Skip to main content

In Of Mice and Men, what flaws does Crooks have?

Crooks is a pathetic figure because he is ostracized by the white workers and because he suffers chronic pain from his broken body. It seems inevitable that he would build up some resentment against fate and against humanity, but he cannot show it because he is at the very bottom of the social ladder. He could easily lose his job if anyone took a dislike to him, and he could even lose his life, as...

Crooks is a pathetic figure because he is ostracized by the white workers and because he suffers chronic pain from his broken body. It seems inevitable that he would build up some resentment against fate and against humanity, but he cannot show it because he is at the very bottom of the social ladder. He could easily lose his job if anyone took a dislike to him, and he could even lose his life, as Curley's wife intimates when she suggests that she could have him lynched if she accused him of attempting to rape her. This doesn't come out in the dialogue but the reader understands the implications and sees it clearly in the fear the girl produces in Crooks just by suggesting the power she possesses.


Crooks only dares to show his sadistic streak, which is his main flaw, when he is tormenting Lennie by hypothesizing that George might not come back from town. 



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."



Crooks, who is a victim of racial prejudice, also has a certain amount of prejudice himself. He shows this when he tells Lennie:



"They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, all of you stink to me."



Steinbeck liked people, but he didn't have any illusions about them, and he wasn't sentimental. He was an extremely democratic and sociable man. He shows this very clearly in his book Travels with Charley (1962), in which he writes about how he traveled all over America in a house-trailer with the purpose of meeting all different kinds of American people.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is hyperbole in the story "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry?

The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his... The most obvious use of hyperbole in "The Gift of the Magi" occurs when the narrator describes Della's and Jim's evaluations of their two treasures—her long, luxuriant hair and his gold watch. Had the Queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty's jewels and gifts. Had King Solomon been the janitor, with all his treasures piled up in the basement, Jim would have pulled out his watch every time he passed, just to see him plu
Post a Comment
Read more

How can I analyze Moon and Six Pence by Somerset Maugham?

In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of... In "Moon and Sixpence," loosely based on the life of Paul Gaugin, Maugham presents a study of the tension between the "civilized" life of 19th century Europe, and the lead character's desire to throw off the shackles of bourgeois life. Charles Strickland is a middle-aged English stockbroker with a wife and family. By abandoning his domestic life, Strickland commits what many in European society would consider a gross betrayal of one of the foundations of that society. His decision to e
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some literary devices in Macbeth, Act V, Scene 1?

Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not... Act V, Scene i of Macbeth certainly continues the imagery that is prevalent in the play with its phantasmagoric realm, as in this scene a succession of things are seen or imagined by Lady Macbeth. Imagery - The representation of sensory experience Lady Macbeth imagines that she sees bloody spots (visual imagery) on the stairs; she also smells blood (olfactory imagery): Here's the smell of the blood still. All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand. Oh! oh, oh! (5.1.53-55) Hyperbole - Obvious exaggeration  There is also h
Post a Comment
Read more