Steinbeck uses the short story "Of Mice and Men" and the ranch workers to show the microcosm of 1930s American society and culture. In particular, it portrays Crooks in a particular way to show how black Americans were treated in the time period in which the novella was set. Steinbeck uses Crooks throughout the story to present the role of black Americans. The first introduction of Crooks is through Candy's speech when she describes Crooks' character to George and Lennie. “You see, the stable boy is a black man.” He mentions Crooks by the way all the ranch workers address him, which is like the word "nigger" throughout the story. This is considered acceptable in 1930s America as all the characters seem to address Crooks in this way. Not mentioning the name Crooks and referring to him as "nigger" makes readers feel sympathy for his character and makes them think about the racial discrimination he is experiencing. From this you can also see how the way Candy mentions it is as if it is normal and part of everyday life to degrade all black people. The quote can also show how Crooks has been called this way many times since the way Candy mentions it is as if it is a fact that cannot be changed and the fact that he is a "nigger" is permanently tarnished in him. Later in the short story, Crooks is seen to gain more sympathy when he mentions how he remembers the time when he had friends and "they were always near me, always there". This shows how he had someone he could count on and now things have changed because as a black American he is simply discriminated against. The word “always” shows the certainty of how happy he was with his life. Crooks mentions... half the paper... throughout the story. Crooks describes Slim as "a real skinner" as he "takes care of the team". Crooks likes Slim because that's who he looks up to since the slim character is the only one who talks to Crooks and doesn't refer to him as a "nigger" like all the other ranch workers do. Crooks is considered an equal in Slim's eyes. Furthermore, this can be seen as ambiguous as Steinbeck mentions how he can only talk to Crooks as it is seen that he has a similar job in the stables and that he needs Crooks in order for him to complete his work. Finally, to conclude, Steinbeck uses the character of Crooks to show how a black American would fit into the American society of the 1930s. Using the microcosm of the ranch helps show readers how he would be treated, how much respect he would be given, and how his character and job would compare to that of ordinary white Americans..