OMAM Racism, relating to context.

OMAM Racism Theme: Chapter Four

In what way is Crooks' quality of life better than the ranchers'?

Being black, he is segragated from the workers, ironically giving him more space, privacy and posessions. Being a permanent employee means that he is also able to amass possessions and educate himself. This means Crooks has more of a 'home' than the other ranchers, barring the boss and Curley. (Curley's wife feels less at home at the ranch than Crooks: she doesn't love Curley and regrets marrying him. She wants nothing more than to escape form the ranch and does her best to stand out and stop herself getting stuck there [refusal to wear ranch clothes, and stay in the house]). However, this arrangement for Crooks also has many disadvantages: he is unable to go and see the other ranchers, and is alone for most of the time we see him at the ranch. We can also infer that at the times he isn't alone, it is a rare thing for him to have company- Candy's quote: "I been here a long time. And Crooks been here a long time. This's the first time I ever been in his room." and Crooks' reply of "Guys don't come into a coloured man's room.". This tells us Crooks is a very lonely person at the ranch, and detests the way…