Crooks
Ben Comer
&
Gavin Millar
Appearance
Crooks is the only black man on the ranch. He has a
crooked back due to being kicked by a horse. He is a
quiet person and keeps too himself so that the others
don’t find fault with him.
Behaviour
Crooks’ behaviour during this book was neutral
because he never took sides and always tried to see
the good in people around him. He keeps to himself
because he doesn’t want anyone to have anything
against him because he is the only nigger on the farm.
He reads books which is unusual for someone like him
too do. This shows he is an educated person but that
the fact that he is black is stopping him from living up
too his potential in life.
Key Sayings
Throughout the book Crooks is only involved in a
dialogue once or twice. The main one is with
Lennie, Candy and Curley’s Wife in his room. Crooks is
an educated man and finds fun within manipulating
Lennies feelings by saying too him about how the
dream won’t come true and about the possibility that
George might not return from town. During this
dialogue he says “if you… I’d come an’ lend a hand”
This shows how he wants too get away from work and
just live life in luxury.
Crooks’ Dream
Crook’s dream in “Of Mice and Men” is to live and work
for George and Lennie on their land. The dream is
short lived because Curley’s wife threatens him in
chapter four. Before she arrives he appears to not be
dwelling on the fact that he is black and joins in with
the conversation about the dream but when she
threatens too lynch him it brings home the fact that
he actually is black and this shatters his dream.
“Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get
you strung up in a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”.
Crooks’ purpose in the book
Crooks’ purpose in the book is to show how unfair
black people got treated in the 1930’s due to racism
and segregation, and how easily their dreams could
have been crushed.