The Characters of Part 4

We've finally reached Part Four of Of Mice and Men, a chapter in which we encountered so many new experiences and ideas. In this blog, I'll be talking about the interactions between Lennie, Crooks, and Curley's wife.

Firstly, Crooks repeatedly talked to Lennie of how George may not come back that night. As he was conversing with Lennie, "Crook's face lighted with pleasure in his torture" (71). At first, I thought that he was tired of always being targeted because of being an African American, so now he wants to bully someone else. However, on the next page, "Crooks said gently, ... S'pose you couldn't go into the bunkhouse and ply rummy 'cause you was black. How'd you like that? S'pose you had to sit out here an' read books... I tell ya,' he cried, 'I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick'" (73). Here, he is describing his own experiences. This has lead me to believe that Crooks may not have just did that out of the pleasure of tormenting others, but also because he wants to make Lennie feel what he experiences every day. He just wants someone to understand him and what he goes through.

I also noticed throughout the chapter that despite how Crooks acts, he actually enjoys the company of others. The reason why he acts gruff to others when they enter his room is not because he doesn't want them there, but more so that he's afraid of what they could do or say. He knows that being an African American means more discrimination and unfair treatment, so he tries to distance himself from others (in particular white people) in order to stay safe. I think Lennie opened Crooks up a little, so much that Crooks even let Candy into the room, and he was actually happy as "It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger" (75).

Shortly after this interaction, Curley's wife appears, asking if "'Any of you boys seen Curley?'" (76). Crooks then proceeds to tell her that, "'Maybe you better go along to your own house now. We don't want no trouble'" (77). Curley's wife angrily replies that, "'Well, I ain't giving you no trouble. Think I don't like to talk to somebody every' once in a while? Think I like to stick in that house alla time?'" (77). This supports my idea in a previous blog, Curley's Wife: Her Identity and the Reasons Behind Her Actions, where I talked about how she feels lonely because of several reasons. One of the possible reasons I gave was that her and Curley's marriage could've been an unhappy one; this was brought up when, "The girl flared up. 'Sure I gotta husban'. You all seen him. Swell guy, ain't he? Spends all his time sayin' what he gonna do to guys he don't like, and he don't like nobody. Think I'm gonna stay in that two-by-four house and listen how Curley's gonna lead with his left twict, and then bring in the ol' right cross?...'" Obviously, Curley's wife does not like her husband at all, making her want to find someone else. Another reason I gave was that she was forced to give up something special. Though it didn't explicitly say she was forced to give anything up, it's a possibility when Curley's wife states: "'...I tell ya I could of went with shows. Not jus' one, neither. An' a guy tol' me he could put me in pitchers. . . ." She was breathless with indignation. "---Sat'day night. Ever'body out doin' som'pin. Ever'body! An' what am I doin'? Standin' here 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'" (78). She says she had talent, so why isn't she out there, in the "shows"? Why is she married to Curley, on a ranch, when she could be somewhere where her talents are appreciated? However, whatever reasoning that's behind this is lost, as Candy interrupts with angry words.

After Crooks asks Curley's wife to leave, "She turned on him in scorn. 'Listen, nigger,' she said. 'You know what I can do to you if you open your trap?' Crooks stared hopelessly at her, and then he sat down on his bunk and drew into himself. She closed on him. 'You know what I could do?' Crooks seemed to grow smaller, and he pressed himself against the wall. 'Yes, ma'am.' 'Well, you keep your place then, nigger. I could get up you strung up on a tree so easy it ain't even funny'" (81). It's horrible what she said, that is unquestionable. But going deeper, I think she said these words because she was frustrated that these people weren't offering any sympathies, no pity. Because of this, she wanted to feel power over these people, and chose Crooks, since he was an African American.

I also noticed how similar Crooks and Curley's wife are, even if they are different in many ways. The first thing that stood out to me was how they were both so lonely, though they dealt with these feelings in different ways. They both want people whom they can talk to, but they are both isolated from others. They also reacted in the same way when Candy and Lennie talk about their piece of land and their plans. "'You're nuts.' Crooks was scornful. 'I seen hundreds 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. Hundreds of them...'" (74). "Curley's wife laughed at him. 'Baloney,' she said. 'I seen too many you guys. If you had two bits in the worl', why you'd be in gettin' two shots of corn with it and suckin' the bottom of the glass. I know you guys'" (79).

I want to get to know more about Curley's wife's past. Though she may seem like a bad character, I don't think she deserves all the hate she receives. In my opinion, she does strange things, but all for an different reasons. It's not her fault she's in the position she's in right now, and I think she deserves some happiness later on in her life.

~ Kate_ChromtheChrommander