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crooks -omam
| quote marker | quote | meaning |
|---|---|---|
| what crooks’ is referred to as | “stable buck” “n****” | we never learn Crooks’ real name. He is only referred to by derogatory terms or his nickname, indicating the dehumanising treatment he receives on the ranch |
| boss talking about crooks’ | “He give the stable buck hell’, ‘Ya see the stable buck’s a n***’, ‘Nice fella too’ | The first we hear of crooks is about how the boss targets him as a scapegoat. Candy shows his mistreatment by revealing that he is African American, as if this is an acceptable reason to mistreat someone. How he swiftly goes from N > nice fella=normalised |
| Injury to Crooks | ‘Got a crooked back where a horse kicked him in’, ‘thin, pain-tightened lips’ | Crooks’ 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 tough working conditions |
| Where he sleeps | ‘Crooks bunk was a large box filled with straw’ | His bed draws parallels with a horse’s bed of straw, which further depicts the dehumanising conditions in which he lives |
| historical context | - | Despite the novella being set 50 years after slavery was abolished, Steinbeck uses the treatment of crooks to highlight how racist attitude in America had not change. African Americans were treated like second class citizens and racist attitudes = accept |
| powerless quote | ‘harness room’ , ‘rattle of chains’ | the repeated mention of the harness room and the continual rattling of chains symbolising the lack of freedom Crooks has an African American -an echo of slavery |
| crooks after curleys wife’s quote | ‘Crooks had reduced himself to nothing… “Yes, ma’am,” and his voice was toneless’ | Curleys wife’s threat to crooks relates to lynchings, Crooks is highlighted as the most vunerable character on the ranch sincere even Curley's wife, one of the weakest characters can cause him to retreat |
| HC - powerless | - | Social hiercahy on the ranch is reflective of American society at time. Crooks is at the bottom of social hierarchy’s The lynching of black people was common in 1930’s and KKK still had lot of power. AA=hit hardest by economic crisis (50% unemployed) |
| crooks: where he lived | ‘A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn’ | The settling represents the segregation of Crooks from the rest of the ranch members |
| Crooks opening up | ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.’ | Crooks opens up eventually and describes the painful impact of his loneliness, drawing empathy from the reader. He’s clearly mentally i’ll from the treatment on the ranch |
| HC: Isolated | - | The Jim Crow Laws were a no. of laws in America enforced between 1876 + 1965 that provided a legal basis for segregating and discriminating against AA. Acc to these laws, all people had equal rights, but not the same; equal but separate |
| Aloof quote 1 | ‘I don’t blame the guy you travel with for keeping you outta sight’, ‘S’pose George don’t come’ | Crooks seems to relish in upsetting Lennie. As Steinbeck has done with most characters, he highlights how power is drawn from weakness. In a time when crooks would usually most vulnerable, he uses opportunity to exploit Lennie’s naivety to feel power |
| Aloof 2 | ‘You got no rights to come in my room.’ ‘He kept his distance and demanded that other people kept theirs’ | Crooks’ isolation has made him aloof. It could be argued that he pushes others away to protect himself. After the poor treat enemy he has recovered, from the white community, why would he want to get near them? Or could this be viewed as a political act. |
| Intelligent 1 | ‘gold-rimmed spectacles’ | a symbol of his intelligence |
| intelligent 2 | ‘mauled copy of the California Civil Code of 1905’, ‘tattered dictionary’ | Both items are clearly heavily used? suggesting Crooks spent a considerable time educating himself about his rights. The fact that the CCC is ‘mailed’ might indicate his frustration with the injustice of the law. Evokes sympathy, educating himself=futile |
| HC | -A black persons right to vote was in the 15th amendment of the Constitution of the US (1870). However it was common practice to find reasons other than race to deny a man the right to vote. | - A common ploy was to demand that a voter should be able to read, which disproportionately affected people of colour. The intelligence of crooks challenges stereotype of AA at the time as uneducated and ignorant. S wanted ppl to recognise potential of AA |
| American Dream Crooks | ‘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 receiving end of the worst of humanity, Crooks has no faith in even God |
| After retreating from CA | “Well, jus’ forget it,” said Crooks. I didn’t mean it. Jus’ foolin’.I wouldn’ want to go no place like that.” | only be seduced by dream shortly . CW threat serves as a reminder of racist world = 2nd class citizen, Unlike other characters who have dream of own, he's robbed of ability to dream. Life is unbearable=no privilege of mentally escaping brutal life |
| overall intention/message | -to highlight mistreatment of AA -challenge stereotype of AA as uneducated and ignorant -shine a light on brutality of American society at time -To call into quetsion actions of Christian country -Challenge concept of American Dream | - |
Created by:
elisseu
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