...John Steinbeck John Steinbeck’s career as a writer led, led him to becoming a great American Novelist. When Steinbeck started his literary after dropping out of college, he was going nowhere. His work showed his inexperience, and it would be years before his writing would mature. Once he gained the experience he needed, his books were becoming top sellers and he became a distinguished author. The focus of his works was to reveal conditions in American work life. He particularly helped express what the conditions for farm hands were like. What made John Steinbeck a great American author is how he tried to help improve American’s life with his writing throughout his life. It is this focus is what makes him a true American author. “John Steinbeck was born February 17, 1902 in Salinas, California” (Gale). He was raised in a large family, “He was the only son and the third of four children of Olive (Hamilton) Steinbeck, a school teacher and John Ernst Steinbeck, manager and eventually owner of the Sperry Flour Mill, later treasurer of Monterey County” (Bernhard). His family was wealthy and down to earth allowing young Steinbeck an easy childhood, leaving a lasting impression in his literature. “The Salinas Valley, the rugged hills surrounding it, and the coastal flats bordering Monterey Bay … later became the backdrop for much of his fiction” (Bernhard). Both of Steinbeck’s parents actively stimulated his literature, but “Olive (Hamilton) Steinbeck … fostered Steinbeck’s love of...
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...H. Tharp The Unspoken Truth about John Steinbeck’s Legacy in Monterey County John Ernst Jr. Steinbeck is one of the most respected and honored American writers among our society today. In many classrooms around the world, his books are still mandated as reading requirements and there are many museums and centers dedicated to this esteemed author. John Steinbeck has won numerous awards for his books, most notably the Pulitzer Prize for his fictional novel, The Grapes of Wrath in 1940, and the Nobel Prize in literature in 1962 based on his entire body of work. Steinbeck’s other awards, which are typically less known are included in the following chart: WORK | YEAR | AWARD | MEDIUM | “The Murder” | 1934 | O. Henry Award | Print | Tortilla Flat | 1935 | Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal for Best Novel by a Californian | Print | In Dubious Battle | 1936 | Ibid | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1938 | N.Y Drama Critic’s Circle Award | Play | “The Promise” | 1938 | O. Henry Award | Print | Of Mice and Men | 1939 | American Bookseller’s Award | Print | LifeBoat | 1944 | Academy Award nominee for Best Story | Print | A Medal for Benny | 1945 | Ibid | Print | The Moon is Down | 1946 | King Haakon Liberty Cross | Print | Viva Zapata! | 1952 | Academy Award nominee for Best Original Screenplay | Play | N/A | 1963 | Honorary Consultant in American Literature to the Library of Congress | N/A | N/A | 1964 | U.S Medal of Freedom; Press Medal of Freedom | N/A...
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...“The Red Pony” by John Steinbeck – Critical Analysis John Steinbeck an American writer was born in the year 1902 and died in the year 1968.During his time, Steinbeck was one of the most accomplished writers and his literary works received massive popularity. Most of his novels and short stories were performed as plays on stage and that is one reason why he was among the best sellers during his era. One of his great accomplishments for his involvement in literature was the Literature Nobel Prize he won in 1962. Steinbeck wrote a total of twenty seven books and some of his most common books include; “The grapes of Wrath” written in 1939, the 1952 “East of Eden, The 1937 short novel “Mice and men” (John, pg 23). John Steinbeck spent much of his early life in a rural part of America and worked on various ranches with migrants ‘on spreckler ranch and other nearby ranches during his summers. He attended Salinas high school and later joined Stanford University, although he never graduated. He did various odd jobs before beginning his career as a writer. Steinbeck wrote his first novel Cup of Gold which was published in 1929.Other books he wrote were; the pastures of heaven (1932), The Red Pony (1933), Tortilla Flat (1935), The Grapes of Wrath (1939), and many others. During his career, Stein beck was involved in various issues and correspondence. Most of his literary works revolved around his life as well as the issues that affected people then (John, pg 56). One of the issues he wrote...
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...in order to better themselves. John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, embarks on a journey to discover who he is again. In the novels, the men take on different aspects of America...
