Characterization
Indirect and direct characterization is found throughout the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Steinbeck uses adjectives to directly characterize each character. Then, you indirectly get a realization of each characters personality by the way they speak or act toward one another. For example, Steinbeck describes the two main characters of the story in the first chapter of the book. He describes Lennie as this big, bulky guy but then when Lennie speaks you find out that he is mentally handicapped and he doesn't purposely use his bulky muscles for violence.
Steinbeck also characterizes Crooks, the African- American stable buck. During this time period, blacks were not treated as equal as whites. Many times Crooks is referred to as the derogatory term, "nigger". Chapter 4 begins the direct characterization of Crooks: "For, being alone, Crooks cuold leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanant than the other men... His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head... His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face... In one hand he held a bottle of liniment, and with the other he rubbed his spine... He flexed his muscles against his back and shivered" (Steinbeck 66). I believe that Steinbecks intention was to give Crooks some horse like qualities. Since Crooks is secluded and works with horses all day and stays in the same barn as the horses, he takes on some of the qualtities of a horse. For example, Crooks has a crooked back much like a horse may have. He also uses horse liniment for his sore back, such as if a horse were sore you would use horse liniment on them. Also, he says Crooks flexed his back muscle and then shivered much like a horse would shiver through its back.
A critic, Burton Rascoe, talks about the characterization of George in Of Mice and Men: "The George of Steinbeck's novel and play was hard-bitten and hard-boiled; but he had imagination, a sense of reality, true compassion, and the dream of life" (Rascoe 338). I agree that Steinbeck does portray George's character as a hard- headed man, but Steinbeck does show that Gorge has dreams and an imagination and a more soft side. Steinbeck wrote an individual characterization for each character, You really understood each characters thoughts and feelings throughout the novel.
Steinbeck also characterizes Crooks, the African- American stable buck. During this time period, blacks were not treated as equal as whites. Many times Crooks is referred to as the derogatory term, "nigger". Chapter 4 begins the direct characterization of Crooks: "For, being alone, Crooks cuold leave his things about, and being a stable buck and a cripple, he was more permanant than the other men... His body was bent over to the left by his crooked spine, and his eyes lay deep in his head... His lean face was lined with deep black wrinkles, and he had thin, pain-tightened lips which were lighter than his face... In one hand he held a bottle of liniment, and with the other he rubbed his spine... He flexed his muscles against his back and shivered" (Steinbeck 66). I believe that Steinbecks intention was to give Crooks some horse like qualities. Since Crooks is secluded and works with horses all day and stays in the same barn as the horses, he takes on some of the qualtities of a horse. For example, Crooks has a crooked back much like a horse may have. He also uses horse liniment for his sore back, such as if a horse were sore you would use horse liniment on them. Also, he says Crooks flexed his back muscle and then shivered much like a horse would shiver through its back.
A critic, Burton Rascoe, talks about the characterization of George in Of Mice and Men: "The George of Steinbeck's novel and play was hard-bitten and hard-boiled; but he had imagination, a sense of reality, true compassion, and the dream of life" (Rascoe 338). I agree that Steinbeck does portray George's character as a hard- headed man, but Steinbeck does show that Gorge has dreams and an imagination and a more soft side. Steinbeck wrote an individual characterization for each character, You really understood each characters thoughts and feelings throughout the novel.