Crooks

Crooks

“You got a nice cozy little place in here,” he said to Crooks. “Must be nice to have a room all to yourself this way.” “Sure,” said Crooks. “And a manure pile under the window. Sure, it’s swell”(Steinbeck 113).

Says

Thoughts

Effect on Others

Actions

Possession and Environment

"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 son-of-a bi*ch if I want to"(Steinbeck 115)

“’Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone,
you might as well set down"(Steinbeck 107).

Looks

Crooks' face lighted with pleasure in his torture."Nobody can't 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).

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. “Yes, ma’am...Crooks had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego— nothing to arouse either like or dislike...his voice was toneless... but Crooks sat perfectly still, his eyes averted, everything that might be hurt drawn in"(Steinbeck 119).

Crooks settled himself more comfortably on his bunk. “Set down,” he invited. “Set down on the nail keg"(Steinbeck 107).

"Crooks interrupted brutally. “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" (Steinbeck 114).

"Suddenly Lennie’s eyes centered and grew quiet, and mad. He stood up and walked dangerously toward Crooks. “Who hurt George?” he demanded. Crooks saw the danger as it approached him"(Steinbeck 110).

"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. His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face" (Steinbeck 105).

And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905. There were battered magazines and a few dirty books on a special shelf over his bunk. A pair of large gold-rimmed spectacles hung from a nail on the wall above his bed.

I believe that this quote highlights the little piece of hope that Crook has to escape a place where he is in constant solitary to a "paradise" which is a place where he can belong and be seen.

This quote as well showcases that Crook is a lonely individual. At first, he is cold natured towards Lennie but he actually enjoys the company that Lennie provides him. It may seem as if he reluctant to let Lennie into his bunk but in reality, he secretly enjoys having someone to speak to.

Throughout this chapter, Crook tells Lennie more than once that he is crazy for trusting in the fact that they will accomplish their dreams which allows readers to see him as both being very cynical and a realist. Crooks for this section can't help but feel as if their American Dream will never come true as he had seen and experienced too many hardships that life offers.

Every character, not excluding Crooks has flaws. Like the pattern that is being shown in the novel a person that is more powerful in a way tends to prey on those who are weaker whether it be mentally or physically. Here Crooks saw an opportunity because of George’s intellectual disability that he could somehow "play" with him as a way to feel some sense of superiority. It is unfortunately normal for people in this novel to feel and play with people who are weaker than them.

Crook in the novel faces discrimination and hate in the novel for being a black person but Crooks doesn't try and do much about it since he is aware of his surroundings and the way he is looked at by others. So when Curly's wife threatens Crooks with lynching, Crooks back down and is obedient. He knows he doesn't have any power over her due to his place in the world so he reduces himself and simply complies to what they say to him. This is both an external and internal force that shapes Crook to do what he did and retailate.

We get to see this deeper side of Crook as he interacts with Lennie. Crook seems comfortable with Lennie, the guy that doesn't see him for his skin color. He even invites Lennie in and offers him a chair which showcases he was glad for the company in his bunk and reality didn't mind it. Crook has the willingness to be open as I think he in fact longs for.

Crooks saw his advantage over Lennie's intellectual disability and knew what he had to do to mess with him per se so he took it. Crook is dealing with the same societal issues that are prevalent just as is almost everyone else in the novel. I believe he also wanted to for once treat someone the way he had been mistreated in his life. So he sees Lennie as a weaker intellectual being than him and targets him as he tortures Lennie with the idea that George might leave him or that they have hurt him and Lennie takes this information and reacts. Lennie grew worrisome over the words of Crook enough to almost physically threaten him.

By looking at his book collection there is enough evidence to show that he can read which during that era would be seen as unusual for black people. Crook is intelligent. There is even the California civil code in his lists of books most likely indicating that Crook is for equality as he is reading up on civil rights.

Crook is bitter and sarcastic when being complimented for the place in which he resides. He knows the dire reality of his situation. Crook is not pleased to have a room of his own since he is without anyone and the room is quite literally near "manure". He lives with the situation he is in because he feels as if there is no other option besides that for him. Crook is reluctantly living in this environment that he had been placed in.

The description of Crooks highlights the struggles that made him who he is. Eyes are often called the "windows to the soul" and Crook is said to have eyes filled with much intensity, an eye that has seen and experienced many things in their life. Even the wrinkles on his face give us an idea of how much he has dealt with in his life.

Mikeily Campos