Of Mice and Men

Character Analysis -
Crooks
By Mavis Yue, Ashley Ng, Ivan Lee and Martin Fok
The meaning of the novel
- Reveal how Americans hoped to achieve their own dreams

- The ills of society

- Discrimination and segregation in age, race, gender and mental illnesses.

- George and Lennie owning their own ranch is an example

- Obstacles that stand in the way of their ambition.

- Explore other minor characters including Crooks who contributes to the

meaning of the novel as well.

- Very advanced for Steinbeck to acknowledge these societal problems at

that time and even had the courage to reveal it to the audiences
The ranchers and Crooks
- Steinbeck includes a “black” character in the novel to portray the problem
regarding racism

- Sharp-witted, lively black stable-hand, his name was taken from his
crooked back

- In the novel, he is always called the “nigger” by the men

- Racism is taken for granted.

- The men did not intend to insult Crooks everytime they call him this

- Never considered to call his real name.

- Contributes to meaning of the novel

Crooks’s little room and socialising
- Novel raises questions about the ills of the society

- Crooks contributes to the overall “meaning” behind the novel

- Crooks is often segregated from other

- Example: he got a seperate room in the barn

- Not allowed to go to other’s room

- Only allowed to interact with others when they play horseshoe at night
Crooks’s little room and socialising
- Crooks first reaction was quite protective of his room when Lennie
discovered his room

- Quote from book : “You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my
room. Nobody got any right in here but me.”

- Not allowed to socialise with white people

- Another quote : “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t

funny” from Curley’s wife

- It shows how he can’t even stand up for himself

- All he could do is respond a very respectable manner “yes ma’am”

Crook’s education and his job
- In the novel, Crooks read a lot of books

- Steinbeck included the book with the title of “California Civil Code”, Crooks is
concerned about his rights.

- He is portrayed as “highly educated” but still excluded by others in the ranch.

- Quote from Candy from the book Of Mice and Men, “He reads a lot. Got books in his
room”.

- The ranchers segregated Crooks because of his colour but not because of his
self-cultivation.

- Crooks’ job in the ranch is a “stable hand”

- Useless / easier job, Indicating how Crooks is considered to be unimportant.

 Crooks’ American Dream
and Is It Achievable
- At the start he seemed as if he did not believe in the American Dream at all

- He Was determined at how Candy and Lennie’s dream will never be fulfilled.

- How they already “put money in”, Crooks then revealed his small dream.

- His dream of being with someone, having company with him as well as his desire of a
sense of belonging somewhere.

- Crooks’ dream is not unachievable in the present day but was definerly considered to
be unachievable back in that time.

- During that period of time, African-Americans like him did not have any “big dreams”

- They did not believe they had any chances in fulfilling their dreams living in a cruel
Crooks’ American Dream
and Is It Achievable
- It is quite hard to achieve in the 1920s and 1930s since racism was a huge
problem. Meaning it would be hard to achieve his dream

- Everyone thought black people were “dirty” and how no one would go near him.
Black people back then was very vulnerable.

- For example, from the book “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t
funny”

- Furthermore, America in the 1930s 75% African lived in the south,

- Travelling was quite hard for them as well since Black people sometimes
weren’t allowed on the bus, making their travel way harder.
Symbols of the Social
and Historical context
What happened during
the 1920s to 1930s?
- During 1930s, the great depression occured

- Caused many difficulties for the workers

- People with ethnicity other than the whites has suffered even
worse.

- Many black people were forced out of their jobs causing an

humongous increase in the unemployment rate.

- 50% unemployment rate, 20% more than the whites.

- Wages are also low compared to the whites
 How were black people
treated during the 1920s
and 1930s?
 GRAPHIC IMAGE

Lynchings
- Following the Civil War, there was still an
abundance of racial violence for decades.

- Black people would be lynched quite often.

- Lynching is to kill someone or a group of

people for an alleged offence without any
legal trial.
Real photograph of a
black man after
- Since back then white mobs would use the being lynched
practice of lynching to keep blacks “in their
place”.
 The Second Ku Klux Klan
- The Ku Klux Klan, is an American white supremacist hate group.

- One of the well known events that happened in the early 1920s was
the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan.

- There was hostility from white people and attacks from the Ku Klux
Klan (KKK) because they felt the black Americans were taking their
jobs.

- They also feared the crime and violence in the ghettos.

- Race riots, such as those in Chicago in 1919, confirmed the Photograph of the
2nd Ku Klux Klan
anxieties of white people and sparked an increase in the
membership of the KKK.

- The second Ku Klux Klan unlike it’s first iteration not only targeted
blacks but also some other racial and religious minorities.
The Sweet Case
- One of the most celebrated murder cases
that took place in the 1920s.

- Ossian Sweet bought a house in a previously

all-white neighborhood in Detroit.

- Ossian Sweet was tried for murdering a white

man who was a part of a white mob that was
Ossian Sweet
threatening to burn his house down. (1895-1960)

- Shows that black American were threatened

and abused on a daily basis.
The National Association for
the Advancement of
Coloured People (NAACP)
- The NAACP is an organization created by William Du Bois during
the early 1900s

- Make black Americans more aware of their civil rights and to

campaign for the end of racism, the right to vote and equality in
education.

- The number of lynchings decreased when the findings from a Photograph of

NAACP investigation into this criminal activity caused a public William Du Bois, the
leader of NAACP
outcry.

- Shows that the living conditions of Black Americans are so poor

that they had to create multiple organizations.
Racism Against Mexican-
Americans in Texas

- During the period from 1848 to 1928, at least

232 people of Mexican descent were killed
by mob violence or lynchings in Texas.

- Some of these violent acts towards the

Mexicans were committed at the hands of
Texas Rangers which were members of the
Texas Police Force.
How does the character Crooks
reflect the way black people were
treated in the 1920s - 30s
- Provides a lot of social commentary about
the troubles black people and other racial
minorities had to go through

- The character Crooks presented how black

people and other racial minorities were
mistreated.

- Things Crooks is shown having to go through

mirrors how black people who are being
treated unfairly back then, and how some
black people are still being treated now to
some extent.
 Work Cited
https://socialistworker.org/2012/06/28/blacks-and-the-great-depression
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/subarticle.jsp?id=1674
https://prezi.com/v20ccphxwm5v/professions-of-the-1930s/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/culture-in-the-thirties/
http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/raceriots/
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/history-racism-against-mexican-americans-clouds-
texas-immigration-law-n766956
https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zpy8msg/revision/1