Kasia Kalinowska
Steinbeck’s novel has been described as a protest statement. To what extent is this true? Which attitudes and values do you think it is protesting against? Do these attitudes and values relate only to American society at a particular period in history, or do they have wider application to other societies and historical periods?
John Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men’ in 1937. The novella focuses on the Californian labouring class and tells the tragic story of two itinerant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small. ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written during ‘the Great Depression’, a massive economic decline which started in 1929 and ended in the late 1930s, that affected many countries worldwide. It deals with many issues that were problematic in American society during this period: racism, discrimination and inequality. The novel also stresses the importance of friendship, dreams and hope in these difficult times. Through his novel Steinbeck protests about the injustices suffered by some Americans, and highlights the problems of society in 1930s America. Steinbeck portrays the harsh reality of life during the depression, and he protests about it through his depiction of the characters.
One of the main issues that is protested about in ‘Of Mice and Men’ is racial discrimination. Steinbeck does this through his portrayal of Crooks and the racist attitude and behaviour of some of the ranch-hands. Crooks, the only black character in the novel, illustrates the racial prejudices that many black people faced and the racism that was common in America in the 1930s. Black people had long been a part of American history, and by the time that slavery was abolished in the nineteenth century there were more black people than white in the southern United States. The US government, in fear of the power of black Americans, introduced a series of laws to restrict their freedom. Black people could not vote, they were denied access to a good education and could not get good jobs. This caused many black Americans to suffer great poverty. As well as these, black people faced unfair treatment through the ‘Jim Crow’ laws. It was a punishable crime for people to mix with other races, and intermarriage was forbidden. Many people faced segregation - the separation of facilities for whites and blacks. White people would have their own restaurants and bars that black people were not permitted to use, and even buses were segregated. This racist attitude was supported by the Ku Klux Klan, the KKK, a white supremacy that had gained great popularity in the 1920s. The KKK typically preached racism, anti-Catholicism, nativism and anti-Semitism. Some local groups took part in lynching of blacks and other violent activities. Steinbeck, through his creation of Crooks makes a protest about the racism of the times.
Crooks is the “negro” stable buck we meet in chapter three of the novel. He lives separated from the other ranchmen in “a little shed”, because he has to be segregated from the superior white men. Crooks has a double burden, he is a black man in a society ruled by white men and he is crippled, hence the name Crooks. He is mistreated and excluded by the other men on the ranch and even threatened by Curley’s wife when she says, ‘“I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny”’, referring to the Ku Klux Klan’s history of lynching black people. As a white woman, even an accusation of rape against a black man will result in a lynching, and Curley’s wife is fully aware of her ability to ruin Crooks. Later on, she also warns him to, ‘“Keep your place, Crooks.”’ This proves that he, as a black man, is inferior to even a lowly white woman. Crooks is often referred to as “the Nigger” by the men, which is a derogatory term for a black person, and is treated worse than the white workers of the farm. Unlike many black people at the time, Crooks could read and he is portrayed as an intelligent, literate man by Steinbeck, Curley says, ‘“He reads a lot. Got books in his room.”’ Crooks owned a few books including, “a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the Californian civil code for 1905”. He knew that it was in his best interest to know the law, so that white men could not take advantage of him. Crooks has long been the victim of oppressive racist violence and prejudice. He feels that he is unwanted on the farm ‘“‘Cause I’m black”’, and, as a result of this, he excludes and isolates himself from the company of the other men. His mistreatment in life has lead Crooks to be very cynical about life, ‘“Nobody gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.”’ Crooks is pessimistic and bitter, his natural personality has been deadened by years of antagonism. Crooks is a lonely man, and has no friends because he is coloured, ‘“They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black.”’ He rejects the friendship and companionship of the other men, and tries to reject Lennie when he, unaware that Crooks’ room is out of bounds, attempts to make friends with Crooks. Lennie eventually wins over the stable buck, as Crooks admits that talking to someone is better than loneliness. Crooks becomes slightly more optimistic when the chance arises for him to be a part of George and Lennie’s dream, when there is a possibility that he will have a place on their dream farm. Though pessimistic about the plan at first, Crooks warms to the idea, ‘“… If you… guys would want a hand to work for nothing – just his keep, why I’d come in an’ lend a hand. I ain’t so crippled I can’t work like a son-of-a-bitch if I want to.”’ Crooks becomes caught up in the dream of escape, like George, Lennie and Candy before him, until he realises the guys’ plan of owning their own piece of land is doomed. Through the character of Crooks, Steinbeck illustrates the unjust and unfair society that black men had to live in. Steinbeck shows us how poorly blacks were treated, and just how dangerous life for them was in 1930s America. We empathise with Crooks because of his unfair position in life, and the way he is treated badly. Crooks is discriminated against and treated as an inferior because he is a coloured cripple. In ‘Of Mice and Men’, John Steinbeck protests about racist attitudes and the unfair treatment of black people in the 1930s. Steinbeck conveys the racial injustices that occurred throughout America and the suffering of black Americans at the hands of white men. Through his protest he shows that he opposed inequality and the unjust system of 1930s America and felt that it needed changing.
