Crooks Flashcards
What are the 6 qualities of Crooks?
Mistreated Powerless Isolated Aloof Intelligent Pessimistic
What 4 quotes demonstrate Crooks being mistreated? State them and what they mean.
“stable buck”, “n*****”, “Crooks” - we never learn his real name, only referred to by derogatory terms or his nickname, indicating dehumanising treatment he receives on the ranch
“He gives the stable buck hell”, “Ya see the stable buck’s a n*****”, “Nice fella too” - first described as a scapegoat, mistreatment explained by revealing his race as it if it is an acceptable reason, swift change of description highlights normalised racism on the ranch
“Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him in” “thin, pain-tightened lips” - could symbolise of crippling impact living in a prejudice society has on an individual, literal example of tough working conditions
“Crooks bunk was a large box filled with straw” - draws parallels with horse’s bed, further depicts dehumanising conditions in which he lives
What is the context behind Crooks being mistreated?
Highlights how racist attitudes in America haven’t changed despite slavery being abolished 50 years before novella’s setting
African-Americans were treated like second-class citizens and racist attitudes were accepted and encouraged
What 2 quotes demonstrate Crooks being powerless? State them and their meaning.
“harness room”, “rattle of chains” - repeated mention of them symbolises lack of freedom he has as a black man
“I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”, “Crooks had reduced himself to nothing… ‘“Yes, ma’am”, and his voice was toneless’ - threat relates to lynching, Crooks is the most vulnerable character on the ranch, even Curley’s wife causes him to retreat
What is the context behind Crooks being powerless?
Social hierarchy on ranch reflective of American society at the time - Crooks is at the bottom
Lynching of black people was common in 1930s America and KKK still had a lot of power
African Americans hit hardest by economic crisis - 50% of them were unemployed by 1932 and some states called for blacks to be fired to help whites, were given less aid too
What 2 quotes demonstrate Crooks being isolated? State them and their meaning.
“A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn” - represents segregation from rest of the ranch members
“I tell ya guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick” - opens up eventually and describes painful impact of his loneliness, drawing empathy from reader
What is the context behind Crooks being isolated?
Jim Crow Laws - enforced in 1876-1965, provided legal basis for segregating and discriminating against black people
All people had equal rights but it didn’t mean the same - equal but separate
What 2 quotes demonstrate Crooks being aloof? State them and their meaning.
“I don’t blame the guy you travel with for keeping you outta sight”, “S’pose George don’t come” - relishes in upsetting Lennie, highlights how power is drawn from weakness, uses opportunity to exploit Lennie’s naivety to feel an ounce of power
“you got no rights to come in my room” “He kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs” - pushes others away to protect himself and the few rights he has
What 2 quotes demonstrate Crooks being intelligent? State them and their meaning.
“gold-rimmed spectacles” - symbolises intelligence
“mauled copy of California Civil Code of 1905”, “tattered dictionary” - spent considerably time learning his rights as both items clearly heavily used, ‘mauled’ indicates frustration towards injustice of law
Evokes sympathy: desperate attempts at understanding his rights seem futile when he is so poorly treated
What is the context behind Crooks being intelligent?
Black person’s right to vote was in 15th Amendment of the Constitution of the US but other reasons were found to deny men their right to vote
Common ploy was to demand that a voter should be able to read - disproportionately affect people of colour
Intelligence challenges stereotype of African-Americans at the time as uneducated - Steinbeck wanted people to recognise their potential
What 3 quotes demonstrate Crooks being pessimistic? State them and their meaning.
“small, electric globe threw a meagre yellow light’ - symbolises little hope Crooks has in his life
“Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land” - he’s seem men come and go with the same dream and failure, disillusioned by the American Dream, no faith even in God due to receiving worst of humanity
“Well, just’ forget it” “I didn’t mean it. Jus’ foolin.” “I wouldn’t want to go to no place like that’ - only allows himself to be seduced by dream for a short moment
Robbed of his ability to dream which makes his life more unbearable - can’t mentally escape his brutal life like others can
What are the 5 components to Steinbeck’s message told through Crooks?
Highlighting mistreatment of African-Americans
Challenging stereotypes of African-Americans at the time as uneducated and ignorant
Shining a light on brutality of American society at the time
Calling into question the actions of a supposed Christian country
Challenging concept of American Dream and whether it was truly for anyone