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...the Working Class: John Steinbeck and His Mark on Literature Writing has left influence on millions. Books have transformed lives, given purpose and happiness to those who have read them: literature is one of the most important things to a society, as it not only allows its readers to grow intellectually, but also creatively. John Steinbeck was once just a nine year old with Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory, who then went on to be someone considered one of the best writers of his time. Steinbeck has been held up next to authors like Edgar Allen Poe, and his writing is taught in most, if not every, high schools in America. Very few people are born famous and even less are born skilled in their field. Steinbeck was born in Salinas,...
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...John Steinbeck’s novel “East of Eden” not only depicts the story of Cain and Abel, good versus evil and free choice as well as a narrative of Steinbeck’s own life, it also gives the reader an insightful look into the perils and consequences of unrequited love. This is demonstrated in several characters in the book. Of these, the relationship between Adam and Cathy most prominently displays the perils of unrequited love. John Steinbeck’s defines love most eloquently in “East of Eden”. Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man. It happens to nearly everyone. You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite. It is a feeling in the stomach, a delight of the nerves, of the forearms. The skin tastes the air, and...
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...John Steinbeck Research Paper: Final Draft John Steinbeck is regarded as the “quintessential American writer.” He created many works of literature that “evoke life in the 20th century with compassion and lyrical precision” (Li). John Steinbeck’s most popular works such as Of Mice and Men (1937) and The Grapes of Wrath (1939) explore the darker side of life in America for farm laborers. Though these works were considered highly controversial, they gained him major recognition. Of Mice and Men was adapted as a play in 1938 and was declared the best play by New York Drama Critics’ Circle. He went on to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1940 for The Grapes of Wrath. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature (Schultz & Li). As a child and youth, Steinbeck spent a lot of time working on farms and interacting with other migrant workers. His experiences with migrant farm workers created the foundation for Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27th 1902 in Salinas California to John Ernst Steinbeck Sr. and Olivia Hamilton Steinbeck. Steinbeck Sr. managed a flour mill, and his mother Olivia was a teacher in a school, thus securing the family a middle class income (Bender). His mother Olivia looked to “mold him into a man of broad intellectual capacity” (Kiernan). She read him several books as a child and, by the age of five, he could read. In school he was teased for “his large ears…so he withdrew into books.” His...
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...Authors Paragraph Of Mice and Men was published in the year of 1937. At the time of this novel being published John Steinbeck was living in Pacific Grove, California with his newly wedded wife, Carol Henning. During this time Mr. Steinbeck was considered a freelance writer and also was a caretaker in Lake Tahoe. Steinbeck’s intentions for writing this novel was to describe and help us get a feeling of life during the Great Depression, along with the struggles they faced with decision making. Of Mice and Men was intended for simply Americans that were caught up in the Great Depression Era but as time went by, it transformed into a book for teens and adults. John Steinbeck is very familiar with the subject of the Great Depression because he was alive during it and was able to recapture the struggles during the Great Depression. Literary Perspective...
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...Explore Steinbeck's portrayal of Curley's Wife in Of Mice and Men. John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr, was born on February 26th, 1902, Salinas, California, United States. He decided while in high school he wanted to be a writer. Steinbeck studied at Stanford University intermittently between 1920 and 1926 where he majored in English. He married on the 28th December 1950 to his third and last wife, Elaine Anderson Scott. During his lifetime he wrote twenty-seven books, including five collections of short stories, six non-fiction books and sixteen novellas. One of his most successful novellas is ‘Of Mice and Men’ which I am going to explore and analyse. Steinbeck uses Curley’s wife as a symbol to portray and demonstrate male dominance and portray female oppression in the 1930’s USA. He also shows the futility of the American dream throughout the novella. Steinbeck portrays the nameless wife throughout the novella as Curley’s wife, as that ‘title’ shows the apostrophe of possession. Curley’s Wife is not a person of her own but merely a possession. We are not informed the name of Curley’s Wife. Steinbeck never informs us about her at all during the course of the novella, she remains much of a questionable character. Steinbeck's way of showing us this is that she is always asking questions, she never gives any solid information about herself. This gives way to excessive mystery and many different observations about her. Symbolism is used by Steinbeck when he refers to Curley’s...
