The boss gives
him hell when he’s mad.
hyperbolic metaphor
Crooks suffers abuse from the boss
They let the
n***** come in that night
Unusual for crooks to participate in social events in the ranch, he is forbidden from entering the bunkhouse due to segregation
“Sta-able Buck! And then,”
Where the hell is that Goddamn n*****”
nameless reference
derogatory language
Crooks bunk was
a long box filled with straw
animalistic imagery of Crooks bed dehumanizes him
“a tattered dictionary and a mauled
copy of the California civil code for 1905
texts are well read shows Crooks is intelligent who knows his rights
“He kept his distance
and demanded that other people keep theirs.”
He has been hurt
so he isolates and protects himself from further pain
“S’pose George
don’t come back no more”
starts to manipulate Lennie to compensate for his own lack of power
Crooks’ face lighted
with pleasure in his torture.”
metaphor
indulging in schadenfreude ; deriving pleasure from another persons misfortune
Nobody never gets to heaven,
and nobody gets no land.
despairing tone
shows Crooks’ cynicism
“And a manure pile
under the window. Sure, it’s swell.”
Crooks proximity tot he animals further dehumanizes him
It was difficult for Crooks
to conceal his pleasure with anger
despite his initial fear of Lennie and candy, he enjoyed a their company as he is momentarily relieved from his loneliness
If you… guys would
want a hand to work for nothing”
ellipsis conveys Crooks’ hesitation as he enters the dream and tentatively offers his help
Crooks had retired into
the terrible protective dignity of the n****”
Crooks found truth in Curley’s wife statements
becomes realistic
“If I say something,
why it’s just a n**** sayin’ it.
He acknowledges his powerless position on the ranch
Crooks seemed
to get smaller
oxymoron