Aside from the obviouse, George and Lenie, Crooks played an important role in, Of Mice and men by John Stienbeck. Crooks is thought of as the lowest rank on the ranch. He is looking for companions but he goes about it in an around about way. He is a very smart man but no one on the ranch bothers to listen to him because he is black.
Crooks is a very lonely and grumpy old man. He has a croked back were a horse kiked him. He is the stable buck on the ranch but he usally keeps to imself and stays in the barn. Being black is very hard for Crooks to deal with now that he is an adult. When he was a child he played with other white children but soon after he was nothing other than a black man.
With all the time Crooks has on his hands he reads many books, and over the years he has beocme rather smart with no one to teach him.
English: Crooks
English: Ramsay Crooks
Crooks Peak from the Alabama HillsIn Crooks personal bunk in the harness room he has many books and personal possessions hanging on walls or resting on small shelves. Crooks is in control in this room but he hates to be alone. His lolyness and depresion truly show thier colors when Lenie comes to pay him a visit. Crooks explains that "guys don't come in a colored mans room very much"(##). This shows that he has been casted out and he is aware of it. Meetin a man like Lenie is rare for Crooks because although he is white he is still inferier to Crooks due to his lack of intelagence. Crooks takes advantage of this opurtunity to give a little of the "love" back that white man has showed him all his life. He starts in on lenie talling him how George is not going to come back just to see how he reacts. When he realized that was planning to react in a physical way he reasured him that lenie would indeed come back. Crooks does not seem to have a hope in the world untill Candy starts describing hi's, George's, and Lenies dream. For a short period of time in the book Crooks actually shoes a sign of hope.
When Candy finally convinced Crooks that there was a possibility that they could own their own ranch there seemed to be a new light in his eye. Crooks then stamered "...If you...guys would want a hand to work for you for nothing, just his keep, why I'd come and lend a hand"(##). But when everythings seem to be going well Curly's wife knocked him off "cloud nine" by threatening to have him lynched for talking back to her.
After this Crooks desided he did not want to get his hopes up so he withdrew his offer.
Crooks life is simular to Lennie's life. Lennie is looked upon as being dumb and insenificent. Crooks is thought of as the same way, but this is because he is black. They are both thought as to be in the same class of man and the are treated the same way.
English: Mildred Crooks, Brisbane, 1939. Mildred C...
Small Time Crooks
Of Mice and Men