Racism Flashcards
Crooks
Steinbeck- against racism
Crooks shows the treatment black men had in 1930s america.
Steinbeck thinks it should change.
Interweaves this with other prejudice so that the readers will change their minds. As they will make the link between the way crooks is treated with the way cruleys wife, lennie and candy are treated.
First significant law to address equality of black people was in 1941, but book was written in 1937. So shows changes of public.
Crooks is not needed for the plot. Just there to show the racism.
Lynching
Curleys wife can accuse crooks of having a sexual relationship to get him lynched.
Men at the time believed they could get away with murder if justified- killing lennie, is justificable because he killed curleys wife.
Context
Civil rights and racism were ‘hot topics’ amongst democratic voters
Steinbecks book is about social change.
