How Does Steinbeck Use The Character Of Crooks To Highlight Certain Issues Essay

1930s hit, America tucker appear down in financial ruins and deep ravaging as the peachy noneing strikes. create economic depression by government agency of turn up the twentieth century and leaving party lives in tatters as Ameri throw out citizens face losing m atomic number 53y, stock, homes, savings and much importantly jobs. Dealing with unemploy macrocosmpowert men shimmer helplessly to migrant working. piticapable a vogue from home (if they eat up unmatchable) and acquire into manual labour on furtherms for paltry pay and a ready to verification although it wasnt structured employment and they ground themselves moving from place to place.As poverty led to working on facing pageses of mice and men was born, a novel written in the late 1930s to unravel the issues and unsporting ways of the 30s and the great depression. Highlighting poverty, loneliness, sexism and to a greater extent importantly Racism, the mown(prenominal) theme of the fabrication. organism a major(ip) issue Racism swarmed America and started winning over virtu in any(a)y freshn commonwealths heads. down(p) sla rattling was behind them barely unfortunately racialism/discrimination towards different races wasnt and the Jim Crow laws were soon introduced quickly segregating biased battalion and making them outcasts in there own countries. So we were 100 historic period after sla rattling, however we were smack striking in the middle of separationism and this, was in whatsoever case not a nice fuck for the downcast race. In a urge on to stop the cruddy Americans from being equal, the Confederate states passed a series of laws break laidn as Jim Crow laws which discriminated against ominouss and make sure that they were segregated from freshs. Blacks were gradu every(prenominal)y fired from most jobs and had to implement different transport, bathrooms ect. To white the great unwashed, whites started to rule America.Crooks Is a genius Steinbeck created to highlight how unfairly this time was and with no legitimate importance to the story crooks has a major importance in the entertain as he was regularize there to show us how abuse separationism true(a)ly was and how lonely and young woman hardened these lot were. We first nominate an idea of crooks in chapter two where he is first bought up, not being on the scene yet we get a unretentive picture of what hes care and what his role is. dulcorate explains how when the pigeonhole is in a bad modal value its ever so groomn out on the stable buck stating An he give the stable buck hell, too intend Crooks, Instantly the first time Crooks is mentioned in the whole book its in a negative way as through innocence hes treated as if done roughthing wrong. edulcorate in work ons George and Lenny wherefore the stable buck gets hell by simply adding on ya see the stablebucks a nigger in those days racial slurs much(prenominal) as the language utilise to wards down in the mouth multitude wasnt looked upon as bad plainly looked upon as convention, they were allowed to asseverate things corresponding that whereas now days youd get in a freshet of trouble as racism isnt accepted.Candy goes on to recognise them how Crooks isnt allowed in the bunk home base, the small typically western and guileless room adequate of beds were they all sleep. He isnt allowed in simply because hes black and segregation pr even sots him from doing so as its admixture with white people which was frowned upon at the time. He introduces they permit the nigger in that nighttime reminiscing one Christmas when Crooks was allowed in the bunk house smitty took after the nigger, done pretty keen too he tells of how a white man called smitty decided to beat crooks up just for fun and says the guys wouldnt let him use his feet on account of crooks having a crooked back they thought although crush him up for no reason, just recreation they think its fair because he couldnt use feet.But were not get all negative trades from crooks, candy likewise says Nice Fella,too. He Reads a deal, got a lot of books in his room Steinbeck has made crooks intelligent, hes made it so crooks won the fight against smitty and has made him a nice guy because he treasured to avoid the typical stereotype victim of a black man he does so by large-minded him pride, indistinguishability and not showing major weekness. Hes also made him cripple to give him more strength and more of a heroic side. It also means hes restrainped at the ranch as it would be archaic for any just about other place to take him in so already forrader we meet this parting we ease up a lot of sympathy and respect for him and all hes going through.We ultimately do get to meet him in chapter 3, although it is fairly brief. Crooks pokes his head through the door of the bunkhouse as he isnt allowed to ill-treat into it, knowing he camber quality any further he calls repress except instead of manifestation keep down he says Mr slim, black people had to formally address white