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outline of john steinbeck biography
outline of john steinbeck biography
outline of john steinbeck biography
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Every great writer creates powerful images and presents story lines that draw their readers deep into the pages of their books, however; any writer would be hard pressed to do so without incorporating their own feelings, trials and tribulations into the plots and John Steinbeck is no exception. Through his appreciation for adventure and willingness to indulge in it, Steinbeck found a myriad of fascinating people in addition to experiences that he was eager to share. Past various negative criticisms and frequent rejections of his work, he manages to provide relatable characters capable of deep connections to those who enter into the realms of his tales. John Steinbeck's early life experiences influenced his portrayals of women, his love of the land, and his intimate connection to the plight of lower social classes, themes which translate into his work. Initially insecure from teasing in his youth, Steinbeck's delayed sexual progression produced a need for female validation; a theme which presented itself as the characterization of women as sexual objects, particularly prostitutes, in his narratives. Jay Parini, author of "John Steinbeck: A Biography", points out that Steinbeck endured nicknames such as little squirrel, muskrat and mouse from his own family relating to his physical features, which created in him a great propensity for shyness. Physical maturity that lagged behind his schoolmates added to his isolation from his peers, especially women (Parini 17). His friend George Mors disclosed that Steinbeck "spent much of his time with a stack of pulp novels and girlie magazines" demonstrating his desire for sexual stimulation yet insufficient resolve to seek it out (Parini 26). Steinbeck overcame his apprehension after happ... ... middle of paper ... ...ings of the people he met along his way. While some of his works have been praised for their greatness and other discarded as junk, Steinbeck satisfied his need to write and in doing so shared some fantastic stories with the world. Works Cited Parini, Jay. John Steinbeck. New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1995. 9,12,13,17,25,26,38. Print. Beyond Boundries. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 2002. 15,57,74. Print. John Steinbeck . Chelsea House Publishers, a division of Main Line Book Co., 1987. 92. Print. Readings on John Steinbeck. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1996. 15. Print. Moss, Joyce, and George Wilson. Overview: The Red Pony (1997): n.pag. Library Resource. Web. 9 May 2012. Shillinglaw, Susan. "The Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck Studies." John Steinbeck, American Writer n.pag. Web. 9 May 2012.
Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath, The Moon is Down, Cannery Row, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men. New York: Heinemann/Octopus, 1979. pp.475 - 896.
John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California. He had a pretty average childhood with a supportive family and a decent education. While growing up his mother, Olive Hamilton, was a major factor in his education, since she was a schoolteacher and made it her duty to educate him. His mother most likely was the reason he developed a love of reading and literature and ended up going to Stanford. In his child there were only two major events that affected his writing. These were when he worked on a ranch with migrant workers, and when his father’s business failed and the family was temporarily thrust into poverty. These two events most likely sparked his interest in the poor lives of the migrant workers. His experiences on the ranch taught him about the harsh and impoverished lives of the migrant workers and his experience of being in poverty enabled him to understand what life is like when one is poor, as the migrant workers were. This understanding inspired some of his most famous writings such as: Of Mice and Men, In Dubious Battle and The Grapes of Wrath. These experiences also allowed him to add a sense of realism to the stories. After graduating from his public high school in 1919 Steinbeck went to Stanford. He went there for 5 years before dropping out without a degree and moving to New York. The following years were highly tumultuous for Steinbeck and he held many odd jobs while trying to get his writing published. In 1935 he finally got his first big break when his critically acclaimed novel, Tortilla Flats, was published. After this he became quite successful and well known although the skill in his writing seems to fall after WWII. After researching his life I decided to focus on using his most famous n...
Bloom, Harold. John Steinbeck's Of mice and men. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1996. Print.
