“Isolation is the sum total of wretchedness to a man.” ~Thomas Carlyle. As Carlyle put it, isolation causes tremendous suffering in individuals. In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck illustrates the setbacks isolation brings. Crooks, a key character in the story, becomes a morose man because of the constant isolation he faces due to his ethnicity. Crooks demonstrates how isolation has deleterious effects on one’s well being because they fail to communicate with others in a positive manner, and they also suffer mentally.
Crooks illustrates the impact isolation causes to one’s actions when he continuously attempts hurt characters such as Lennie mentally. When George and the other men go into town one day, Lennie is left alone, so he visits Crooks in the barn and discusses his dream of owning a ranch with multiple rabbits. Crooks tells Lennie, “...jus' s'pose he don't come back. What'll you do then?’... ‘This ain't true. George ain't got hurt.’ Crooks bored in on him. ‘...They'll take ya to the booby hatch. They'll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog”(72). No one approaches Crooks since he is of African-American descent, so his constant isolation caused him to be sullen and withdrawn from others. As a result, Crooks forces Lennie to consider events that he had never thought about. Since Lennie did not show anger when Crooks insulted him, Crooks attempts to hurt Lennie by suggesting that Lennie would never get …show more content…
In Of Mice and Men, Crooks demonstrates the detrimental effects isolation has on one’s body both mentally and on their actions. Crooks fails to communicate in a kind manner with Lennie after his isolation. In addition, Crooks also loses hope in both himself and others, and becomes depressed from the constant isolation. One learns from the character Crooks how seemingly unimportant details such as including others may greatly impact their behavior towards
Crooks illustrates the impact isolation causes to one’s actions when he continuously attempts hurt characters such as Lennie mentally. When George and the other men go into town one day, Lennie is left alone, so he visits Crooks in the barn and discusses his dream of owning a ranch with multiple rabbits. Crooks tells Lennie, “...jus' s'pose he don't come back. What'll you do then?’... ‘This ain't true. George ain't got hurt.’ Crooks bored in on him. ‘...They'll take ya to the booby hatch. They'll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog”(72). No one approaches Crooks since he is of African-American descent, so his constant isolation caused him to be sullen and withdrawn from others. As a result, Crooks forces Lennie to consider events that he had never thought about. Since Lennie did not show anger when Crooks insulted him, Crooks attempts to hurt Lennie by suggesting that Lennie would never get …show more content…
In Of Mice and Men, Crooks demonstrates the detrimental effects isolation has on one’s body both mentally and on their actions. Crooks fails to communicate in a kind manner with Lennie after his isolation. In addition, Crooks also loses hope in both himself and others, and becomes depressed from the constant isolation. One learns from the character Crooks how seemingly unimportant details such as including others may greatly impact their behavior towards