Theme of Tennessee Williams plays Essay Example for Free

Theme of Tennessee Williams plays Essay A Streetcar Named Desire conforms to the expectation that a major theme of Williams plays is that of human sexuality. Various aspects of human sexuality are explored through the diversity and complexity of the characters. Whilst Stanley Kowalski epitomises masculinity through his primal strength and power, and the increasingly fragile Blanche DuBois attempts to cling to the feminine role of the Southern Belle, these are only aspects of their characters. The fact that their relationship is one of conflict, is representative of their worldviews. However, to reduce A Streetcar Named Desire to the level of mere battle of the sexes would be too simplistic and does the play an injustice by choosing to ignore its complexities. Superficially, at least, Blanche DuBois conforms to prevailing concepts of gender wherein she adopts characteristics that are seen to epitomise femininity. Such traits are conceived as constituting feminine behaviour, and include characteristics such as passivity, acquiescence and emotionality. Whilst these traits are certainly evident in Blanche DuBois, she is, of course, a far more complex character than such simplification would first suggest and, therefore, cannot be so easily labeled. It would be perhaps more accurate to consider Blanche in light of Judith Butlers suggestion that gender is something that we do (Selden, 116). This concept more accurately encapsulates the sense that Blanche chooses to adopt a role of femininity, effectively playing a part by conforming to a stereotypical role, in this case, that of the Southern Belle. The adoption of this role provides Blanche with a relatively stable sense of identity, or at least an aspect of identity, necessary for her own self-preservation. As with Amanda Wingfield, in The Glass Menagerie, Blanche DuBois seems to struggle in a changing world and by adopting an aspect of identity that is associated with the past, she is able to find at least temporary comfort. From our earliest encounter with Blanche, we are made quickly aware of her preoccupation with appearance. Initially this focuses on the appearance of Stellas home, this horrible place (120), which compares so negatively when contrasted with the ancestral home of Belle Reve. However, Blanches real preoccupation soon becomes evident as she chides Stella for failing to  say a word about her appearance (122): You see I still have that awful vanity about my looks even now that my looks are slipping! (123). The fact that she laughs nervously whilst looking to Stella for reassurance indicates Blanches insecurity. All that has been familiar in Blanches world has changed, and now that age is changing her personal appearance, her insecurities are heightened. However, the dialogue between the sisters evokes a sense of ritual wherein Blanche seeks approval and Stella responds dutifully (123) suggesting that Blanches insecurities are deep rooted and precede the advent of age. As Stella instructs Stanley: admire her dress and tell her shes looking wonderful. Thats important with Blanche. Her little weakness! (132). This is a constant motif throughout the play and Blanches little weakness reflects the fact that her sense of self-identity needs constant bolstering, especially now that her youth has passed by. It also reinforces the notion of Blanche as adopting a role and the necessity, as with any act, for an audience, preferably a sympathetic one. For Blanche an audience is necessary to enable her to perpetuate her constructed self-image. Compliments and constant reassurance are required to maintain the role she has adopted; it is therefore necessary for her audience to constantly appreciate her performance. When considering Blanches behaviour with others, we find that she is most desperate to impress her male audience, and it is at such times that she feels the need to rely heavily on her female sexuality. Indeed, the persona that she has adopted is aimed at attracting male attention rather than female sympathy. This becomes apparent through a conversation with Stella wherein Blanche describes her discussion with Stanley regarding the fate of Belle Reve: I feel a bit shaky, but I think I handled it nicely. I laughed and treated it  all as a joke, called him a little boy and laughed and flirted! Yes I was flirting with your husband Stella! (141). Blanche seems unable, or at least unwilling, to disregard this persona when dealing with men. Such behaviour has become habitual, a fact that becomes increasingly obvious in her relationship with Mitch. After a date together, and despite the fact that Blanche did not enjoy the evening, she still behaves in a manner in which she believes she is obliged to do. As she explains: I was just obeying the law of nature The one that says the lady must entertain the gentleman or no dice! (175). Blanche certainly understands how to use her sexuality, but she is not driven by her sexuality in the sense of passion and desire. Blanche wants her relationship with Mitch to work, not because she wants him per se, but because of what such an outcome would represent. The prospect of such a relationship is viewed as an escape from her present circumstances where she considers herself to be a burden. A successful relationship will give Blanche the opportunity to rest and to breathe quietly again!