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...Henry David Thoreau was extremely opposed to the Mexican War and refused to pay taxes by means of protesting slavery. He addresses his experiences and views on civil disobedience, which were also revisited almost a century later in John Steinbeck’s account of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, The Grapes of Wrath. This novel reflects Thoreau’s ideas about civil disobedience such as, less government involvement is better, people should make their own laws, and they should work together to fight injustice. One of Thoreau’s principle beliefs is that the less government is involved in community affairs, the better. He is in complete agreement with the claim that “government is best which governs least… [or] which governs not at all” (Thoreau...
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...John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas, California, a region that became the setting for much of his fiction, including Of Mice and Men. As a teenager, he spent his summers working as a hired hand on neighboring ranches, where his experiences of rural California and its people impressed him deeply. In 1919, he enrolled at Stanford University, where he studied intermittently for the next six years before finally leaving without having earned a degree. For the next five years, he worked as a reporter and then as caretaker for a Lake Tahoe estate while he completed his first novel, an adventure story called Cup of Gold, which was published in 1929. Critical and commercial success did not come for another six years, when Tortilla Flat was published in 1935, at which point Steinbeck was finally able to support himself entirely with his writing. In his acceptance speech for the 1962 Nobel Prize in literature, Steinbeck said: . . . the writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature. Steinbeck’s best-known works deal intimately with the plight of desperately poor California wanderers, who, despite the cruelty of their circumstances...
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...A Dreams Depression John Steinbeck is a famous American author, best known for his book Of Mice and Men. On February 27th, 1902, John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was born in Salinas, California. As a teenager, fourteen years old, he decided to start writing stories and poems. Steinbeck enrolled into Stanford University in 1919. In 1925 he dropped out because he had no passion for school. Cup of Gold, was Steinbeck’s first official novel to be published. On October 1929, only two months after the publication, the U.S. stock market crashed, igniting the Great Depression. Steinbeck met his first wife, Carol Henning, around the same time he wrote his first novel. They then moved into a small cottage in Pacific Grove, California, where he completed much...
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...of harsh truths, John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men casts humanity in an unfavorable light. These include loneliness, oppression, and imperfection. The grim realities of the hardworking characters are revealed through their actions to rise above challenges and in the end their defeats These truths are all used to build the complex main theme of friendship and the effect it can have on an individual's life. Of Mice and Men exposes the validity,loneliness, of people during the Great Depression. For instance Curly’s wife seeks attention ,positive or negative, from anyone on the ranch because of her isolation being the only woman present. When confronted with her isolation she says,“Wha’s the matter with me?Ain’t I got...
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...Eric Burdon, an influential songwriter involved in the band “The Animals” once proclaimed: “‘Inside each of us, there is the seed of both good and evil: It's a constant struggle as to which one will win, and one cannot exist without the other”’ (Burdon). Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, in one of his most ambitious novels, East of Eden, explores this concept through the lives and decisions of regular people in a poor town setting during the 20th century. While many of Steinbeck’s characters fit the criteria of purely evil or purely good, one character that is neither purely good nor purely evil plays a pivotal role. Caleb Trask, the son of Adam Trask, is morally ambiguous through his possession of both good and evil, and because of his moral...
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...to kill Stella Young once said, “The killing of a disabled person is not compassionate. It is not euthanasia. It is murder.” In John Steinbeck’s book Of Mice and Men, there are many reasons to believe that killing is wrong. Lennie, one of the main characters, is a large man, but would be considered mentally handicapped and he loves soft things. When Curley’s wife and him are in the barn alone, he grabs ahold of her hair and she tries to pull away, but his grip on her hair was too strong for her to pull away from, she screams in terror. When she cries out, Lennie slaps his hand over her mouth in hope that nobody would hear her. As she continues to struggle under his firm grasp, Lennie continues to tighten his grip on her hair...
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