"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck

Crooks tells Lennie, 'They'll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog'. The character Crooks is also a cripple. At the ranch he works as a stable buck, someone who tends to the animals such as horses. He became crippled at the ranch when he was injured by a horse and this is how he received the name Crooks, as he has a crooked back. This is one of the reasons he is a misfit. Crooks is an outcast and doesn't sleep with the other migrant workers, 'I ain't wanted in the bunk-house'.

He is black, which also makes him a misfit and outsider, as in the 1930's there was a lot of discrimination towards black people.

The discrimination

The discrimination is shown throughout by referring to him as stable buck and nigger which are both derogatory terms. Sadly, we never learn his real name. In Chapter four we see Crooks' personality and his emotions for the first time. This is when Steinbeck wants the reader to see Crooks' humanity.

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The reader finds out that although very proud of his own personal space away from the others, feels very lonely. A phrase from Lennie and Crooks' conversation suggesting this is, 'A guy needs somebody- to be near him'. Through this line Steinbeck conveys that Crooks enjoys the company of others.

This chapter looks at other emotions and qualities Crooks has, these were; he was clever, 'And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California Civil Code for 1905'.

This would have been seen as unusual because many people in the period were not literate, especially not black people. He also gains confidence when talking to Lennie and Candy, and when arguing with Curley's wife, 'Crooks stood up from his bunk and faced her. 'I had enough' he said coldly'. This implies that even though Crooks is seen as the lowest respected in society he still has some sense of dignity.

The racism in 1930's

In the 1930's racism was widespread making Crooks a misfit and because of this a lot of the novel is devoted to him. The readers of the period would have learned a lot about black people from Crooks. For example, the fact that he has feelings, is clever and wants to be friends with the whites on the farm. The chapter devoted to Crooks shows that the society that Steinbeck lived in needed to change, and it could change if everyone had the same perspective that Lennie had on the matter. The character Crooks is more than a 'cripple' as he is a person who is proud of what he has in life.

He has exceeded people's expectations of a black man in the 1930's and has done well for himself. Even though he is often being discriminated against, he stands up for himself. He also has taught himself to read. He is keen to point out that his upbringing is not that of the stereotyped southern negro, but that he is from the North and was accepted by the white kids as a child Although, once again, this character is a cripple and misfit he is totally true to life and relevant in 1930's America. Curley's wife is the only female character in the novel.

The struggle of a woman in 1930's society

She portrays the struggle of a woman in 1930's society. She would have been seen as less important than a man, but more important than a black person. This meant that on the ranch she was one of the least respected people. She is never given a name by the author. Throughout the novel she is referred to in reference to her husband. The men on the farm refer to her as a 'tramp,' a 'tart,' and a 'looloo', all of which are derogatory terms. 'Of Mice and Men' is not kind in its portrayal of women, and Steinbeck generally depicts women as troublemakers.

Curley's wife emerges, however, as a relatively complex and interesting character. Curley's wife is a misfit as she is a female existing in a male environment. She doesn't fit in on the ranch, firstly due to what she wears. She walks around the farm in high heels, dresses and make up. She does this in such a way that she tempts the men and is seen as a sexual object, but really she is desperate for attention. She is also an unusual character due to the dream she has of becoming a Hollywood star.

They dream it is almost unachievable

Like George and Lennie's dream it is almost unachievable; however, it makes her character a lot more humane, as she is normally insensitive and provocative. Curley's wife's struggle in the novel is a struggle with loneliness. She is seen by the men as a temptress which turns the men on the farm immediately against her. One of the first things George says to Lennie when they arrive at the ranch is a warning to stay away from her. This is why she feels so lonely, because she is the only woman and feels isolated from the men who openly scorn her.

However she does not do herself any favours; she married a man she does not like, she walks around the ranch wearing red feathered shoes, tempting the men, and when she has the chance to talk to some of the workers on the farm, which is a moment of great vulnerability for her, (as she had just admitted being dissatisfied with her life), she seeks out even greater weaknesses in others, preying upon Lennie's mental handicap, Candy's debilitating age, and the colour of Crooks' skin in order to protect herself against harm.

She is a bitter and scornful woman who shamelessly uses sex to intimidate the workers. However after Lennie murders her you see her in a different light, as when she is in peace Steinbeck describes her as 'pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young'. Steinbeck could be implying that she is now happy as she got to talk to Lennie and is no longer lonely, and her only escape was death as she is no longer suffering. From the character of Curley's wife we learn lots about the period the book was written in and how difficult it was for a woman to fit into a man's world.