(171). Such choice of language clearly indicates the strain involved in continuing her charade, and goes some way to explain her reliance on alcohol for a temporary sense of escape. Of course, in order to adopt the role of Southern Belle convincingly, illusion becomes a necessary factor. Blanche is content in the illusory world that she creates where she can attempt to regain her passing youth, becoming someone that she feels she should be. Illusion is also necessary in that it offers an escape from her sexually promiscuous past, whilst masking the truth of the past from her family and Mitch. However, Blanche seems to accept her past behaviour as inevitable considering the expectations of men: People dont see you men dont dont even admit your existence unless they are making love to you. And youve got to have your existence admitted by someone, if youre going to have someones protection (169). The fact that Blanche equates people with men highlights the fact that she feels very much a part of a patriarchal society, where men obviously hold the power and make the judgments. Ironically, but not unexpectedly, such a society is hypocritical in its view of Blanche as it privately condones, indeed enables, Blanches sexually promiscuous behaviour whilst publicly condemning it. Blanches decisions appear to have been primarily driven by her desire for protection, whilst her upbringing and her position as a woman in a patriarchal society, nurtures a reliance on men. In this case, the expectation is that a man will rescue her. Of course, she experiences only varying degrees of failure in attempting to escape from the situations she finds herself in. Yet, despite this, it is still male approval that Blanche seeks. Blanche retains the hope that by becoming part of the illusion, by emulating old-fashioned values, that she will attract Mitch and therefore the protected life of gentility and kindness that she so longs for. I have suggested that an illusory world is a space for Blanche to relive her passing youth, and we find that in order to do so she uses darkness to reinvent herself as young and innocent. Blanche lies to Mitch about her age, telling him that Stella is somewhat older (150) than herself, when Blanche is in fact at least five years older than Stella. Blanche adorns the naked lightbulbs in the apartment with Chinese lanterns (150) to deflect the harsh light of truth, as it were, from the possibility of being discovered as older than she has suggested. We learn from Mitch that Blanche refuses to meet him until after six and then its always some place thats not lighted much(203). Blanche finds the dark comforting (203), as she prefers to reject realism in search of magic (204). The persona she feels is necessary to attract Mitch is also necessary for her own sake as she allows herself to feel young and unscarred again. Her habit of taking baths is symbolic in this regard. The long baths are attempts to wash away the past, whilst they also represent an attempt at some kind of spiritual cleansing wherein Blanche always announces after a bath that she feels like a brand-new human being!(135). Yet, the fact that she keeps returning to the  bath leads to the conclusion that this illusion does not last very long. Whereas Blanche adopts a sexual persona, Stanley, and to some extent Stella, are driven by their sexuality. Their relationship is frequently portrayed as primal and animalistic, their baby is proof of Stanleys virility and Stellas fertility; an affirmation of an intensely passionate relationship. This is at odds with the genteel expectations of the Old South, the world that Blanche represents. Of course, Blanche has also strayed from the values expected, however, her sexual relationships are a means to an end, she is not sexually driven and does not experience the sense of passion and desire apparent in Stella who finds it unbearable to be apart from Stanley: I can hardly stand it when he is away for a night When hes away for a week I nearly go wild! (125). Stella has chosen a life built on a powerful sexual relationship which makes everything else seem unimportant(162). With this belief she deems unimportant the fact that Stanley beats her, she forgives him and to restate the physical bond between the two, they seem to have no need for words, instead they come together with low animal moans(154). Their relationship seems to epitomise life through the regenerative powers of desire and procreation, in contrast to Blanches sexual relationships with men as disempowering and ultimately destructive. Stanley plays the role of the Alpha male, evident in his need to dominate. This is apparent from the first poker game where Stanley seeks to dominate the group of both men and women. When he is disobeyed, he reacts violently, the violence escalating as events progress. During the poker game, Blanche defies Stanley by turning on the radio; his reaction evokes images of animalistic behaviour as he is described as stalking: fiercely through the portieres into the bedroom. He crosses to the small white radio and snatches it off the table. With a shouted oath, he tosses the instrument out of the window (151). When Stella admonishes him for his behaviour he physically attacks her, a forewarning of the treatment that Blanche will ultimately receive from Stanley. There is certainly a sense of inevitability in the final violence that Blanche experiences at the hands of Stanley, as he tells her, weve had this date with each other from the beginning!