Crooks Flashcards
Q: How is Crooks initially presented in Of Mice and Men?
A: As isolated. His lodging is described as “a little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn” (Chapter 4), symbolizing his segregation from the other ranch workers.
Q: What does the setting of Crooks’ room reveal about his social status?
A: It shows he is physically and socially separated, living with the animals, reflecting his lack of belonging and the dehumanization he experiences.
Q: What historical laws enforced Crooks’ segregation?
A: The Jim Crow laws, which legally enforced racial segregation and discrimination in the U.S. until the 1960s.
Q: How does Crooks describe the impact of his loneliness?
A: “S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books.” This evokes pathos as he reveals the painful isolation he endures.
Q: What does the description of Crooks’ shed “leaning” suggest?
A: That he is treated as an afterthought, his living conditions barely maintained, and he is barely balanced in society, like his shelter.
Q: How does Steinbeck show Crooks’ powerlessness?
A: Through Curley’s Wife’s threat: “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t funny” (Chapter 4), referencing lynching and showing Crooks’ extreme vulnerability.
Q: What does Curley’s Wife’s threat highlight about the social hierarchy?
A: Even as a marginalized woman, she holds power over Crooks, reflecting the entrenched racism and violence of society.
Q: How does Steinbeck’s personal experience relate to Crooks’ situation?
A: Steinbeck received handwritten threats from the KKK for advocating racial equality, demonstrating how widespread racism was, even outside the Deep South.
Q: How does Crooks react to Curley’s Wife’s threat?
A: He retreats emotionally, “reduced himself to nothing,” showing how deeply ingrained and paralyzing fear of racism and violence was.
Q: What does Crooks’ pessimism about the American Dream reveal?
A: He says, “Nobody ever gets to heaven – and nobody ever gets no land,” showing his deep disillusionment from witnessing repeated failures.
Q: What does Crooks’ disbelief in the dream symbolize?
A: The futility of the American Dream, especially for African Americans who were systematically denied opportunities and hope.
Q: How does Crooks’ bitterness reflect his life experience?
A: His prejudice and pessimism stem from years of mistreatment and isolation, causing him to lose faith in people and dreams.
Q: How is Crooks shown to be intelligent despite his oppression?
A: He owns a “mauled copy of the Californian Civil Code of 1905” (Chapter 4), showing his effort to understand his rights and educate himself.
Q: What historical fact highlights the gap between legal rights and reality for African Americans?
A: Despite the 15th Amendment granting voting rights, authorities often used literacy tests and other barriers to deny Black people their rights.
Q: What does the word “mauled” suggest about Crooks’ use of the Civil Code?
A: It implies both heavy use and frustration, as his legal knowledge seems futile in protecting him from discrimination.
Q: How does Crooks’ intelligence contrast racist stereotypes of the time?
A: His “gold-rimmed spectacles” symbolize his intellect and perception, challenging stereotypes (like those spread by blackface portrayals) that depicted Black people as ignorant and primitive
Q: How does Crooks “examining” society flip traditional power dynamics?
A: He scrutinizes the world around him with clarity and insight, highlighting the injustice of his marginalization despite his intelligence.
Q: How is Crooks presented at the end of Chapter 5?
A: As “keeping out of the attention range,” showing he’s become more reserved and cautious, withdrawing further into isolation.
Q: What does Crooks’ reserved demeanor suggest about the impact of discrimination?
A: His aloofness is a coping mechanism, initially defensive but ultimately reflective of deep-seated loneliness and alienation
Q: What is Steinbeck’s message through Crooks’ character arc?
A: That the psychological impact of racism and discrimination strips individuals of hope, dreams, and human connection, leaving them isolated and broken.
How does Crooks use cruelty as a defense mechanism?
He taunts Lennie by suggesting George might not return—“S’pose George don’t come back no more”—testing the power he rarely gets to hold and shielding himself from his own vulnerability.
What does Crooks’ name symbolize?
It reflects both his physical injury and metaphorical damage caused by racism and exclusion, marking him as permanently ‘othered’ in a broken society.
What does Crooks’ reaction to Lennie’s visit suggest about his social life?
He’s suspicious and defensive at first—“You got no right to come in my room”—which shows how isolation has made him protective of his limited space and agency.
How does Steinbeck foreshadow Crooks’ emotional collapse?
The momentary hope Crooks expresses about joining George and Lennie is immediately crushed by Curley’s wife’s threat, foreshadowing his reversion to hopelessness.
