“What lasts is what is written. We look to literature to find the essence of an age.” Time can be a tricky thing to reflect when we have no sources to follow. Literature written during a certain time period will often reflect what it was like then. Some literature written to purposefully mirror an age may even give insight about the age it focuses on. “Of Mice and Men”, published in 1937, clearly shows the culture, tradition, and views of the people from the age it was written. Due to the fact that it was published during the 30s, one can see some differences between then and now. In the novella “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck, the literary elements Characterization and language can be used through quotes to view the novella through a historical …show more content…
They were segregated from white individuals in this age. Crooks states his place, showing the position he is constantly in, “‘. . . I ain’t wanted in the bunkhouse . . .’” (Steinbeck 68). It was also normal for white folks to use the n-word in this age. Curley’s wife speaks to Crooks after his outburst of emotion, showing the frequent use of this word, “‘Listen, nigger’” (Steinbeck 80). There are still many examples in the novella that can show the common usage of the n-word in the 30s. Shortly after Crooks’ outburst, Curley’s wife takes the situation even farther by threatening him with his life, “‘. . . I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny’” (Steinbeck 81). The quote also shows readers Crooks’ lower position in society. Sadly, even the smallest outburst could cost a black individual …show more content…
Money, Especially during this age, was scarce. People were not paid well for their work. George explains his plan to save money for the plot of land, showing just how much was commonly earned for a month’s worth of hard work, “‘. . . If me an’ lennie work a month an’ don’t spen’ nothing, we’ll have a hundred bucks’” (Steinbeck 60). Home heaters did not exist in the 30s, only stoves. Candy asks if the small shack on the land has a good stove, showing concern for the heating situation, “‘They got a good stove there’” (Steinbeck 61). Many people took the law into their own hands as well. It was more common for people to kill others for a crime without a court hearing first, and they usually did not get in trouble for doing so. Curley shows this culture after he finds his wife’s body, “‘I’ll kill that big son-of-a-bitch myself’” (Steinbeck 96). The novella clearly shows some occurrences and items that were normal for people during that
John Steinbeck's agricultural upbringing in the California area vibrantly shines through in the settings and story lines of the majority of his works. Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, takes place in the Salinas Valley of California. The drama is centered around two itinerant farm workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, with a dream of someday owning a place of their own. Lennie Small is a simple-minded, slow moving, shapeless hulk with pale eyes whose enormous physical strength often causes him to get into trouble. George Milton on the other hand is small in stature, clever, dark of face and eyes, and acts as Lennie's guardian and calming force.
Although discrimination is still present during the time period of the book, Crooks still attempts to make friends. Others treat Crooks unjust because he is different from others given that he is black. He does not know how to treat others because of the way others treat him; with disrespect. Furthermore, he does not know how to vent his frustration and as a result, lashes out at others because they are cruel to him. Crooks is not allowed to participate in daily events with white people. He is treated unfairly and therefore acts the same way toward the white people (the ones who offended him.)
Steinbeck uses Crooks throughout the novella to present the role of Black Americans. The first introduction of Crooks is given through Candy’s speech when he is describing the character of Crooks to George and Lennie. “Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger” He mentions Crooks by the way in which all the ranch workers address him which is as the word “nigger” during the course of the novella. This is seen as acceptable in 1930s America as all the characters seem to address Crooks in this way. Not mentioning the name Crooks and referring to him as ‘nigger’ makes the readers feels sympathy towards his character and makes them think of the racial discrimination that he is going through. From this you can also see how the way in which Candy mentions this is as if it is normal and part of everyday life to degrade all Black People. The quote can also show how Crooks has been referred to in this way many times as the way in which Candy mentions it is as if it is a fact that cannot be changed and the fact that he’s a ‘nigger’ is stained permanently into him.
