Crooks clearly enjoys tormenting Lennie (by suggesting that George will abandon him). – Chapter Four – Questions Your Responses Many of the characters on the ranch can be described as ‘outsiders’: they don’t fit into normal society because they have characteristics that make them different from supposedly ‘normal’ people. Crooks also prods Lennie about his relationship with George and scares Lennie by suggesting that George might not come back. Crooks is alike Curley’s wife as they are both discriminated and excluded from society. What does Lennie tell Crooks, even though he probably shouldn't have? He secures him and does what is needed to keep him out of difficulty. When Crooks begins to pick on Lennie, suggesting George won't come home, we discover the slight mean streak that undoubtedly develops after being alone for so long. George Milton. Crooks says excitedly: "I seen it over an' over-a guy talkin' to another guy and it don't make no difference if he don't hear or understand. Why does he react this way? The more Crooks presses Lennie, the more Lennie becomes scared and upset. This's is the first time I ever been in his room." Lennie ’s poor understanding of social norms and his intense desire for friendship lead him to come to Crooks’s room one evening in search of company. Their conversation takes an unsettling turn as Crooks teases Lennie about his lack of self-reliance; he tauntingly asks Lennie what he would do if George were injured. George is a protective man, who has been caring for his friend Lennie for a long time. However, Lennie’s innocence finally wins him over and the two talk. Why does Crooks have more personal possessions than the other men? So, when Lennie steps into his room in the barn, Crooks cruelly tells him to leave, displaying some resentment, as well: "I ain't wanted in the bunk house, and you ain't wanted in my room." 4. Where is George? This is also able to highlight the true friendship which is separated at the end which also brings an end to the novella. However, the sympathy we have for her soon becomes washed away when she reveals the cruel side of her, intimidating people with her status. Crooks was never called by his real name and given the name Crooks because of his handicap. I could get you strung up … He isn't allowed in the other men's bunkhouse, so he doesn't like anyone in his room bothering him. 5. 6. At first, Crooks is reluctant to allow Lennie into his room, angry that he isn’t permitted to be in the white men’s room. Crooks tells Lennie that a … ***** house. He suggests that George, who acts like Lennie's protecter, might never come back which agitates Lennie. Crooks is so named because of a crooked back caused by a kick from a horse. Crooks' idea that he can tell Lennie anything is confirmed when after this confession, Lennie asks Crooks a question about his puppy. Lennie Small-” paws” animalistic quality; bear-” all you can ever keep in mind is them rabbits”– George. He doesn't have to move around. Crooks takes pleasure in mentally hurting Lennie because he has been hurt by so many people before. He is immediately defensive of his space. For what reason did Lennie come to the barn? He simply wants to see a puppy. What does Curley's wife mean by that? born in Cali, used to play w/ white kids, his dad had a chicken ranch. "Crooks' face lighted with pleasure at the torture." … "This is just a ***** talkin’, an’ a busted-back *****. What is Crooks' initial evaluation of Lennie? Crooks is excited at the prospect of having someone to talk to, and the joy of finding someone who does not judge him is even more rewarding. Along with Candy, Crooks is a character used by Steinbeck to show the effects of discrimination. Unable to think hypothetically, Lennie thinks that George is actually under threat. Candy allows his dog to be shot; Crooks is cruel to Lennie when he enters his room; and Curley’s wife flirts with the men on the ranch in an attempt to get attention. Quote - "You're nuts, you're as crazy as a wedge" How does Crooks taunt Lennie. How does Crooks react to Lennie when he comes to visit? Why does Crooks tell Lennie so much about himself? Crooks, however, feels so lonely and isolated that the company of any man, including Lennie, is better than being alone or protecting his privacy. Lennie asks why Crooks isn't wanted by the other men. How does Crooks scare Lennie with his talk? "Yes, ma'am." Give a direct quote to support your position. Crooks has very little power and turns his vulnerability into a weapon against those weaker than him, like Lennie. Lennie goes to Crooks' room in the stable. Answered by Awa C #556723 on 9/25/2016 2:26 PM Crooks shows hostility towards Lennie because they are both different race and at that time White people "think"they were more superior to black people. What do you learn about Crooks' past? Before Lennie and George got to the farm, we were told that Crooks was kicked in the back by a horse and because he was a black stable worker, he not taken to the doctor. At the riverside, George sees that Lennie has been keeping a dead mouse in his pocket. I seen it over an’ over an’ over – a guy talkin’ to another Crooks is not use to people being nice to him. Lennie "growled back," Crooks, then, asks him, "Maybe you can see now," meaning now, perhaps, Lennie understands