Crooks‘ bunk is in the ‘harness room’, a ‘shed’ propped against the barn. It’s full of leather-working equipment. Crooks’ apple box contains ‘medicine bottles, both for himself and for the horses’ ‘being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanent than the other men’
‘he had books too’ ‘tattered dictionary’ and ‘mauled copy of the California civil code’ ‘large gold-rimmed spectacles’
‘room was swept and fairly neat’ Crooks was a ‘proud and aloof man’ ‘He kept his distance and demanded that others keep theirs’ His eyes ‘seemed to glitter’, ‘thin, pain-tightened lips’
Lennie appears at the door; we see Crooks ‘scowl’
Lennie smiled ‘helplessly’ trying to ‘make friends’
Crooks speaks ‘sharply’ ‘You got no right’ to come in ‘Nobody got any right in here but me’ ‘right’ is repeated semantic field of human rights)
Lennie asks naively: “Why ain’t you wanted?”
Crooks “‘Cause I’m black.”
“They say I stink. Well, I tell you, you all of you stink to me.”
‘Crooks scowled, but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.’ Lennie tells him everyone else has left except Candy who’s “sharpening and figuring.” – about the dream.
Crooks: “You’re nuts.” “Crazy as a wedge.” “nuts”
Lennie: “It ain’t no lie.”
‘Crooks scowled, but Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him.’ Lennie tells him everyone else has left except Candy who’s “sharpening and figuring.” – about the dream.
Crooks: “You’re nuts.” “Crazy as a wedge.” “nuts”
Lennie: “It ain’t no lie.”
Crooks: “I ain’t a southern Negro.” “If I say something, why it’s just a nigger sayin’ it.” “George can tell you screwy things, and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking.
Crooks tells Lennie (cruelly) what would happen if George left him: “They’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog.”
Crooks tells Lennie (cruelly) what would happen if George left him: “They’ll take ya to the booby hatch. They’ll tie ya up with a collar, like a dog.”
Crooks: “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” “I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.”
“You’re nuts.” Crooks was scornful. “I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.”
Candy: “This’s the first time I ever been in his [Crooks’] room.” “I planted crops for damn near ever’body in this state, but they wasn’t my crops, and when I harvested ‘em, it wasn’t none of my harvest.
Crooks: “I never seen a guy really do it.” “I seen guys nearly crazy with loneliness for land, but ever’ time a whore house or a blackjack game took what it takes.”
Curley’s Wife Enters (looking for Curley who she knows is at the brothel):
‘Her face was heavily made up. Her lips were slightly parted.’
Curley’s Wife Enters (looking for Curley who she knows is at the brothel):
‘Her face was heavily made up. Her lips were slightly parted.’
“They left all the weak ones here.” “I know where they all went.”
Lennie ‘watched’ ‘fascinated’ but Candy and Crooks ‘were scowling’
Curley’s Wife says: “You’re all scared of each other, that’s what.” “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?”
Candy: “You gotta husban’. You got no call foolin’ aroun’ with other guys, causin’ trouble.”
The girl flared up. “Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guy he don’t like, and he don’t like nobody.”
She asks about Curley’s hand and no one will tell her.
“I tell ya I could of went with shows.” “a guy tol’ me he could put me in pitchers . . . .”
She complains that all she has to do is stand “talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep—an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.”
Candy strikes back: “You don’t know that we got our own ranch to go to, an’ our own house.” “An’ we got fren’s”
‘Curley’s wife laughed at him. “Baloney.”’
Lennie ‘watched’ ‘fascinated’ but Candy and Crooks ‘were scowling’
Curley’s Wife says: “You’re all scared of each other, that’s what.” “Think I don’t like to talk to somebody ever’ once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?”
Candy: “You gotta husban’. You got no call foolin’ aroun’ with other guys, causin’ trouble.”
The girl flared up. “Sure I gotta husban’. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain’t he? Spends all his time sayin’ what he’s gonna do to guy he don’t like, and he don’t like nobody.”
She asks about Curley’s hand and no one will tell her.
“I tell ya I could of went with shows.” “a guy tol’ me he could put me in pitchers . . . .”
She complains that all she has to do is stand “talkin’ to a bunch of bindle stiffs—a nigger an’ a dum-dum and a lousy ol’ sheep—an’ likin’ it because they ain’t nobody else.”
Candy strikes back: “You don’t know that we got our own ranch to go to, an’ our own house.” “An’ we got fren’s”
‘Curley’s wife laughed at him. “Baloney.”’
Crooks: “You got no rights comin’ in a colored man’s room.
Curley’s Wife says: “Listen, Nigger,” she said. “You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?” “Well, you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung upon a tree so easy it ain’t even funny.”
Candy:“That bitch didn’t ought to of said that to you.”
Crooks: “What she says is true.” “Lennie’s a nice fella.” When the guys start to leave, he calls out: “’Member what I said about hoein’ and doin’ odd jobs?”
“Yeah,” said Candy. “I remember.”
“Well, jus’ forget it,” said Crooks. “I didn’t mean it. Jus’ foolin’. I wouldn’
want to go no place like that.”
Crooks: “What she says is true.” “Lennie’s a nice fella.” When the guys start to leave, he calls out: “’Member what I said about hoein’ and doin’ odd jobs?”
“Yeah,” said Candy. “I remember.”
“Well, jus’ forget it,” said Crooks. “I didn’t mean it. Jus’ foolin’. I wouldn’
want to go no place like that.”