Throughout the novel Steinbeck explicitly shows the inevitable loneliness of those living in the 1930s. In America this was the era of
The Great Depression, this was because of the fierce competition for getting work. In this situation the oppressed become the oppressors in attempt to not being on the bottom of the work pile. Friendship was hard to maintain, as they were all vulnerable. Steinbeck mainly shows these two themes within the character of Crooks. This is due to his race and disability.
Crooks was been constantly abused and dehumanized due to his race and disability. Crooks discrimination and abuse takes form of the derogatory term of ‘nigger’ this is used to take away Crooks status and make him sound like he is not a human. Another way in which
Steinbeck made him sound dehumanized is by referring to Crooks as a
‘negro stable buck’ this implies his low position on the ranch and his race. Steinbeck allows the audience to think that if he weren’t black he would not be faced with all of the problems, which occur to him in the novel. His disability is affecting his work, as he cannot do many things on the ranch. His crooked back is pretty much like his lifestyle.
His back is crooked after a horse kicked him.
Crooks lifestyle is poor, as he has not got a stable living standard. He doesn’t get the luxury of living in the bunkhouses with the other inmates. ‘A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn’ this symbolizes Crooks to be considered equal to animals and not humans.
As he lives in a ‘little space’ this highlights the lack of his own space and how the ranch workers consider him to be an animals and most animals do not require a lot of space to live in. The word ‘leaning’ connotes the state of him being uncared and untended, like a neglected animal, which crooks just being there and no one looking after him. Steinbeck showed Crooks to be this particular way to show the readers how bad racism-affected people during the period of time. While reading the description of Crooks room, it is