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someone on these qualities alone. A person has no control of what others really think of them. Perhaps this is what makes prejudice so terrible, the fact that it happens without anyone’s consent or control, and it is impossible to diminish by yourself. In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck expresses prejudice profusely through the characters, Crooks and Curley’s wife, by revealing how it can cause a person to feel worthless, insignificant, and lonely.
Crooks, the African American stable buck, is one of the most obvious examples of how racial prejudice can intensify loneliness and make one feel as if they are minimized to nothing. The different intensities of prejudice can be perceived during this novel. For example, the other workers fear any interaction with him, and one night Crooks explains to Lennie why he does not interact with the others. “‘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 stink to me’” (75). This lack of social contact has caused him to grow into an isolated and bitter individual. Crooks’s loneliness was not brought upon by himself for he is unable to interact with the others due solely to the prejudice on the farm. Also, when a person is deficient in social companions it makes one feel worthless, unimportant, and depressed. Humans need other people to thrive, and without many social connections, it can cause sadness and unbridled despair. The other characters also emanate prejudice towards him by calling him harsh names on a regular basis. When Crooks attempts to stand up for himself, Curley’s wife retaliates with “‘Listen ******, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?’” (88). After this statement was declared, Crooks sank back into his bed and drew into himself (88), feeling utterly useless and as hollow as an empty walnut shell. This depicts how being prejudiced against can hurt someone deeply and cause substantial misery in a person. Another
Crooks, the African American stable buck, is one of the most obvious examples of how racial prejudice can intensify loneliness and make one feel as if they are minimized to nothing. The different intensities of prejudice can be perceived during this novel. For example, the other workers fear any interaction with him, and one night Crooks explains to Lennie why he does not interact with the others. “‘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 stink to me’” (75). This lack of social contact has caused him to grow into an isolated and bitter individual. Crooks’s loneliness was not brought upon by himself for he is unable to interact with the others due solely to the prejudice on the farm. Also, when a person is deficient in social companions it makes one feel worthless, unimportant, and depressed. Humans need other people to thrive, and without many social connections, it can cause sadness and unbridled despair. The other characters also emanate prejudice towards him by calling him harsh names on a regular basis. When Crooks attempts to stand up for himself, Curley’s wife retaliates with “‘Listen ******, you know what I can do to you if you open your trap?’” (88). After this statement was declared, Crooks sank back into his bed and drew into himself (88), feeling utterly useless and as hollow as an empty walnut shell. This depicts how being prejudiced against can hurt someone deeply and cause substantial misery in a person. Another