John Steinbeck Biography

John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr., was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California to John Ernst and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. He loved to read, particularly Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. He studied for five years at Stanford University, but he left without a degree in 1925. That same year, he moved to New York City where he began to work for the New York American newspaper. However, he was a poor reporter because he would get too emotionally involved with the stories he was writing. He left that job and he began writing stories. Although he had already published several books, Tortilla Flat (1935), which was later made into a movie, was his first significant recognition.

Steinbeck was married three times and had two sons. He was married to Carol Henning between 1930 and 1942. He was married to his second wife, Gwyndolyn Conger, between 1943 and 1948, with whom he had two sons, Thomas (born 1944) and John (born 1946). He was married to his third wife Elaine Anderson Scott from 1950 until his death.

Steinbeck’s works deal mostly with the social and economic issues of rural America, causing him to be scorned by critics as being “superficial and excessively moralistic” (Bloom, 10). Arguably his best-known works are East of Eden, Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception" (Nobel Foundation) in 1962. Steinbeck died of heart failure in New York City on December 20, 1968. John Steinbeck remains one of the “most popular and respected American Authors of the century.” (Bloom, 10)

Sources:
Bloom, Harold. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Broomall: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. Print

“John Steinbeck.” Nobel Foundation. 22 February 2008. Web. 5 May. 2010.

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East of Eden: Literary References

In many of his novels, John Steinbeck uses biblical references and Greek mythology. One of the novels is East of Eden, written in 1952, which parallels the biblical stories of Adam, Eve, Cain, and Able, and includes references to Pandora’s Box. There are similarities in the names of the main characters and the names of the biblical characters. The main character is Adam Trask and his twin sons are Cal and Aron. Although the story of Adam and Eve is frequently pointed out as a model for the novel, the use of Greek mythology is overlooked. (Barnes) The myth of Pandora’s Box appears throughout the novel, mostly with Cathy and Abra. In the biblical story, Eve brings “mischief on mankind” (Barnes) when she eats the forbidden fruit; in the myth of Pandora’s Box, Pandora causes mischief when she opens a box. Cathy’s likeness to Pandora and Eve is the most obvious since she brought disaster on her family, whereas the character of Aron who starts off as the “good brother” (Barnes) ends up being the wandering brother, changing the similarities between Aron and Abel to Aron and Cain. Along with the fictional characters, there are also characters that Steinbeck used from his mother’s side of the family, who are also called by their real names, the Hamiltons. The novel takes place in the Salinas Valley in California, Steinbeck’s birthplace. Steinbeck uses Adam and Eve’s story, Pandora’s Box, and his own family history in this novel East of Eden. This novel “is crucially important to illustrating the distinction between Naturalistic fiction and the drama of consciousness because of [Steinbeck’s] preoccupation with the problems of man's conscious responsibilities for his actions.” (Twayne’s Author Series)

Sources:
Barnes, Rebecca. "Steinbeck's East of Eden." Explicator 55.3 (1997): 159. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.

“John Steinbeck.” Twayne’s Author Series. Web. 28 Apr. 2010

Picture Source:
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Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck first published Of Mice and Men in 1937. The story takes place in the mid 30s during the Great Depression, in Soledad, California. Although the story takes place during the Depression, unlike The Grapes of Wrath, it focuses on the friendship between George and Lennie instead of the plight of the families during this time. The problems that George and Lennie face are the same they would have faced in any time period because they have to do mostly with Lennie’s mental condition. Lennie has the mind of a child, but, physically, he is a very large man. As a result, George and Lennie get into trouble a lot because Lennie unintentionally hurts people, particularly women.

At the start of the novel, George and Lennie are headed out to Soledad because they got a job at a ranch there. They had to leave the ranch they previously worked at because Lennie got into some trouble when he tried to feel a woman’s dress and ended up hurting her. He “jus’ wanted to feel that girl’s dress.” (Steinbeck, 11) Although George could have a better life without Lennie, he continues to care for him at the new ranch until he decides that the best thing for Lennie is to kill him. Lennie’s death is foreshadowed when Carlson shoots Candy’s dog, who is suffering from old age. (Bloom, 24-25) After Lennie kills Curley’s wife, Candy tells George that Curley will organize a lynching party. George “ain’t gonna let ‘em hurt Lennie” (Steinbeck, 95), so he kills Lennie himself because he didn’t want Lennie to be tortured by the others. George killed Lennie because he cared about him , but Slim is the only one who understands the depth of George and Lennie’s relationship and why he ultimately kills his friend. (Bloom, 24)

Sources:
Bloom, Harold. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Broomall: Chelsea House
Publishers, 1996. Print

Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books, 1965. Print

The Grapes of Wrath

In 1939, John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath in which he depicts the struggle of common man during the Great Depression. This is one of Steinbeck's most popular novels and one that is studied often in schools. Steinbeck lived during the Depression and, as a result, he became a witness to “those years of social trauma and suffering” (Dickstein 2). He shows how people are suffering through his writing, which helped “further transform the public’s perception of ‘the folk’” (Dunlap 6). In the novel the Joads and their friend Reverend Casy leave the land they had owned for generations and they head out to California, a place where they believe they will find hope and prosperity. But, like most families who had to leave the southwest, all they found was poverty and despair while working as migrant farmers.

The main character, Tom Joad, witnesses the struggle of the poor struggling at the mercy of the rich. Joad observes the contrasts between the “abundance of the privileged few and the privation of the numerous poor” (Dunlap 9). Steinbeck also uses the Joads to show that in times of social upheaval, family must expand to include those related by plight, as well those related by blood. By the end of the novel, the Joads are no longer in a condition of self-concern; they have recognized their spiritual bond with the rest of the human race. This changing concept of family is closely tied to the allusions of socialism and unionism, which run throughout the novel. (Hinton 1)

Sources:
Dickstein, Morris. "Steinbeck and the Great Depression." South Atlantic Quarterly 103.1 (2004): 111-131. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 Apr. 2010.

Dunlap, James. "Through the Eyes of Tom Joad: Patterns of American Idealism, Bob Dylan, and the Folk Protest Movement." Popular Music & Society 29.5 (2006): 549-573. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 15 Apr. 2010.

Hinton, Rebecca. "Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath." Explicator 56.2 (1998): 101. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Apr. 2010.

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Why choose John Steinbeck?

I chose to do my English research project on the award winning author John Steinbeck because he is one of the authors I enjoyed reading the most during school. When I was in 9th grade I read Of Mice and Men in my English class. I really liked the story and I actually read it all, which was a first. The next year I was assigned to read The Grapes of Wrath, and I actually liked it, even though it was so long. I have also read a couple of his books outside of class. Recently my little sister was assigned to read The Pearl in her English class and she asked me to help her with it. Since I hadn’t read it before I just now started reading it and I enjoy it as well. I also bought East of Eden a few months ago and I’m looking forward to having a chance to read it.

John Steinbeck, winner of a Nobel Prize for literature in 1962, was born in 1902 in Salinas, CA, the same city I was born in. East of Eden takes place in the Salinas Valley. Part of the reason I want to read this book is because I haven’t been back to Salinas since I was a baby. I don’t know what Salinas is like, but I think that by reading East of Eden I can learn a little bit about my birthplace, since the valley will probably be described in it. I know Steinbeck has a long list of published works and I’ve only read a few, but I hope to read more of his books soon.

Sources:

"Steinbeck, John." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2009): 1. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 2 Apr. 2010.