Of Mice and Men Chapter 4

Characters – Crooks Physical – Injured by a horse – Crooked spine Personality – Proud of his room – it is kept neat and clean – Accumulated personal possessions – Realizes the reality of his position, but is angry about it – When he can use power and hurt someone as he has been, he uses it. He uses it to pick on Lennie in particular. However, he senses Lennie’s fear and power and as a result, backs down.

Characters – Crooks (cont.) Differences – Different from the other ranch hands – He has accumulated things because he stays at his job on the ranch, while the others move on. Realist – Realizes his position in the world – Crooks is also realistic about George and Lennie’s dream. He even tells Candy that he has never seen anyone realize his dream for land. “Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody ever gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s jus’ in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head.”

Theme – Loneliness Crooks describes his solitary life in terms of the workers. Like Curley’s wife, he has no one to talk to. – “I seen it over an’ over-a guy talkin’ to another guy and it don’t make no difference if he don’t hear or understand. The things is, they’re talkin’, or they’re settin’ still not talkin’…It’s just bein’ with another guy. That’s all.” Crooks does not even live in the bunkhouse. Rather, he has his own room where he goes and reads alone at the end of the day. He realizes the loneliness of his life and its effect. – “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….A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is as long as he’s with you….I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.” – Whit and the other ranch hands exemplify this when they go into town on Saturday night. They can’t see past the week to the future.

Through Crooks, Steinbeck is pointing out the barriers and artificial obstacles people and society build against each other. – Candy has never set foot into Crooks’ room. Why? Theme – Barriers

Theme - Powerlessness Crooks – Powerless because of his race. – Crooks’ position adds to his powerlessness. Curley’s wife proves this when she intrudes into Crooks’ room while Candy and Lennie are there. – When Curley’s wife uses her position as Curley’s white wife as a weapon, Crooks backs down. Candy – Powerless because of his old age. Lennie – Powerless because of his mental retardation. Curley’s wife – Powerless because of her gender. All are victims of societies’ attitudes and prejudices. All of the powerless dream of owning a little piece of land where they can be their own bosses. – The dream takes away Candy’s fear of being fired because he is too old. – It takes away Crooks’ fear of being fired because of his race and handicap. – For George and Lennie, the dream means that they will be free of the boss and can do as they please