CROOKS

Question 1

Themes Crooks Represents

Answer 1

Racism & Segregation – Crooks is marginalised because of his race.
Loneliness – He is one of the loneliest characters, emotionally and physically isolated.
Power & Powerlessness – Though intelligent, Crooks has no real power.
Dreams & Disillusionment – For a moment, he allows himself to believe in the dream, only to retreat back into bitterness.
Human Rights & Dignity – Crooks wants dignity, companionship, and fairness, but society denies him those things.

Question 2

Key Quotes & Analysis

Answer 2

1. “A guy needs somebody—to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody.”
   — Shows how isolation damages Crooks. It’s a universal human truth Steinbeck explores through him.
2. “They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.”
   — Crooks is deliberately excluded, showing the racial prejudice of the time.
3. “You got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room.”
   — Crooks tries to assert some power and pride, even in his limited space.
4. “If I say something, why it’s just a n** talkin’, an’ a busted-back n**.”
   — A painful recognition of how society sees him: doubly marginalised by race and disability.
5. “Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.”
   — Crooks speaks the novel’s central truth. He recognises the American Dream as a fantasy.

Question 3

Contextual Links

Answer 3

1930s America / Jim Crow laws – Black people were heavily discriminated against and legally segregated in many parts of the US.
Racial inequality – Crooks is treated as inferior despite being just as capable as the other workers.
The Great Depression – Everyone is struggling, but Crooks suffers more due to his race and disability.
The American Dream – Crooks’s brief hope, followed by despair, mirrors the crushed dreams of many.

Question 4

Structural Role

Answer 4

Appears primarily in Chapter 4, offering a change in tone and a deep moment of social commentary.
His room becomes a temporary space where outsider characters connect (Crooks, Lennie, Candy, Curley’s wife).
His storyline reinforces the novel’s message that true equality and belonging are impossible in this world.