Lonely: Sad because one has no friends or company. Loneliness is the sadness that comes to everyone once in their life time. The sheer isolation driving people insane. Loneliness is the base of Crooks’s life. Every day, he’s separated from the rest of the workers and living in his own room, which almost no one had ever entered. This shows in John Steinbeck’s, Of Mice and Men, where the main characters Lennie and George travel away from Weed to a new work place. In this place, they meet people like Crooks and Candy, learning about their pasts.
In the end, Lennie ends up killing Curely’s wife, only to later be killed by George. Crooks throughout the entire piece shows a lack in confidence and sadness in himself and with loneliness being the base of his life, shown through the discrimination of his past and present self. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Crooks is a pessimistic, lonely, and hopeful man, who is more than just an oppressed black man. Crooks is pessimistic from all the constant negativity he has around him. Initially, Lennie is left behind as the others go out to a bar, he goes to see his pup, but ends up standing at the opening of Crooks’s room.
Crooks originally telling him to leave, lets him in after a while. Crook then taunts Lennie about George not coming back. Preceding that, Candy approaches over to Crooks’s room and talks about Lennie, George, and Candy’s dream only to result by Crooks saying, “You’re nuts. ” Crooks was scornful. “I seen hundreds of men come by on the roads an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same thing in their heads… An’ never a God damn one of em’ ever gets it” (74). He is doubtful in attaining his hopes and desires that everyone at that time shared which was he American dream. Crooks is spiteful of the dream. Constantly, thinking that no one could triumph the dream. He doesn’t believe that he can get anything decent or even anyone else. He sees the dream like the stars when the suns out. Not believing that they’re there, but truthfully knowing they’re there. Later on, Crooks believes in the dream for a brief moment. Curley’s wife then appears and starts talking big. Crooks stands up to her for a petite amount of time, but is then placed back into his place as Curely’s wife threatens to lynch him.
Afterwards, Curely’s wife escapes from getting caught by the others. George returns and as they leave, Crooks then asks, “Member what I said about hoein’ and doin’ odd jobs? ” … “Well, jus’ forget it,” said Crooks “I didn’t mean it. Jus’ foolin. I wouldn’t want to go no place like that. ” (83). He brings himself back into his depressing state, which shows how much he backtracked from his development in confidence and belief. He ends up being his old self, gloomy, oppressed, and doubtful as he gives up saying he doesn’t want that, but clearly asking if he could beforehand.
It’s clearly shown that he desires the dream. However, he chooses to deny his hope and put himself back down as he was just oppressed by Curley’s wife exposing how hesitant and dejected he really is. Even after this scene, Steinbeck ends the chapter by him rubbing liniment on his back. Revealing, his broken state in the end by comparing the beginning to the end. He is still gloomy, sad, and doubtful of himself in the beginning of the chapter and same in the end. Crooks doesn’t really change. He remains pessimistic. The cause of his pessimism is discrimination against him and his loneliness.
Crooks is lonely from all of the discrimination, being placed in a different area than the rest of the workers and having barely anyone entering the room. In this room, a light was lit, this light lures Lennie away from going to the barn to see the pup, but leads him to the entrance of Crooks’s room. Crooks tells Lennie to leave with the reason being that nobody wants a black man. Resulting in Lennie engaging into a conversation with Crooks. During, this discussion Crooks talks about his childhood. In his childhood, he lived in his own home with his family and played with others of different race: “my ol man didn’t like that.
But I know now” (70). What he knew was that black people aren’t supposed to be able to be with white people. In other words, he knows that he can’t be with anyone. As a result, Crooks isolates himself from other people and being pessimistic about life. He felt alone even when he was a child. He practically grew up with people stepping on him and discriminating against him. He wasn’t able to make any friends, being isolated in his own room separate from the bunk room, where the other workers lived. Soon after, he talked about his childhood, he teases Lennie about George leaving.
Crooks later apologizes to his taunting, stating, “I didn’t mean to scare you. He’ll come back. I was talkin’ about myself” (73). He reveals his jealously of George and Lennie’s relationship. The jealously brought him to a point where he insulted them because he despised that he is “unable” to accomplish what they have. Illuminating how he feels lonely, constantly doubting that he can actually make friends. Beyond that part of him saying he was talking about himself, he mentions that loneliness makes people crazy after a while and sick.
That meaning that he himself knows what it feels like to be alone, to go crazy, and/or to be sick. Furthermore, Crooks seeks people to talk to, even though on the outside he shows a facade of not being pleased from others entering his room, on the inside he’s beyond ecstatic. However, his journey when George and Lennie came to the ranch exposed that Crooks has hope within himself. Crooks is hopeful, despite the fact that he’s pessimistic. He displays that he has a little piece of hope that can be sparked. The misfits, Crooks, Lennie, and Candy were left behind.
Lennie stumbles upon Crooks’s room and stands at the doorway: “Come on in and set a while,” Crooks said. “‘Long as you won’t get out and leave me alone, you might as well sit down. ” (69) He is lonely; however, Lennie gave him hope in making friends. Barely anyone ever entered his room. In fact, Crooks and Candy have been at that ranch for so long yet, it was the first-time Candy had ever stepped foot into his room. Lennie showed Crooks that skin color didn’t make a difference to him, when he asked why aren’t you wanted at the bunk house?
Furthermore, Lennie hadn’t even thought there was a difference when he had asked. He was completely oblivious to the fact that they were segregated. Enlightening how he could make friends, not everyone was there to oppress him. It gave him hope of not being lonely. Later on, they share the idea of their American dream. Making it seem as though it was extreme possible to accomplish this dream. He gives into the possibility of achieving the dream: “… If you… guys would want a hand to work for nothing-just his keep. Why I’d come an’ lend a hand” (76).
He shows that he doesn’t doubt the fact that it’s not possible and leads him into believing he could be free and happy. He doesn’t care about the money; all he cares about is not being lonely and being open to make new friends. Not only that, but, it gave him a huge confidence boost and he even had the resolve to rebuttal against Curley’s wife, admittedly, right after he sat right back down and lost all confidence, but he has some hope. He may be more pessimistic and lonely, but the scene described uncovers that he has the ability to be hopeful, in the dream or with making friends.
In conclusion, Crooks is beyond the person people think he is, Crooks is pessimistic, lonely, and hopeful person. Crooks shows the parts in life everyone has, but no one wants to show. The factor of doubt and sadness, the feeling of being alone, and the feeling of belief is something everyone has at least once in their lives. Crooks isn’t a success nor is he a failure, for even a little bit of hope, shows he is capable of getting himself out of his loneliness and doubt. These characteristics he holds are typical for an average person. A little bit of sadness is what makes exultant situations exultant.
Crooks’s loneliness and pessimism comes from the racism of his past. Today, discrimination is still present, yet people still say that we’re all equal. Why is that? Isn’t this supposed to be the land of the free. However, in addition to his loneliness and pessimism, he is hopeful. Hopeful to be more than others believe, more than even he, himself believed. Society should know everyone has a background, no one is melancholy and depressed for no reason. Discrimination is present, and it takes the support of others to bring people out of one’s mindset as well as their own peculiar motive or hope.
