Crooks
Says
' "I ain't a southern negro, he said. "I was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch, 'bout ten acres" ' (Steinbeck 108).
This quote highlights that Crooks represents dignity and pride due to his upbringing and background. He makes it apparent to Lennie that his parents were not slaves, they were landowners and he shows pride in that. This further establishes why Crooks works so hard because his upbringing shows that people of color are not subjected to what society deems them as, they can become successful and have a future. By telling Lennie this, Crooks conveys that he is not a "second-hand" worker and though the situations may be as such, he is proud of his family and wants to continue on that trajectory.
' "You guys is just kiddin' yourself. You'll talk about it a hell of a lot, but you won't get no land. You'll be a swamper here till they take you out in a box. Hell, I seen too many guys. Lennie here'll quit an' be on the road in two three weeks. Seems like ever' guy got land in his head" '(Steinbeck 114).
Steinbeck showcases Crooks awareness of the economic struggles during the Great Depression. While Lennie, George, and Candy may dream for a better life, Crooks represents reality as he knows what the fate for migrant workers is actually like. This quote also shows that Crooks sees life in a negative way because he experiences first hand the mistreatment and knows that equality will never truly be attained because of social hierarchy. To compensate for this harsh reality, Crooks' becomes bitter as he explains this to Candy and Lennie.
Actions
"In one hand he held a bottle of liniment, and with the other he rubbed his spine. Now and then he poured a few drops of the liniment into his pink-palmed hand and reached up under his shirt to rub again" (Steinbeck 105).
Crooks applying liniment to his back is significant because he is trying the best he can to heal so he can be considered useful. Crooks knows the hardships to sustain a career during the Depression and additionally he is a person of color and disabled. The options for him to be accepted for a job are limited. Therefore, he is trying his best to heal so that his fear of being useless does not come true. This shows that Crooks does in fact feel insecure and unsupported.
"Crooks said sharply, "You got no right to come in my room. This here's my room. Nobody got any right in here but me." Lennie gulped" (Steinbeck 105).
Crooks' action to use a harsh tone and keep Lennie out of his room is significant for the type of control Crooks desires but knows he cannot have. Since Crooks is not allowed in the bunkhouse, he prefers to keep the shed as his own private place. When Crooks snaps back at Lennie, it allows him to gain control for once, which shows that Crooks wants superiority and he does it in a harsh way because that is all he has been exposed to on the ranch with the boss.
Thoughts
"Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself...Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall" (Steinbeck 119).
When Crooks was talking with Lennie and Candy, it felt a little liberating for him, however, when Curley's wife threatens Crooks, he starts to think about the discrimination that he is unfortunately subjected to and he starts to think of himself as "less than" because he goes back to obeying what other tells him to do. Steinbeck adds that Crooks feels hopeless and he "grows smaller" indicating that Crooks will always be viewed by the color of his skin, and this realization makes Crooks feel insecure.
"He hesitated. "...If you...guys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep, why I'd come an' lend a hand. I ain't so crippled I can't work like a * if I want to" '(Steinbeck 115).
Crooks knows that because he is crippled and a person of color that once he is no longer seen as useful, he will be thrown out of the ranch. To feed into his need of feeling wanted, Crooks offers to help on Lennie's dream farm because it seems like the place where he can feel secure. Crooks even says he will work for nothing, hinting at the idea that he just wants a place where he can live a stable life.
Effect On Others
"Crooks face lightened with pleasure in his torture. "Nobody can tell what a guy'll do," he observed calmly. "Le's say he wants to come back and can't. S'pose he gets killed or hurt so he can't come back" ' (Steinbeck 109-110).
Here Crooks tries to develop a sense of superiority over Lennie. He knows that Lennie's innocence and dependency on George is a weak point (in some instances), and Crooks uses that to his advantage. The fact that Steinbeck adds Crooks face becoming lightened as Lennie starts to worry symbolizes that hierarchy exists because feeling conceited and superior to someone else is human nature. Although Crooks may be considered a "nobody" by people like the boss and Curley, Crooks is human and he will carry these faulty qualities. Additionally, this shows that Crooks' isolation leads to his bitterness.
Possession
"And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905.
Unlike many of the other ranch workers, Crooks has an intellectual level that is quite superior. Due to his loneliness, he often compensates with reading books, and that to ones that are worth reading. Crooks knows he is discriminated against because of his race, so even though he has an outdated version of the California Code, he keeps it just in case he is in trouble and needs the law. This highlights Crooks' sense of awareness because he knows life is not easy for a man like him.
Looks
"His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity...he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face" (Steinbeck 105).
Crooks back further adds to his separation from the other ranch workers. Crooks is already discriminated against, and his crooked back limits his already limited social and work life. It also adds to his fear of being useless. His eyes glittering with intensity and his tightened lips represent how pain (whether it be physical or emotional) has always overshadowed his life. However his intense eyes show his perseverance.
Enviornment
"Crooks, the negro stable buck, has his back in the harness room; a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn...and scattered about the floor were a number of personal possessions; for, being alone...this room was swept and fairly neat" (Steinbeck 104-105).
Crooks room showcases his loneliness because he is a little shed that is isolated from the bunkhouse, and he has many items to keep him company. His meticulous behavior is representative of an ideal world he tries to make out of what he is given. This shows that unlike Lennie and George, Crooks has a companionship with materialistic objects which further is alienation and therefore prompts him to associate that loneliness with himself. Steinbeck describes Crooks' room in detail to highlight how physical spaces affect a person's emotional well being.