(215). Blanche has been a consistent threat to Stanleys authority, especially in regard to Stella. Stanley is the self-appointed King, (195) evidence of his sense of male dominance, a secure position that has been undermined by Blanche who is seen as adversely influencing Stellas opinion about her husband. Stella appears to have become influenced by Blanches perception of Stanley as uncouth and animalistic, and this becomes apparent in the language she uses to admonish Stanley. He responds: Dont ever talk that way to me! Pig Polack disgusting vulgar greasy! Them kind of words have been on your tongue and on your sisters tongue too much around here!(194). But Stella is ultimately complicit in Blanches destruction as she chooses Stanley over her sister, despite the fact that she is aware of the violence that Stanley is capable of. Stella chooses to believe Stanley, using illusion just as Blanche has done, because she couldnt believe her story and go on living with Stanley(217). Another aspect of sexuality that plays a significant role, is the sexuality of Blanches young, dead husband. It is clear that Blanche is haunted by the discovery of his homosexuality and the resulting guilt that she feels regarding his suicide. Beyond this however, it is clear that the discovery of her husbands sexuality caused irreparable to Blanches sense of identity. Stella describes Blanches attitude toward Allan: I think Blanche didnt just love him but worshipped the ground he walked on! Adored him and thought him almost too fine to be human! (190). It is clear that Blanche was left lost and isolated by Allans death, and she admits that she searched for comfort by sleeping with men: intimacies with strangers was all I seemed able to fill my empty heart withI think it was panic, just panic, that drove me from one to another, hunting for some protection(205). However, the purely sexual relationship does not offer the kindness, comfort and protection that Blanche is so anxious to find. Her pattern of behaviour becomes a vicious cycle; as Blanche becomes more and more desperate to exorcise memories of Allan, she adopts increasingly inappropriate ways of behaving thus adding to the memories that she is attempting to exorcise. Although Blanches intimacies with strangers do not provide emotional fulfillment, they do provide the male attention that she craves in order bolster her sense of identity as an attractive woman. It is ironic that Blanche views the old love letters and poems that Allan wrote for her as her most precious possessions: Everyone has something her wont let others touch because of their intimate nature (139). The poems and the emotional relationship that they represent are far more intimate than the physical relationships Blanche has had with other men. The fact that Blanche has a preference for young men, conforms to her use of illusion where she seeks to recreate, to re-experience, the idealised relationship which she has so desperately longed for. Her inappropriate relationship with a seventeen year old student, the relationships with young soldiers at Belle Reve, and even in New Orleans we gain a fleeting glance of this behaviour with the young man from the Evening Star (172), whom she kisses and reluctantly dismisses: Run along now! It would be nice to keep you, but Ive got to be good and keep my hands off children (174). Guilt haunts Blanche as does the rapid, feverish polka tune, the  Varsouviana (200), which only fades after the final gunshot has been heard. Just as Blanches expression of disgust destroyed Allan, it is Stanleys disgust at the charade that Blanche has been playing, that ultimately destroys her. The events of scene ten, where Stanley rapes Blanche, are accompanied by the sound of inhuman jungle noises which rise up (215) like cries in a jungle(213). This parallels the primal, animalistic image that has been built of Stanley, and the expectation that he will react violently to anyone that he feels is a threat. It has been said of Williams that his plays seek to capture the truth of human experience(Bigsby, 36). Indeed, A Streetcar Named Desire conforms to this view in as much as the characters are far more than stereotypes but rather complex characters that are influenced by, driven by and destroyed by aspects of human sexuality. BIBLIOGRAPHY Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire, in A Streetcar Named Desire and Other Plays, ed. E.Martin Browne, St. Ives, 1987. Bigsby, C W E. Modern American Drama 1945-1990, Cambridge, 1992. Selden, R. Contemporary Literary Theory, Prentice Hall, 1997.

