PART 4:

Part 4 Of Mice and Men:

          In part 4 in Of Mice and Men, I thought it was peculiar that even though Crooks was a crippled African  American in the 1900's, Steinbeck states "...being a stable buck and a cripple, [Crooks] was more permanent then the other men"(67). I think Steinbeck is showing us as his readers that Crooks has had this job for many years and the boss has no intention of firing or dismissing him, not only because he has many years of experience as a stable buck, but also because he was crippled and couldn't find another job easily. Maybe this is showing a sympathy from the boss or proving why the farm hands had spoken so highly of the boss at the beginning of the book, though they may be scared of him.

          And since Crooks had a more permanent job then the other men, and alone in his barnyard room, "...he had accumulated more possessions then he could carry on his back"(67). Especially books, which I presume he read to soothe his lonely mind. But as Crooks made clear to Lennie in part 4, Crooks does not enjoy being alone at all. Crooks fantasized to Lennie about having someone and tortured Lennie's weak mind, repeatedly telling him to try and picture his life without George. But the whole time, Crooks was actually trying to tell Lennie how he felt, trying to get him to understand his desperation for someone, and maybe gain some sympathy or even a friend out of Lennie. But Lennie couldn't understand that underneath all of Crooks harsh words against George, that he was pleading for compassion. Crooks practically yelled at Lennie, "A guy needs somebody-to be near him...A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is as long as he's with you. I'll tell ya a guy gets to lonely an' he gets sick"(73). Crooks understands why George keeps Lennie around in the first few minutes of talking to him, while the other men think George has no reason for traveling with Lennie. Lennie and George have each other to confide in, while Crooks has no one. He spills his heart out to Lennie, and in seeing that Lennie will not tell anyone how he feels, he just keeps talking. It's probably the first time in a long time that Crooks has had such an intimate conversation and he yearns to be able to have the freedom to do so regularly,  but he knows that that is just a fantasy. So, Crooks confides in his books, his only real friends.