what it is to be alone. Why is Crooks not called by his real name? She is referring to Lennie , Crooks , and Candy being the weakest ones on the ranch for being mentally disabled, black, and old. Crooks has no idea that Lennie is simple, honest, and in no way interested in the black/white issue. Crooks is segregated from the rest of the workers because he is black. What do we learn about Crooks family? Lennie tells Crooks "about the rabbits" and Crooks vents about his mistreatment as an African-American. His room is his own, and he is protective of the only space he's allotted. At first, Crooks treats Lennie in the same way he himself is treated. His room is situated away from the others as they “don’t want nothing to do with him. Crooks' firts impression of Lennie is that Lennie is crazy and not very smart. Candy. He is more permanent than the others. George discards the mouse, yet Lennie later attempts to recover it since he cherishes stroking its delicate hide. Lennie forgets that George doesn't want … His family was the only African - American family in the area and he was born in California. -” If I was alone I could live so easy” Lennie is a problem to George -” I desire you to stick with me, Lennie”– George conveys Georges loneliness . Lennie, because of the colour of his skin and his friendship with George, cannot possibly understand Crooks' plight. She is the most pathetic character of this novel. For that reason, he often does not mean to do the things that get him into trouble, and once he does get into trouble, he has no conscience to define his actions in terms of guilt. Another inference could be that he feels his rights were better then, but this is unlikely. Ask students what Crooks and Curley’s wife have in common. He doesn't have anyone to talk to and knows Lennie won't remember the conversation. However, just as Steinbeck begins to present Crooks as a vulnerable character, shaped by the prejudice of the time he is living in; a character that we begin to feel sympathy towards, we are shown a cruel side to Crooks as he begins to suggest to Lennie that that George might not come back from town. Crooks is the stable hand who takes care of the horses and lives by himself because he is the only black man on the ranch. You couldn’t remember it anyways. As Lennie circles dangerously close to Crooks, Crooks realizes the danger he is in and gently calms Lennie down, explaining that George is not hurt and that he was just "supposin'." 3. He tries to start up a conversation, but Crooks is so shocked to have a visitor that at first he seems upset by the intrusion. Crooks reacts: Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. The fact it is so old suggests has Crooks thinks it is important because he has kept hold of it all this time, it could also mean that he does not have the chance to buy new things as he has not been able to get a more up to date one. And she finishes him off: "Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. ” - John Steinbeck, Curley’s Life. Lennie only defines them in terms of consequences: "George is going to give me hell" or "George won't let me tend the rabbits." However, Lennie's innocence finally wins him over and the two talk. He is angry and takes it out on Lennie. Crooks "I been here a long time, an' Crooks been here a long time. "Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land." Now, the only black person around, Crooks understands his father's apprehension towards whites. Crooks clearly enjoys tormenting Lennie (by suggesting that George will abandon him). She is "mean" to Crooks and Candy, a black man and an old swamper, pointing out their inequities, but when Crooks reverses the situation on to her, she plays the "race card" and reminds him that she "could get [him] strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny." “This then draws the reader’s sympathy towards her as we realize how forlorn she is, even being ostracized by Crooks, a Negro. But once he gets to talking to Lennie and sees he's not a threat, Crooks seems to enjoy the company. So it don’t mean nothing, see? He quickly realises that he can torment Lennie easily and, as he has spent so long being the victim, he relishes the opportunity to taunt Lennie. This is open ended, but loneliness (a theme of the novel) is at its core. he saw a light on and George was gone. At first, Crooks is reluctant to allow Lennie into his room, angry that he isn't permitted to be in the white men's room. Once he realizes that Lennie is more like a child than an adult, he starts to enjoy the company and having someone listen to him for a change. This is offensive but he is at the bottom of the hierarchy so evidently “he don’t give a damn about that” - John Steinbeck, Curley’s Life. Crook keeps asking Lennie what he would do if George died or was badly injured. Lennie is huge and solid however has a psychological disability and depends on George’s help to work well in the public arena. confused, angry, doesn't want him in his room. George chooses to kill Lennie at the novel's end, realizing that Lennie could not stand the loneliness of being locked up in a prison or an asylum. Since he was never taken to a doctor, his back was permanently crooked, therefore the name “crooks”. 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