Free College Essays - The Fall of Othello :: GCSE Coursework Shakespeare Othello

The Fall of Othello The Othello of the Fourth Act is Othello in his fall. His fall is never complete, but he is much changed. Towards the close of the Temptation-scene he becomes at times most terrible, but his grandeur remains almost undiminished. Even in the following scene (III iv), where he goes to test Desdemona in the matter of the handkerchief, and receives a fatal confirmation of her guilt, our sympathy with him is hardly touched by any feeling of humiliation. But in the Fourth Act "Chaos has come". A slight interval of time may be admitted here. It is but slight; for it was necessary for Iago to hurry on, and terribly dangerous to leave a chance for a meeting of Cassio with Othello; and his insight into Othello's nature taught him that his plan was to deliver blow on blow, and never to allow his victim to recover from the confusion of the first shock. Still there is a slight interval; and when Othello reappears we see at a glance that he is a changed man. He is physically exhausted, and his min d is dazed. He sees everything blurred through a mist of blood and tears. He has actually forgotten the incident of the handkerchief, and has to be reminded of it. When Iago, perceiving that he can now risk almost any lie, tells him that Cassio has confessed his guilt, Othello, the hero who has seemed to us only second to Coriolanus in physical power, trembles all over; he mutters disjointed words; a blackness suddenly intervenes between his eyes and the world; he takes it for the shuddering testimony of nature to the horror he has just heard, [Endnote  6] and he falls senseless to the ground. When he recovers it is to watch Cassio, as he imagines, laughing over his shame. It is an imposition so gross, and should have been one so perilous, that Iago would never have ventured it before. But he is safe now. The sight only adds to the confusion of intellect the madness of rage; and a ravenous thirst for revenge, contending with motions of infinite longing and regret, conquers them. T he delay till night-fall is torture to him. His self-control has wholly deserted him, and he strikes his wife in the presence of the Venetian envoy. He is so lost to all sense of reality that he never asks himself what will follow the deaths of Cassio and his wife.

Crook’s is the only black character in the novel discuss his significance Essay

The author John Steinbeck is an artistic Writer. His greatest achievement of being an author was the compelling story Of Mice And Men. This is an immense story based on two American ranch workers dream to own a house in the 1930’s. The novel was set in Soledad in southern California. In several of his fiction works, including Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck illustrates how grueling, challenging, and often unrewarding the life of migrant farmers could be. Just as George and Lennie dream of a better life on their own farm, the Great Plains farmers dreamed of finding a better life in California. Steinbeck himself was born there in 1902, and went on to experience the Great Depression in the heart of the land that so many left their homes to find. This time in America’s history was marked by bread lines, soup kitchens, unemployment, and the daily hope for a low paying job that would last longer than a few days. Historically, this was a dream of many people in California during the Great Depression, most of whom never saw it come to pass. The story shows the harsh and cruel circumstances of the many who were so poor but balances the desperation with the hope and desire for triumph. The novel is about two inerrant workers, called Lennie and George. They work on a ranch with other workers. The main theme in this novel is â€Å"The Dream† Historically, this was what many people in California strived to achieve during these hard times; to one a piece of land, most of whom never saw it come to pass. The story shows the harsh and cruel circumstances of the many that were so poor but balances the desperation with the hope and desire for triumph. Discrimination can take many forms, from racial to physical to gender, Crooks is set apart because he is the only black man on the ranch moreover, he has a physical disability. In this novel Crooks possesses the majority of loneliness and injustice. Steinbeck’s perception of Crooks in the novel is very accurate during this period, he uses Crook’s to symbolise the marginalisation of the black community occurring at the time in which the novel is set additionally Crooks brings into perspective the loneliness experienced by all the characters. Steinbeck’s relates his knowledge to the novel and most substantially Crooks. Crook’s is the only black character on the ranch and is first established in Chapter 2. He is segregated from the rest of the men on the ranch. He has his own room in the barn, â€Å"†¦A little shed that leaned off the