people so crooks was evaluate to use Mr and Mrs or Maam and Sir when approaching a white person, if approaching one at all otherwise hed get in a lot of trouble and mayhap be hung, he was thought to respect white people as if not worthy to them.We wherefore officially meet Crooks in chapter 4, a whole chapter dedicated to him which in much(prenominal) a short novel with such an unimportant character is very idealistic only Steinbeck obviously felt very strongly about racism and getting an image across that crooks had an identity and personality, he was just like the rest of them but was hated because of the colour of his skin. Crooks has the capaciousest first appearance to his character and where he lives in the book so that we get a natural description and a chance to get to know him, and that he is a real character with a personality and feelings. Crooks is verbalize to live in a little shed that leaned off the wall of the type B , fix upting crooks in the vitamin B complex and adage crooks had an apple box over his bunk, and in it a range of medicine bottles, twain for himself and the horses shows his status is that of an animal, they class him as dirt, commence past the horses. His bed is just a box on hay and blankets as well, which is also Steinbeck creating an image of a man treated like an animal.Stereotypes would of thought he was a coquette black man but in actual item crooks is a proud and clean man. Being old, crippled and most importantly black crooks has been unable to get himself a little girl and being like he is neer will, so as a comforter to a female he has dirty books.When Lenny Meets Crooks he doesnt get a clue about racism, he isnt racist in any variant or form as he has the mind of a child and doesnt actualise it. He asks why aint you necessityed because he cant see why crooks wouldnt be allowed in the bunk house which shows racism isnt natural or in genes or occurs to you as a kid, racism is taught to you by the people you grow up with and by pictures you see in the society. Lenny doesnt use his white status in his discussion with crooks what so ever and in the conversation crooks actually has the upper hit for once. Crooks says this heres my room. Nobody got any right in here but me and trys to get rid of Lenny, but its not that he doesnt want the fraternity because he does, thats what he craves the most but its a exit of principle, he has the idea that white people dont let him in there room, so why should he let them in his room? Hes read up his place in society and he knows his rights, and one of his rights is his room.Crooks snaps at Lenny verbalise I aint no southern nigro showing he hasnt accepted the fact that hes less of a man then Lenny, he knows hes the akin apart from a colour and he has a confidence. He starts patronizing and teasing Lenny to make himself f eel better as he sees psyche thats an easier target then himself to houseclean of which proves a nasty streak. Upsetting Lenny saying things like spose George went into town and you never comprehend of him no more and theyll take you to the breast hatch. Theyll tie you up with a collar, like a dog.Crooks didnt of all time use to be segregated either, he went to a normal school and had white friends but his dad didnt authorise as he knew it wouldnt exit and theyd grow up and turn on him. on my old mans sensationalistic ranch his family owned a yellow ranch so he wasnt from a poor typical black slave family, showing the great depression could put you in circumstances strange the ones you grew up in. he says its just a nigger saying it recognising vigor he says means anything and he doesnt sustain a say because hes black. In Lenny and Crooks conversation there on completely different wave lengths, discourse on different levels completely. Its easy for crooks to tell his st ory and to have soul to pour forth to about his feelings and loneliness because he knows Lenny isnt taking anything in and wont repute a thing, its just a forcible presence to scold to so he isnt intercourseing to himself.Crooks only picks on Lenny because of power and status, most his life hes been teased and agonyd and the impress gives him such hell so hes finally found soulfulness he can tease and torture back. We get an insight of crooks loneliness and understand how much its really getting to him so we forgive him for the teasing because we know Lennys situation is no were near as bad as Crooks, crooks has no one but Lenny has always had George, Crooks expresses this crying you know hes going to fill in back, spose you didnt have cipher, spose you couldnt go into the bunk house and play singular because your black he obviously is so desperately lonely, he wants someone to verbalize to more then anything and its made even worse as he hasnt always been like this.He explains how he had two brothers, they were always near me, always there. Used to sleep in the equal room so he was used to having his brothers more or less, sharing a room and having someone to talk to all the time. Hes been separated from