The title of the novel is ‘of mice and men’ was written in the 1300s. At the time of the novel there were many workers who travelled form ranch to ranch looking for jobs. The most isolated group at the time were Negroes be cause they were considered inferior and no one wanted to be with them. There were no laws against racism and it was tolerated all over the country.
Crooks is the stable buck and he is a Negro so he is also the loneliest man on the ranch. His race and colour made him isolated from all the other members of the group. A lot of people bully crooks; Curley’s wife says,
‘Well, you keep your place, then, nigger. I could get you strung up to a tree so easy it isn’t true.’
Crooks is a proud man and also the most educated as well; he reads lots of books but the most important book is the 1905 California civil code. This book says that Crooks is no slave and can do what he wishes with his life but nobody takes this into consideration because he is still treated as a slave, which they can push around. Once on Christmas day the workers forced crooks to fight even though he had a bad back. All the other workers think they can make Crooks do what they want. He is isolated from the others; he doesn’t go to talk to them and they don’t come to talk to him. There is only one person that come s into Crook’s hut and that is Slim. Crooks is very proud because he knows that he is free and he keeps himself aloof from all the other workers. He doesn’t talk to any of the other workers, he says,
‘Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody-to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody’. This is from a conversion which he has with Lennie. Crooks spent the most time working on the ranch and the only person he tells his true feelings to is to Lennie. Because Crooks knows that Lennie would probably forget. Near the end of chapter four crooks starts to get along with Candy. Crooks even offers to work on the ranch which George ,Candy and Lennie are going to go to but after Curley’s wife threatens Crooks and then he says ,’ well, just forget it . I didn’t mean it. Just fooling’. This shows the reader that crooks knows that he will never be treated differently.