wall of the barn†. We can see how isolated he is in this room because he needs to surround himself with his own personal possessions; â€Å"For being alone, Crooks could leave his things about†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He is referred to as a â€Å"Nigger† by almost everybody on the ranch, â€Å"She turned on him in scorn. ‘Listen nigger’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Steinbeck’s use of language, such as the term â€Å"Nigger† started out as a dismissive term used by whites to describe blacks, and it didn’t even necessarily have racist connotations. But when the 19th century started ‘nigger’ was a term used by white people to express their anger and furthermore degrade blacks. Steinbeck used Curley’s Wife In this quote to indicate her own personal opinion on what she perceives Crooks to be, internally what white people on a whole thought blacks were. Not only did he use this quote to express her anger towards Crooks but also he used this quote to show how Crooks had a lack of importance. He was not recognized or called by his name, Crooks. He was not awarded dignity because he was looked upon as being inferior. Everyone on the ranch was called by his or her name except Crooks, which made him irrelevant to people on the ranch. The message conveyed by Steinbeck is therefore that Crooks was racially and socially differentiated from white people by this racial term â€Å"Nigger†. On the other hand The Old Swamper thinks positively about Crooks when he first tells George about him. â€Å"Yeah nice fella†¦Ya see the stable bunk is a nigger† Even though The Old Swamper referrers to Crooks as a nigger, which was properly because it was recognizably used to refer to him as, he looks behind their racial difference, and judges Crooks on his personality. The beginning of Chapter 4 is the setting for Crooks room where he lives in alone. He owns many possessions strangely more than other workers. â€Å"Crooks possessed several pairs of shoes, a pair of rubber boots, a big alarm clock†¦Ã¢â‚¬  His room reflects his character â€Å"†¦was swept and fairly neat, for Crooks was a proud, aloof man† This quote not only suggests that Crooks keeps his room clean but that he is a well-kept man. He is mostly in his room and wants his room to reflect himself as a person, who takes pride in his room. He also has â€Å"†¦A tattered dictionary†¦copy of the California civil code†¦a few dirty books† He has educational possessions in his room, which shows he is well educated and takes an interest in reading. He obviously knows his rights as a black man, because he reads the California civil code so knows what he is entitled to do. Crooks puts all of these things on a â€Å"special shelf† to show that they a re important to him. The condition of his skin suggest that he is aged â€Å"deep black wrinkles† There’s a contrast between his youthful eyes with the rest of his face. Having his own room meant he was detached from the ranch workers, which suggest he experiences racial segregation due to being black. This discrimination against black people in the 1930s was enforced by Steinbeck into Crooks to give an insight on prejudice. When Lennie enters Crook’s room out of curiosity, Crooks asserts his human rights stating, â€Å"This here’s my room. Nobody got any right in here but me† This form of retaliation against Lennie is down to Crooks being isolated all the time. Crooks is clearly stating his right to privacy, it is safer for him to remain isolated. It is strange for him that Lennie is communicating with him; not being used to it, so when Lennie does enter his room, Crooks manages to hold his delight by pretending to be annoyed. â€Å"It was difficult for Crooks to conceal his pleasure with anger.† He feels the need to protect his room because of his â€Å"protective dignity of a Negro† This quote reflects on all black people of this time, who were made to protect themselves because they lacked the social skills they needed to be able to communicate with others without feeling the need to protect themselves. He tries to hide is pleasure through irritation, but he realize s that he wants Lennie’s company. Not only because he is lonesome but because he knows Lennie is naive and lacks knowledge of life in general. The mode during Lennie’s visit to see Crooks was a very unwanted mode at first. Once Crooks realized Lennie wasn’t looking for any dissatisfaction, Crooks eased up a little. One quote which observes â€Å"†¦Lennie’s disarming smile defeated him. ‘Come in for a while†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He lets his defensive barrier down to Lennie â€Å"His tone was a little more friendly† Crooks can’t help but respond to Lennie; conversation is what he craves for. Crooks has got a indulgant heart, he just chooses to hide it through anger and displeasure considering that’s the only way he knows how to express his feelings. He would not naturally be distant towards