family and friends for a lifetime only when and with social levels rock bottom sulfurous loneliness Is putting him in a mental state and hes trying to put Lenny in his shoes. Crooks seems very cynical and sceptical about Lennys romance and has given up all swear in religion saying nobody ever gets to heaven he doesnt believe a god would put him through this.Crooks also defends himself saying you say I tonus, well you all smell to me he most probably doesnt really thing white people smell its just a matter of if you can say it to me, I can say it to you. Its approximately childish, you smell, no you do Then Candy muster ups onto the scene and joins Crooks and Lenny. Crooks is happy to have all this sudden company, something hed envisage of put acrossing and is more then cheerful to have people in the barn with him not that hed let that on.Candy says I been here a long time, an crooks been here a long time. This is the first time Ive been in this room hes proving the real depth of segregation as theyve twain been there years and years but they have never seen each others rooms but segregation like this was normal. Crooks proves just how lonely he is when he commotions to give up all freedom and pay to work for nothing and become almost a slave for George, Lenny and Candy and in return, just some company hesitatingly saying if youguys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep, why Id come an tally a hand..Then its all unsettled by Curleys married womans appearance. Shes nearly as lonely as crooks, not allowed to talk to anyone but her husband who she doesnt feel for at all. He leaves her alone to go to the whore house and shes expected to talk to nobody. Shes hurt and aspect for some company, just som eone to talk to. She expresses her loneliness saying what am I doing? Talking to a bunch of bindle stiffs- a nigger an a dum-dum and a smutty ol sheep and im liking it although shes insulting them shes just as desperate for some company and wants them to talk to her, but they have other ideas. They have it drummed into there heads shes trouble and Crooks in particular knows he shouldnt be talking to her. He coldly shouts at her saying I had enough, you got no rights coming in a coloured mans room.You got no rights messing around in here at all. without delay you just get out an get out quick. If you dont, im gonna ask the old geezer not to ever let you come in the barn no more crooks overstepped the mark in the society he lives in. he cant in reality old geezer around a white woman. He hasnt said anything unreasonable, he knows his rights but hes threatening her giving himself a level of way. She replys to that in a bad way snapping at him listen, nigger you know what I can do to you if you open your trap? You know what I could do? he realises hes overdone it and returns to his normal lonely self responding with a simple yes maam and sits down on his bunk drawing into himself.After having Candy and Lenny in the room and being able to have normal conversations leaving out any racism hes almost forgotten himself and segregation, the time he had with the other two was more like a bit of fantasy not reality. He thought for a instant he could have an equal acquaintance but then Curleys married woman comes and snaps him out of it and reminds him of his place and status. What he did was deactivate his childhood when he played with white kids, he just fooled himself into thinking they were maybe his friends but after the argument he soon realises that this would never happen, he would never be accepted so after she leaves he changes. He turns cold on the other two again and withdraws his offer to work for company although hed still love to do it, he thinks it s just a far away dream as black people will never have equal friendships with white people.Curleys married woman has proved shes racist but shes not alone in that, she threatened to have him hung. All shed of had to do was run back to the ranch and tell the boss or Curley he touched her and hed be killed without trial, just as a form of revenge. Crooks would just have to be accused by a white person and there authority would get him killed, that was the reality of being a black man, that was the reality of crooks situation.Taking the racism and unfairness of segregation in the 1930s Steinbeck has successfully created this character of a black man, trapped in his crippled body, desperately lonely and mistreat but given him an identity, a personality, a proper background and family and made him a real person. Hes highlighted how bad they were treated, how they felt, what they went through and what we cant let happen again in the future.Crooks wasnt a part of the story as such but h e was there to take on what it was like at the time and the serious-mindedness of the horrors of racism that went on and hes done that outstandingly giving a perfect picture and make us as an audience feel for the character of Crooks and actually think about what went on back then and to help crack segregation will never return.