Final answer:
Crooks is a lonely African-American character in 'Of Mice and Men' who, despite his skepticism, shares the universal dream of independence. He's different from Lennie in intellect and similarity in vulnerability, while differing from George in the nature of his solitude.
Step-by-step explanation:
In John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, Crooks is the African-American stable hand who is isolated from the other workers on the ranch due to his race. He has his own room off the stables, filled with books, and he is described as proud and bitter about his segregation. Crooks is sharp-witted, pained by loneliness, yet also showcases a rough exterior as a defense mechanism. He too harbors the universal dream of ownership and self-reliance that pervades the novella but is more skeptical about its attainability.
When comparing Crooks and Lennie, they at first seem starkly different. Crooks is intelligent and cynical, whereas Lennie is powerful physically but mentally childlike. However, they are similar in their vulnerability; Crooks due to his race and physical disability, and Lennie due to his intellectual disability. Both characters face significant oppression and prejudice which isolates them from others and deepens their loneliness.
In contrast, comparing Crooks and George reveals that while both are lower-class workers dreaming of a better life, George is more pragmatic and carries the burden of responsibility, particularly for Lennie. He is savvy about the world and understands the harshness of his reality. Though Crooks is also keenly aware of racial injustices, his solitude isn't by choice but is enforced upon him, differing greatly from George’s voluntarily protective isolation of himself and Lennie from other ranch workers.
Crooks adds to the theme of dreams as another example of a marginalized character who has not given up hope for a better life, despite recognizing the improbability of achieving his own dream of independence. His situation also intensifies the theme of loneliness, as his enforced segregation symbolizes the extreme isolation that marginalized individuals can experience. Therefore, Crooks is a vital character in emphasizing the novel’s key themes of dreams deferred and the profound impact of loneliness.