people if he were not racially segregated from others. We therefore see that being around someone for once has brought out his true personality. Crook’s is envious of Lennie’s relationship with George. George takes care of Lennie and they have a companionship. Deep within him he wants the warmth of togetherness in his life, relising lennie has this creates a burning streak of jealousy inside him. He uses Lennie’s lack of knowledge to his advantage by taunting Lennie about George leaving him. â€Å"‘S’ pose George don’t come back no more† His misery and envy brings out his cruelty. He is trying to inflict his personal pain of being a lonely black man onto Lennie. Crooks then reveals his own need â€Å"Maybe you can see now. You got George†¦ ‘S’ pose you didn’t have nobody†¦I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.† This illustrates that Crooks pities his own circumstances and vulnerability. â€Å"I didn’t mean to scare you† shows that Crooks did not deliberately picked on Lennie he just wanted him to know how it felt to be alone all the time. He expresses this through his bitterness. He realizes himself that bullying Lennie will not change his belonging in society he will still remain unimportant. Crooks’ loneliness is part of Steinbeck’s microcosm of the world. Multiply Crooks a million times, and Steinbeck is pointing out the barriers and artificial obstacles people and society build against each other. Whenever the American Dream is mentioned he dismisses it â€Å"Nobody never gets to heaven and nobody gets no land.† He lacks the optimism and hopes that George and Lennie share. This brings us to believe that Crooks has absolutely no hope in achieving this dream. He has lost faith in the dream; maybe being a black man has caused him to think there could be no realisation of him being happy in his life. He links going to heaven and owning your own land, suggesting going to heaven is equal to owning a land. This sparks reality that during this period of the great depression it was rare that people working on ranches could ever own a land. Lennie and George have determination and hope that one day they will own a land, even though deep down George knows it’s unrealistic. Crooks seems like he has given up a long time ago on the dream, mostly because his concealment from everyone else has infused this judgement into his mind. When Curly’s wife enters Crook’s room all the men dislike her presence, she knows full well that Curlys not in Crook’s room but just like Crook’s she is eager for attention. â€Å"Any you boys seen Curly† This is what makes Crook’s and Curlys wife so similar. Their life is full of shattered dreams, discrimination and loneliness. Crook’s tries to stand up to Curlys wife, but being a white woman means she has a controlled power of Crook’s being black. She belittles him saying â€Å"†¦you keep in your place then, Nigger I could get you strung up† He reverts back to the majestic, stubborn man he was in the beginning. She dehumanises him straight away. â€Å"Crook’s had reduced himself to nothing. There was no personality, no ego†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Crooks built up this ego and bravery to stand up to Curlys wife when he was for the first time given attention socially by Lennie and Candy entering his room. It may have be en a lot for him to take in, after being made to feel like he is not welcome because of his colour all the time. So when Curlys Wife insults them, this new ego and bravery gives crooks the idea that he can assert his rights to Curlys Wife. She soon puts him in his place, making him realise the substantial difference between them, racial wise. She knows how to use the unfairness of life to her advantage, which becomes disturbingly clear when she dangles the threat of crying rape in front of Crooks. She knows that as a black man he would be lynched if she told the others that he’d even tried to rape her, and she wields this power to her advantage. Ultimately, though, she is revealed as frightened of her husband as she sneaks off to her house. Curley’s wife has been trapped by life and however brazen and manipulative she may be, she is ultimately one of the comparatively powerless figures in the novel. She is therefore, perhaps, an object of the reader’s sympathy. The characters in the book begin to merge, by this happening we soon start to realize they are quite similar. â€Å"Crooks laughed again. ‘A guy can talk to you and be sure you won’t go blabbin†¦ George can tell you screwy things, and it don’t matter. It’s just the talking. It’s just bein’ with another guy.'