Interior/Exterior Character - Crooks

In section four, we are introduced to Crooks the stable buck. From the visual imagery Steinback gives at the beginning of the chapter, we can tell the type of person Crooks is. The books, the magazines, and all the other objects show that Crooks spends most of his time alone and that he has a lot of spare time on his hands.

On the outside, Crooks appears to be someone who just wants to be left alone. He lives alone in a shed outside the barn. When Lennie first comes in, Crooks first reaction is to shoo him away like he would to anyone. But when he realizes that Lennie didn't care that he was black, he accepted him into his shed. He pretends to be angry when Candy arrives but it is hinted that he is actually happy about this. Crooks acts like he is nothing to anyone because that is the way people treated him all his life. He tells Lennie stories of his youth, being the only black family in the area. This shows that Crooks never really had a friend or someone to  talk to when he was sad. That is why he shuts people out and pretends to want to be alone.

On the inside, Crooks is lonely. He rarely talks to anyone and is isolated in a dark shed where few people go. When Lennie comes in. Crooks chatters away about things he probably was never able to tell anyone. With Lennie, Crooks could talk and talk and Lennie would never get bored. He asks Lennie if it was alright to ramble off like he does by asking if Lennie understood everything George said. When Lennie said no, Crooks was able to feel secure while talking about his life. Crooks also thinks nothing of himself. When he asks Curley's wife to leave, he is immediately put down. His opinion is disregarded as meaningless and he feels that it is true. He thinks little of himself because other people have treated him that way all his life. He also feels bitter for being the way he is. He would probably rather be treated as an equal instead of being ranked lower than other men.

Crooks acts very different on the outside than he feels on the inside. Even though he enjoys the company of Lennie and Candy, he acts as if its unwelcome. He pretends to be angry all the time to protect himself from being hurt by others. In reality, Crooks wants to have friends and have normal conversations but he knows that nobody will listen to him. I think this is because he was treated like nothing all his life. Crooks built a barrier between himself and other people because nobody liked him. He always felt isolated and alone so naturally he stayed that way. He pretends to be angry because he doesn't want anyone to know have bad he feels about himself. He also pretends to be aloof and happy with the way he is. He doesn't want to appear weak in front of others.