9. John Steinbeck was a wither since he was in high school, he wrote stories for magazines using a false name. At school he wrote for the newspaper. John Steinbeck, as a child, was hired to work at ranches in the Salinas Valley. He writes about his home in the Valley and about the migrant workers which was in his
Steinbeck’s personal life affects the themes of his writing significantly. In 1934 and 1935 Steinbeck lost both his mother and father, which made him view the world in a much darker outlook. Then in 1937, Of Mice and Men was published which revealed his negative outlook by ultimately having George kill Lennie in the end, proving that the loneliness would overwhelm George much like the loneliness that Steinbeck was dealing with in his personal life. In 1945 an unhappy Steinbeck, who supposedly had everything he could have ever wanted, moved out of his dream house in Monterey and never returned there again. That same year Cannery Row was published which also portrays a feeling of loneliness through Doc. Steinbeck’s writing suffered after the lose of his close friend Ed Ricketts in 1948, which effected his writing of Sweet Thursday because Ricketts was the model for the main character Doc. Steinbeck’s theme of loneliness continued in this novel. In the beginning of Sweet Thursday Mack is lonely because everyone has went off to war except for himself. Then Suzy shows up in town with not a single family member or friend. Also Joe Elegant is isolated because he is “different” from Mack and the bo...
"The Chrysanthemums", one of John Steinbeck's masterpieces, describes a lonely farmer's wife, Elisa Allen. Elisa Allen's physical appearance is very mannish yet still allows a hint of a feminine side to peek through. John Steinbeck brings symbolism into play to represent Elisa Allen's frustrations and hidden passions. Isolation is another representation through symbolism found in "The Chrysanthemums." Elisa's failing detached marriage is represented through two symbols. The two reoccurring symbols are the chrysanthemums and fences. John Steinbeck draws pity from the reader for Elisa Allen who desperately wishes to experience the passions of a fulfilling marriage and the stimulation of a man's life. Through symbolism in "The Chrysanthemums," John Steinbeck creates a sexually repressed and discouraged Elisa Allen who is isolated from society however still retaining their values and is also trapped in a fruitless marriage.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.
John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" shows the true feelings of the main character, Elisa Allen, through the use of setting and her interactions with other characters in the story. By way of vivid descriptions, Elisa's feelings of dissatisfaction over the lack of excitement in her life are portrayed. Her role as a mere housewife and then the subsequent change to feelings of a self-assured woman are clearly seen. These inner feelings are most apparent with the portrayal of Elisa working in the garden with the chrysanthemums, the conversation she has with the man passing through, and finally, when she and her husband are going out to dinner.
In the short story “The Chrysanthemums” John Steinbeck uses symbolism to reflect the characteristics of his main character Elisa Allen. Elisa, a married woman uncovers her deeply smothered femininity in an inconspicuous sense. Her life in the valley had become limited to housewife duties and the only sustenance that seemed to exist could merely be found in her chrysanthemum garden. Not until she becomes encountered with a remote tinker-man out and about seeking for work, does she begin to reach many of the internal emotions that had long inhibited her femininity. The tinker subtlety engages an interest in Elisa’s chrysanthemum garden that encourages Elisa to react radically. When Elisa realizes that there are other ways to live she attempts to lift the lid off of the Salinas Valley, but unfortunately the tinker’s insincere actions resort Elisa back to her old self and leaves Elisa without any optimism for her hollow breakthrough. Steinbeck’s somber details of the setting, strong description of the chrysanthemums and meaningful illustration of the red flower-pot reveal the distant, natural, ambitions Elisa Allen desired to attain.
