Analysis of Crooks – Of Mice and Men

Crooks is a lively, sharp-witted, black stable-hand, who takes his name from his crooked back. bid most of the geniuss in the story, he admits that he is extremely lonely. When Lennie visits him in his path, his reception reveals this fact. At first, he turns Lennie away, hoping to prove a point that if he, as a black man, is not allowed in white mens houses, consequently whites be not allowed in his, but his desire for company eventually wins give away and he invites Lennie to sit with him. Like Curleys wife, Crooks is a disempowered character who turns his vulnerability into a weapon to attack those who are even weaker.He reckons a cruel game with Lennie, suggesting to him that George is gone for good. Only when Lennie threatens him with physical violence does he relent. Crooks exhibits the corrosive effects that loneliness can have on a person his character evokes sympathy as the origins of his cruel behavior are made evident. Perhaps what Crooks trusts more than anythin g else is a sense of belongingto admire simple pleasures such as the right to enter the bunkhouse or to play cards with the other men.This desire would explain why, even though he has reason to doubt George and Lennies talk about the bring up that they want to own, Crooks cannot help but ask if there might be room for him to come along and hoe in the garden. glaze One of the contains major themes and several of its dominant symbols revolve around Candy. The archaic handyman, aging and left with only one hand as the depart of an accident, worries that the boss will soon declare him useless and demand that he leave the ranch.Of course, breeding on the ranchespecially Candys dog, once an impressive sheep herder but now toothless, foul-smelling, and brittle with datesupports Candys fears. Past accomplishments and current emotional ties matter little, as Carson makes clear when he insists that Candy let him put the dog out of its misery. In such a populace, Candys dog serves as a harsh reminder of the fate that awaits anyone who outlives his usefulness. For a brief time, however, the imagine of living out his days with George and Lennie on their dream farm distracts Candy from this harsh reality.He deems the few acres of land they describe worthy of his hard-earned lifes savings, which testifies to his desperate need to believe in a world kinder than the one in which he lives. Like George, Candy clings to the idea of having the immunity to take up or set aside work as he chooses. So strong is his devotion to this idea that, even after he discovers that Lennie has killed Curleys wife, he pleads for himself and George to go ahead and buy the farm as planned.