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Crooks - Coggle Diagram
Crooks
SAYS
“’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.” (Steinbeck 34)
From this quote, Crooks reveals that he is discriminated against due to the color of his skin. This is reason why he spends most of his time alone.
""S’pose you didn’t have nobody. S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books. Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody—to be near him.” He whined, “A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you. I tell ya,” he cried, “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.”" (Steinbeck 36)
Crooks opens up to Lennie and tries to tell Lennie how lonely he feels. Crooks mentions that he can't talk or befriend anyone on the ranch because of the color of his skin and wants Lennie to understand how lonely it can get for someone who is an outcast on the ranch.
THOUGHTS
“I remember when I was a little kid on my old man’s chicken ranch. Had two brothers. They was always near me, always there. Used to sleep right in the same room, right in the same bed—all three. Had a strawberry patch. Had an alfalfa patch. Used to turn the chickens out in the alfalfa on a sunny morning. My brothers’d set on a fence rail an’ watch ‘em —white chickens they was." (Steinbeck 36)
Here Crooks is reminiscing on his past when he was young and didn't feel alone because he had his family. He also uses a metaphor. The white chickens on his farm would be set free onto the alfalfa patch and his brother would watch. The white chickens are people who are white and they are allowed to be free while his brother represents the people who are black and they only allowed to watch other people do what they please.
"“Maybe you guys better go,” he said. “I ain’t sure I want you in here no more. A colored man got to have some rights even if he don’t like ‘em.”" (Steinbeck 40)
After Crooks interaction with Curly's wife, he starts getting anxious knowing that he can get in trouble just for standing up for himself. This makes him think that being alone might be better than having company around. This also shows the readers that African American's barely had any rights during this time.
EFFECTS ON OTHERS
"” But the doubt was too much for him. “Don’t you think he will?” 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 35)
Crooks is taking pleasure in tormenting Lennie. This shows that he is bitter to people. One can infer that he is bitter to others because of the discrimination that he receives.
ACTIONS
"“Come on in. If ever’body’s comin’ in, you might just as well.” It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger." (Steinbeck 37)
Crooks is used to being alone and when Candy and Lennie come in to his room, he is delighted to receive company. However, he wants them to believe that being alone is his choice which is why he tries to conceal his pleasure.
"“You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself. She closed on him. “You know what I could do?” Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. “Yes, ma’am.”"(Steinbeck 39)
In an attempt to save Lennie from answering Curly's wife's question, he stands up for him, but gets put down quickly. Curly's wife even threatens him and one can infer that she threaten him because not only did he talk back to her, but also because of his race. Crooks also knows that she can treat him anyway she desires because during this time, African American people barely had any rights protecting them.
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. His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face." (Steinbeck 33)
From this quote, the reader can picture, Crooks as an older African American man who has a crooked back.
POSSESION
"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." (Steinbeck 33)
Crooks' owns several types of books, one including a dictionary. This shows that Crooks is well educated and knows how to read.
ENVIRONMENT
“I was born right here in California. My old man had a chicken ranch, ‘bout ten acres. The white kids come to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them, and some of them was pretty nice. My ol’ man didn’t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn’t like that. But I know now.” (Steinbeck 35)
Crooks reveals that he was born and raised in California in a neighborhood filled with white families. Some of the kids would be nice to him, but his father was worried that they were going to discriminate Crooks. Now that he is older, he understands why his father was worried about him and his friends.