Comparing Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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The reader learns, that living on ranch in the 1930’s we see that Crooks is defined by his colour being black, in a racist time. Steinbeck shows this by the way the other characters talk about him. “Ya see the stable buck’s a nigger.” This shows that to the other ranch workers Crooks is just a black man who works on the ranch. The word ‘nigger’ carries with it hatred and disgust directed toward Black Africans and African Americans. Historically, nigger defined, limited, made fun of, and ridiculed all Blacks. Furthermore, later on in section 6 Crooks says “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger saying it.” This helps to support the point that Crooks is defined by his colour and even he recognises it. Nobody cares about Crooks intellect, they don’t care whether he can articulate himself or not, they continually underestimate him because he is just a black man and that’s all he will ever be to them.…show more content…
“Crooks’ bunk was a long box filled with straw, on which his blankets were flung” this creates an image of a small confined area, of which an animal should be kept. “Straw” is dried stalks of grain that can be used for animal bedding, such as horses. The word “straw” is significant because the job of crooks is to look after the horses, so it is as if he is being treated as a horse. And the fact that a horse kicked him in the back and left damage Steinbeck may have been symbolising that Crooks will always be a stable buck, just as a horse is always a horse. “His blankets were flung” shows that although Crooks has little power, his bedroom is the one place he doesn’t have to answer about the way it is kept, so he can keep it a bit untidy if he wants to it’s his. In other words, the reader learns here that Crooks is dehumanised by having to sleep on straw while the white workers sleep on
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