Even Lennie is at least provisionally accepted as part of the crew on the ranch. George has to watch him and speak for him at times, but Lennie is never ostracized from the men the way that Crooks is. Why is Crooks ostracized in this way? He is segregated because he is black. So, the clear theme here is racism.
Crooks is also physically handicapped. He was kicked by a horse and his back became...
Even Lennie is at least provisionally accepted as part of the crew on the ranch. George has to watch him and speak for him at times, but Lennie is never ostracized from the men the way that Crooks is. Why is Crooks ostracized in this way? He is segregated because he is black. So, the clear theme here is racism.
Crooks is also physically handicapped. He was kicked by a horse and his back became crooked. He rubs ointment on it every night. This nightly ritual symbolically underscores his scapegoated position. Every night, he tends to his ailments. In other words, every night, he is reminded of his ailing physical condition and this, perhaps, also reminds him of his segregated social position.
The narrator says Crooks is "proud and aloof." He is aloof because he has been separated from the others. Therefore, he is also selfish and protective of that space. He thinks that since he can not go to the bunkhouse, why should he allow others into his shed. When Lennie befriends him and asks why he isn't playing cards with the others, Crooks says:
“’Cause I’m black. They play cards in there, but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.”
Crooks spends most of his nights reading alone. As proud and despondent as he sometimes is, he is not without hope. When Lennie (and Candy) start talking about the dream of the farm, Crooks actually shows some interest. However, when Curley's wife puts him down with racist justifications, he forgets this hope and returns to his lonely state.
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