A Collection of Youth

13/10/15: Crooks' Diary

This diary entry was written to show how Crooks, from 'Of Mice and Men',would have felt shortly after the incident described in it took place - it is written to mimic his style and attitude as much as possible.

18/9/1953

That big guy, Lennie, came into my room today. He's the only one ever to come in 'cept Slim. I reckon Lennie's a bit simple; he didn't know why I'm not wanted in the barn. Simple but friendly. He's good at listening too. A guy could tell him anythin' and be sure hee won't go blabberin'. I felt happy around Lennie. Included. Then came Candy.

Candy's never talked to me before, but in he came tonight, lookin' for Lennie. Candy mentioned somethin' really interestin'. 'Parrently George (the guy that came with Lennie), Lennie and Candy were gonna buy a little ranch of their own. Thought Candy was foolin', but he insisted that they found a little plot of land and were gonna do her. I wanted to be part of them, y'know, be one of the owners of the ranch as well. Mebbe not owner, mebbe jus' a random guy doin' odd jobs like the hoeing and stuff. I'll like that a lot. Be somethin' to look forward too, 'stead of jus' working for someone else like a slave till I die. Ah, I had a good ol' time with Candy and Lennie, happy as a fish in water, till Curley's floozy of a wife came in.

That little tart was 'lookin' for Curley' again. She thinks we don't amount to much, that we're just 'bindle-stiffs'. That bitch has a husban', but she keeps comin' to us guys, 'stead of being a good girl and stayin' at home. I was feelin' on top of the world, I was, and I told her to scarper, fast. Then, she took her revenge on me. She said if I ordered her about, or told the Boss she was in here, she'd string me up a tree. I shut my trap after that. It's true though, innit? I'm just a nobody, a nigger. I can't boss around other people. I told Candy I didn' want to go no place like their future ranch. It would be nice to, 'course it would, but that's no place for me. I'm jus' a nigger after all.

                                                                                                Crooks