† Crook’s thoughts in this quote reflect the ideas of all the outcasts in the novel. Just like George, Candy, and Curley’s Wife, Crooks longs for human companionship; he simply wants another person to acknowledge his existence. Likewise, George thinks that he and Lennie are different from all the other lonely migrant workers because they have each other. George’s actions mirror Crook’s words, George knows that Lennie isn’t listening to him most of the time, but he like Crooks simply wants someone to hear him. Similarly, Candy is willing to invest his life’s savings in strangers’ dreams so that he can spend the last years of his life with others. His one companion, his dog, is now gone. Finally, Curley’s wife is willing to risk the fury of her abusive husband just for human conversation. Her behavior with Lennie is exactly like Crook’s conversation with Lennie; she does not care that Lennie doesn’t understand her. In Chapter Four, the contrast between Crooks, Curly’s Wife, Candy and Lennie becomes marked. Firstly the three mentally or physically impaired â€Å"outcasts† of the farm – discuss their dream of living â€Å"of the fat of the land† one can sense a strong whiff of socialism. For a moment, they imagine a life of freedom from prejudice and racism, in which each man works for â€Å"just his keep† regardless of color or disability. Steinbeck cleverly brings the outcast into contact at the end of the chapter which subverts the idea of crooks being the only character who suffers from loneliness and shattered dreams. Crook’s race is the reason for his isolation, just as Candy’s age and handicap isolate him, and Curley’s wife’s gender forces her into a solitary life. Because of his race, he must live outside of human contact, he no longer trusts that dreams can come true. Steinbeck devotes all of Chapter 4 to Crooks to illustrate how completely isolated the stable hand truly is because of his race. All characters enter Crook’s room, on top of the social hierarchy, however they slowly start to correspond to Crooks. Lennie and Candy wanting to grab that much loved American dream, while Curly’s Wife is in need of company. Steinbeck uses Crooks to reveal the hidden desires of the other characters, Steinbeck show that although Crooks is considered the outcast of the book, he in no doubt brings them all as one; equal as the strive to achieve the same hopeless goal. Subsequently, Chapter 4 opens with Crook’s being a â€Å"proud and aloof man† to having racial superior over Lennie to finally having nothing. His dream of living with the other men is shattered by Curlys Wife putting him in his place. I think Steinbeck feels compassion for Crook’s being the only black character on the ranch. Even though he is bitter and cruel Steinbeck is aware he has been racially picked on which caused his behaviour. Even though Crooks is not made relevant throughout the book he holds a special significance in the book. He is a victim of an individual type of loneliness. Crook’s does not ask to be isolated from everyone. He was unfortunately caught up in the racial war. Therefore Crook’s is a vital character in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck not only illustrates him as a representation of division of colour in this time period but also shows that through Crooks other outcasts in the book have been discovered to want and need the same things that people just like Crooks deserve. He has had a cruel life and been very badly treated, which had caused him to become so bitter. Steinbeck made him into this character to show how people like crooks must have felt in this period of racism. Being treated different from everyone else and not having the same rights as fellow human beings, this would have made them really frustrated. Steinbeck gave an insight on injustice by inventing Crooks. Which overall made him so significant.

Pros And Cons Of Psychological Tests - 1019 Words

Name: Shuchang Zhang Instructor: Julie Feldman†¨ Class: Psy150 Date: 2/2/2015 Pros and Cons of Psychological Tests. Many people live without knowing exactly who they are paying very little attention on their personality. Like many things it may be hard to define the character of the person and to explain why he or she behaves in a particular way in one or another situation. Some say that genetics plays the leading role in defining the character of the person, others are sure it is the result of environment that has a substantial influence on people s behavior. The following paper will describe the relevance of psychological tests in evaluating people s personality and will give the example of such quiz. There are people who are gaining great respect because of their positive energy and distinct sense of self-confidence. The personality test helps to estimate the level of friendliness and describes how people feel about themselves and others. All tests which determine and explain the behavior of people are based on psychological studies. Hence the following personality test is the reflex ion of communicative aspects of human psychics and it reveals such feature of people s character as intimidation. A lot of people beginning from the early age have fear of being judged and that others may have the wrong thoughts about them. 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