In Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and Men, is Crooks lonely and/or isolated? Referring to section 4, explain why.

In John Steinbeck's novel, Of Mice and
Men, one of the themes of the novel is loneliness and isolation. Crooks is
both lonely and isolated.

The first
reason is that he is a black man in a country rife with racial discrimination. He is not
allowed to bunk with the other men because he is black, so he has a room to himself off
of the barn where he fixes harnesses. At the beginning of section four, the reader
learns that Crooks keeps to himself:

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...Crooks was a proud, aloof man. He kept his
distance and demanded that other people keep
theirs.

At first it appears
that Crooks does all he can to guarantee his privacy, and is happy with it. The other
men go to town; Lennie sees Crooks' light and comes to his room; Crooks eventually lets
him in. While Crooks talks to Lennie, it is hard to tell what his intent is. He gets
Lennie upset by suggesting that George might choose not to come back or might get hurt
while in town. Lennie would be alone; he gets very upset. Crooks
insists that the plan George speaks of means nothing and will never come
true.

However, Crooks changes the direction of his talk in
admitting that it is hard to live such an isolated life with no one to talk to. Having a
companion allows a person to keep his perspective, and he reminisces of how nice it was
when he lived at home with his brothers.

Candy, who is now
in on the plan, enters Crooks' room, and Crooks tries to act angry, but he's really
pleased to have company. This indicates, again, how lonely and isolated he is. He starts
to tell Candy that their plans are nonsense and will never amount to anything. Perhaps
the dreams of others torment Crooks so that he tries to tear them apart. Candy insists
that they're not far from taking that step because they have saved almost all the money
they need.

Crooks has a change of heart and asks that
if it comes about, might he be allowed to join
them and work without getting paid? Candy seems fine with the idea, but then Curley's
wife comes in. She, too, is lonely, looking for company. She starts chattering until
Candy tells her she should leave. She will not, saying she could have had a better life,
and how she doesn't like Curley. Again Candy tells her to go home; she refuses. Then
Crooks gets up and tells her the room of a negro man is no place for her and she had
better leave.

Curley's wife immediately goes after him like
a snake chasing a mouse. She threatens him, reminding him of the power
she holds over him. He shrinks into himself. Curley's wife has
little or no power as a woman on the ranch, but she is white and is still more powerful
than this black man. She threatens to have him lynched, and he becomes meek and
respectful, while she rants on. Candy tries to defend Crooks, but she insists no one
would listen to Candy either.

Candy
says he hears the men, advising Curley's wife again to go. Eventually she does. George
enters to collect Lennie, surprised to find him there. (No one goes in Crooks' room
except Slim.) As George turns to leave, Crooks calls to Candy and tells him to forget
about including him in the plan. Candy seems uncertain but agrees if that is what Crooks
wants.

With one threat from the rancher's wife, Crooks is
again reduced to a lonely, frightened man. Curley's wife has demonstrated that the
American dream is not his. His life can be snuffed out simply on a
word from her. The flash of light we saw in him is gone. Crooks' isolation and
loneliness are greater than anyone else's in the book.