crook Flashcards
(21 cards)
“Stable-buck” “N word” “Crooks”
We never know Crooks’s real name, we instead only know him from derogatory names or his nicknames this indicates the dehumanising treatment he receives on the ranch.
“He gave the stable buck hell”, “Ya see the stable bucks an N word”, “Nice fella too”.
the first time we head of crooks is about hes the scapegoat the boss targets to take out his frustration. candy says that the
reason he is mistreated is because an african american man as if thats a reasoable reason to mis treat hi. candy also swiftly goes from calling him the N word to describing him as a ‘nice fella’. this highlights how normalised racism is on the ranch (also in society, he talks so flipantly, candy dosent realise hes being disrespectful
“Got a Crooked back where a horse kicked him, thin pain tightened lips”
Crooks’s back injury could be a symbol of the Crippling impact living in a prejudice society has on an individual. He is also a literal example of the Tough working conditions.
“Crook’s bed was a large box filled with straw”
Not only does Crooks sleep separately from the other workers, but it draws parallels to a horse’s bed of straw, which further depicts the dehumanising conditions in which he lives.
context of mistreatment
Despite the novella being set 50 years after slavery was abolished, Steinbeck uses the treatment of crooks to highlight how racist attitudes in America had not changed: African Americans were treated like Second class citizens and racist attitudes were accepted and encouraged (Jim crow laws).
“Harness room”, “Rattle of chains”
The repeated mention of the harness room and the rattling of chains symbolises the lack of freedom Crooks has as an African American. Symbolically these chains can represent the echoes of slavery and Imprisonment.
“I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”, “Crooks had reduced himself to nothing yes mam, and his Voice was toneless”.
Curley’s Wife’s threat to Crooks refers to Lynching. Crooks is highlighted as the most vulnerable character on the ranch since even Curley’s wife, one of the weakest characters, can cause him to retreat so quickly. This shows crooks is the most weak character on the ranch.
powerless context
the social hierarchy on the ranch is reflective of american society at the time. crooks being a black man is at the bottom of the social hierarchy.
the lynching of black people was common in 1930s america and the ku klux klan still had a lot of power. african americans were hit the hardest by the economic crisis, by the end of 1932 50% of black americans were unemployed in some states people called for black to be fired from their jobs to be given to whites, black people were also given less air and sometimes werent even accepted in the soup kitchens
crooks isolation
Crooks is clearly Isolated he is racial segregated from other ranch workers which could lead to his Isolation.
The fact Crooks isn’t shown much in the Novella outside of chapter 4 is an indication of his marginalization.
“A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn”
The setting represents the segregation of Crooks from the rest of the ranch workers.
I tell ya a guy gets too lonely and he gets sick”.
Crooks opens up eventually and describes the painful impact of Loneliness, drawing empathy from the reader. This highlights that Crooks is a human being with Feelings and he’s being treated like an animal, and this can have negative effects.
isolation of crooks context
the jim crow laws were a number of laws in america enforced betweeen 1876 and 1965 that provided a legal basis for segregating and discriminating against african americans
according to these laws, all people had equal rights but equal did not mean the same: it meant equal but separate eg. white schools/ african american schools but both have education
“I don’t blame the guy you travel with for keeping you outta sight”, “S’pose George don’t come back”.
Crooks seems to relish in upsetting Lennie. As Steinbeck has done with most of his characters, he highlights how Power is Drawn from Weakness. In a time when Crooks would usually be at his most Vulnerable in the room, he uses this opportunity to exploit Lennie’s Naevity to feel an Ounce of Power. Crooks is a product of a society that takes advantage of those weaker. Every character in the Novel has a darkside to them
“You got no right to come into my room”, “He kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs”.
crooks isolation had made him aloof. it could be argued that he pushes himself away especially after the poor treatment that the white community have given, why would he want to go near them.
it could as be seen as a political act as crooks has very little right and wants to protect them (the one right he has is segregation)
“Gold-rimmed spectacles”,
his room is also filled with books a symbol of Crook’s intelligence.
“Mauled copy of the California civil code of 1905”, and “Tattered Dictionary”.
Both items are clearly heavily used, suggesting that Crooks has spent a significant amount of time educating himself about his rights. The fact the California Civil code is “Mauled” might indicate his frustration (angry at using legal lanuage to get away with prejudice) with the injustice of the law. This evokes sympathy for Crooks whose desperate attempts at understanding his rights seem futile when he is treated so poorly.
context behind crooks intelligence
a black persons right to vote was in the fifteenth amendment of the consitiution of the US (1870)
however, it was common practice to find other reasons than race to deny a ,an the right to vote. for example, voters should be able to read, which disproportionately affected most people of colour
the intelligence of crooks challenges the stereotype of african americans at the time as uneducate and ignorant. steinbeck wanted people to recognize the potential of the black community and see them as intelligent
“Small, electric globe threw a meagre yellow light”
symbolises the little hope Crooks has in his life.
“Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land”.
Having seen men come and go with the same dream and the same failure, Crooks has become disillusioned by the American dream. Having been at the receiving end of the worst that humanity can get, Crooks has no faith in God.(racism so bad it even affected his faith)
“Well, jus forget it. I didn’ mean it. Jus fooling. I wouldn’t wanna go no place like that”.
Curley’s wife’s threat serves as a reminder of the racist world he lives in, where black men are considered second class. Unlike the other characters who all have dreams of their own, Crooks is even robbed of the ability to dream. In many ways this makes his life even more unbearable, as he doesn’t even have the privilege of mentally escaping this brutal life, like the others can.
overall intentions
to highlight mistreatment of african americans
challange stereotypes of african americans at the time as uneductaed and ignorant
to shine a light on brutality of american society at a time
to call into question the actions of a supposed christian country
to challenge the concept of the american dream and wether it truly wad for anyone
