Explore Steinbeck’s presentation of Crooks as an outsider
Zoya Salahuddin [ 10 H ]
An ‘outsider’ is someone who does not belong in the group or organisation closest to them — this is the case with Crooks, who is the only black man on a ranch full of white itinerant workers. He is regularly degraded and sworn at; his isolation from the rest of the men is seen as normal. He isn’t referred to with a proper name, and is simply limited to swear words, ‘stable-buck’ or ‘Crooks’, after his crooked back.
Steinbeck does not allow Crooks to have a sense of hope, limiting Crooks’ opinion of himself to “just a nigger talkin’, an’ a busted back nigger.” If one is to survive in such harsh conditions, a strong self-esteem may be necessary — Steinbeck does …show more content…
Since the ranch man do not accept Crooks, he has to spend time alone; we are given an insight into what he does in his spare time when his possessions are described at the start of chapter four: “And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905.” The “tattered” and “mauled” conditions of the books suggest that they are read often, meaning that Crooks has a good understanding of their contents, and that he also has a lot of time to spend reading. The white men have never attempted to achieve their standing, putting Crooks at a much higher position than theirs, academically. Unfortunately, this is never taken into account, as there has never been an instance when the ranch hands have attempted to understand Crooks; they have no knowledge of his education, for they do not care. His “mauled” copy of the civil code suggests that it is treated roughly, similar to how Crooks is. His book listing all rights and laws is mauled and outdated and likewise is Crooks. Both Crooks and his book of rights have never been given a second thought by the ranch workers — so, Crooks kills his time and loneliness by reading of these rights that have never been implemented into his life. Despite this, he repeatedly mentions “rights”, out of desperation for them to be considered. Steinbeck allows Crooks to …show more content…
At the time, not a single coloured man had succeeded in gaining the respect of the white men and achieving his dreams; in other works the social hierarchy had robbed Crooks (and all the coloured men of America) of the incentive to work hard, and therefore achieve the American dream. “They come, an’ quit an’ go on.” Crooks’ permanence on the ranch allows him to see these dreams of land rise and fall; he has full knowledge of how difficult it is for a black man to get close to his dream. He is probably educated on the way economy works, seeing as he reads the civil code, and therefore he knows that it is almost impossible for itinerant workers to save up enough money to fulfil their American dream. So, Crooks dismisses the fruitless efforts of those who attempt to achieve what has never been achieved without much thought. He is given the impression that hope is useless; if the white men cannot be given what they dream for, then how can a black man even try? He allows himself to be isolated, wallowing in pessimism and low expectations. Steinbeck’s emphasis on the negative perception of life Crooks possesses is significant. It suggests that not only society degrades the coloured men (the ‘outsiders’) but the outsiders themselves. They have never seen freedom, so they believe it to be impossible; Steinbeck presents Crooks as a defeatist, and suggests that Crooks allows himself to be an
Zoya Salahuddin [ 10 H ]
An ‘outsider’ is someone who does not belong in the group or organisation closest to them — this is the case with Crooks, who is the only black man on a ranch full of white itinerant workers. He is regularly degraded and sworn at; his isolation from the rest of the men is seen as normal. He isn’t referred to with a proper name, and is simply limited to swear words, ‘stable-buck’ or ‘Crooks’, after his crooked back.
Steinbeck does not allow Crooks to have a sense of hope, limiting Crooks’ opinion of himself to “just a nigger talkin’, an’ a busted back nigger.” If one is to survive in such harsh conditions, a strong self-esteem may be necessary — Steinbeck does …show more content…
Since the ranch man do not accept Crooks, he has to spend time alone; we are given an insight into what he does in his spare time when his possessions are described at the start of chapter four: “And he had books, too; a tattered dictionary and a mauled copy of the California civil code for 1905.” The “tattered” and “mauled” conditions of the books suggest that they are read often, meaning that Crooks has a good understanding of their contents, and that he also has a lot of time to spend reading. The white men have never attempted to achieve their standing, putting Crooks at a much higher position than theirs, academically. Unfortunately, this is never taken into account, as there has never been an instance when the ranch hands have attempted to understand Crooks; they have no knowledge of his education, for they do not care. His “mauled” copy of the civil code suggests that it is treated roughly, similar to how Crooks is. His book listing all rights and laws is mauled and outdated and likewise is Crooks. Both Crooks and his book of rights have never been given a second thought by the ranch workers — so, Crooks kills his time and loneliness by reading of these rights that have never been implemented into his life. Despite this, he repeatedly mentions “rights”, out of desperation for them to be considered. Steinbeck allows Crooks to …show more content…
At the time, not a single coloured man had succeeded in gaining the respect of the white men and achieving his dreams; in other works the social hierarchy had robbed Crooks (and all the coloured men of America) of the incentive to work hard, and therefore achieve the American dream. “They come, an’ quit an’ go on.” Crooks’ permanence on the ranch allows him to see these dreams of land rise and fall; he has full knowledge of how difficult it is for a black man to get close to his dream. He is probably educated on the way economy works, seeing as he reads the civil code, and therefore he knows that it is almost impossible for itinerant workers to save up enough money to fulfil their American dream. So, Crooks dismisses the fruitless efforts of those who attempt to achieve what has never been achieved without much thought. He is given the impression that hope is useless; if the white men cannot be given what they dream for, then how can a black man even try? He allows himself to be isolated, wallowing in pessimism and low expectations. Steinbeck’s emphasis on the negative perception of life Crooks possesses is significant. It suggests that not only society degrades the coloured men (the ‘outsiders’) but the outsiders themselves. They have never seen freedom, so they believe it to be impossible; Steinbeck presents Crooks as a defeatist, and suggests that Crooks allows himself to be an