His works were focused on several different themes; such as the nature of dreams, the nature of loneliness, man 's propensity for cruelty, powerlessness and economic injustices, and the uncertainty of the future. John Steinbeck’s work is characterized by symbolism and allegory, which can be seen in several of his novels. He was an excellent character based author of the twentieth century and his use of literary devices and techniques make him relevant in modern literature. He made an important impact on society and American literature overall, as well as being the recipient of a Nobel Prize. Through analysis of his literature, many can begin to see the true beauty of each of his distinct works. This versatile writer’s compositions comprise twenty-seven works, including sixteen novels, six non-fiction books, and five collections of short stories. Several of Steinbeck’s works ended up being huge hits in the literary community, including the comic novels Tortilla Flat and Cannery Row, the multi-generation epic East of Eden, and the novellas Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck gives a sense of perspective to the world he was living in at the
John Steinbeck was a major literary figure in the 20th century and continues to be widely read in the twenty-first century. Steinbeck was born on February 27,1902 (About John Steinbeck) in the Salinas Valley of California. (Laskov) "His father, John Steinbeck, Sr. was the County Treasurer and his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, was a former school teacher. As a youth, he worked as a ranch hand and fruit picker. (John Steinbeck [2])". "He attended the local high school and studied marine biology at Stanford University between 1920 and 1926, but did not take a degree" (John Steinbeck [1]). Steinbeck's fascination with science and biology is evident in most of his works such as in this quote from the Grapes of Wrath: "Man, unlike any other thing organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up in the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments." (Steinbeck 165) As Steinbeck began his writing career, he took many other jobs to support himself. For a short time, he worked at the American in New York City, and then returned to California where he worked various jobs such as a painter and fruit-picker before taking a job as a caretaker for a Lake Tahoe Estate. (John Steinbeck [1]) His job as a caretaker allowed him time to write and by the time he left the job in 1930 he had already published his first book, Cup of Gold (1929) and married his first wife Carol Henning (John Steinbeck [2]). After his marriage he moved to Pacific Grove, California where, in the early 1930s, Steinbeck met Edward Ricketts, a marine biologist, whose views on the interdependence of all life deeply influenced Steinbeck's novel To a God Unknown (1933). (John Steinbeck [2])
"A symbol is an act, person, thing, or spectacle that stands for something else, by association a usually broader idea in addition to its own literal meaning" (Cassill & Bausch, 1728). John Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" may seem as a story describing a simple day with the Allen couple. It begins with Elisa Allen working in her garden and her husband, Henry Allen, negotiating with two suited business men that want to purchase steers. They seem to engage in conversations and go about their day as they normally would do. By the time the story ends, they are on their way to dinner and a movie. At first glance, this story may seem as nothing special, just a day in the life of fairly happy couple attempting to enjoy their marriage. However, there is much more under the surface of what is written. The story has a relative amount of symbols which gives light on other details of the story. It is not until after looking at deeper meanings of some of the symbols that there can be a more comprehensive reading of the tale. If one takes a good look, one can notice that Henry is an uncommunicative husband, and Elisa craves for more from the relationship, and her life. The lack of passion between Elisa and her husband leads her to use her flowers, the chrysanthemums, and other household tasks as an outlet for the attention that she longs for. Elisa, like many other women, is limited by society's view on women's position in the home.
Steinbeck went through many trials throughout his lifetime (French). He went through a lot of phases in his life that were not easy to deal with (French). Although not all of his life experiences were good, they all helped him to improve his writing. This is comparable to the saying "Whatever does not kill you, makes you stronger." This is the case with Steinbeck, because all of his experiences made him stronger, not only in his life, but in his writing. Several things that improved his writing through life experiences were, when he was a ranch hand, when he was a marine biologist, and when he wrote war transcripts during World War Two. These examples were all used in Steinbeck's writing, thus proving that Steinbeck used his life experiences in his works.
Shillinglaw, Susan. "Introduction: Understanding Steinbeck's Discontent." Center for Steinbeck Studies. San Jose State University, 28 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 May 2014.
Some of the most aspiring and influential authors show to be American novelists. American novelists brought about a new style of writing, which became very popular. John Steinbeck shows this style of writing in his novel, East of Eden. This makes Steinbeck one of the most significant American novelists in the twentieth century. East of Eden contains many parts, which add detail and interest to the novel. Many of Steinbeck’s novels and other works remain and continue to be nationally acclaimed. Many elements exist in East of Eden that bring about the meaning and concept of the novel. The study of John Steinbeck and his book, East of Eden, will help the reader better understand the element of fiction and interpret the meaning of the work.