In chapter one, while they are sitting on a river bank, Lennie encourages George to tell him the story of how they plan to live their American dream. George reluctantly replies, “We’ll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. [When] it rains in the winter, we’ll just say the hell with [going] to work, and we’ll build up a fire in the stove and [sit] around it [and] listen to the rain [coming] down on the roof. . . .” (Steinbeck 14). They simply want a permanent place of their own to call home. They do not want to worry about
First and foremost, Crooks is a person who gets treated with discrimination, much more than anyone else. Simply because he is black and has a crooked back, from which he received his name from. People continuously treat him horribly, one person being Curley’s Wife. “Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even
The stories, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe, both have a character that breaks a social convention. In this case, both characters, George and Montresor, were murderers. It’s clear that these characters have broken a major law, but how and why they did it will determine whether or not their justification is enough.
him a “nxgger” when referring to Crooks in a demeaning manner (Steinbeck 78). The tiny bit of
An example of how the men are discriminative towards Crooks is that he is forced to live in a shack away from the bunkhouse and also Crooks says that "They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say "I stink" and "I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse." An example of when Curley's Wife is critical towards Crooks is when she looks into his room to see what Lennie and Crooks are doing and then she states, shaking her head, that they left the weak ones behind. Also, she threatens to have Crooks hanged because a black man should never talk to a white woman the way he just had. As a result of all of these discriminatory acts against him, Crooks feels unwanted and lonely because of his color and placement on the farm.
The full extent of Crooks's suffering is made clear in chapter 4 when Crooks lashes out at Lennie. Viewing Lennie as a symbol of all the white men who had hurt him, Crooks strikes out in anger, saying "You got no right to come in my room... Nobody got any right in here but me."(68) Steinbeck states that "Crooks's face lighted with pleasure in his torture. "(71)
Crooks, the most isolated character, is treated differently by everyone on the ranch. They treat Crooks with less respect than they do each other. They call him names, which might not have caused uproar, but still disrespectful. In fact, when Curley was looking for him, he demanded to know where Crooks was. Curley asked, "'Where the hell is that god damn nigger?'" (Steinbeck 29). Curley's harsh words, are some of the reasons Crooks...
Crooks, being the only black man on the ranch, got the most discrimination. Since it was the 1930’s, blacks were still considered to be inadequate and not as intelligent as the whites. Many bias thoughts were directed towards Crooks. Crooks was the stable man at the ranch. He worked, slept, and lived in the stable because the other men would not let him in their bunkhouse. “‘They play cards in there, but I can't play because I'm black. They say I stink’”(Steinbeck 68). This quote clarifies how the farm workers would not allow Crooks to play cards with them because he was black. They discriminated against him by forcing Crooks to live in a tiny shed across from their bunkhouse. Since Crooks was isolated because he was black, this led to him feeling very lonely. “‘S’pose you didn't have ...
During this period there was huge amount of poverty and racism, which is shown in this novel. Women are also treated very badly during this time and in this novel you can tell this because curley's wife's name is not mentioned she is just known as curley's wife. Section 2 = == ==
When Curly’s wife went to Crooks to ask if he has seen Curly around, Curly said that he hasn’t seen him, but still she was standing there and Crooks said, “You got no rights coming in a coloured man’s room. You got no rights messing around in here at all.” Steinbeck’s use of Crook’s dialogue shows that Crooks had enough pride and independence to stand up to Curly’s wife. She turned on him in scorn. “Listen, Nigger,” she said. “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. Steinbeck uses Curly’s wife’s dialogue to tell the readers that Crooks was always discriminated against. When Lennie was wandering around at the ranch and went into Crook’s room, Crooks said, “You go get outta my rooms. I ain’t wanted in the bunk house and you ain’t wanted in my room.” Steinbeck uses crook’s dialogue, racism and loneliness to demonstrate that Crooks wanted to be left alone, but also from inside he wants to talk to someone. Readers may feel sympathy at Steinbeck’s idea of racism. Crooks was always treated badly and is always discriminated against.
The conversation on page 68 of the book perfectly explains the discrimination against Crooks: “‘Why ain’t you wanted?’ Lennie asked. ‘’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink.’” (Steinbeck, 68). Crooks is unfairly treated solely based on his skin color, and the other men only say that he stinks to avoid dealing with him. In addition, Crooks displayed his need for attention when, on page 69, after Lennie had walked into his room, he states, “Come on in and set a while.” (Steinbeck, 69). He is proving how extreme isolation can cause one to crave human interaction. Although Crooks acts like he is reluctantly inviting Lennie in, he was truly excitedly welcoming Lennie, who stopped to talk in Crooks’ own house where no one else ever goes.
This prevented the characters from reaching their full potential and causes tragedy. Racial discrimination was one of the aspects of the discrimination in this story. Consequently, Crooks had to battle with various difficulties and conflicts, which prevented him from reaching his full potential. The ranch hands did not let Crooks live, eat, and play with them because his skin colour was different. It led to the conflict between him and Lennie.