John Steinbeck Essay

1105 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: analysis of john steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck was born in 1902 in Salinas valley, California. Steinbeck was one of four kids and only boy. He attended Stanford University where he majored in English, but never got a degree. He married three times, the last being Elaine Scott in 1950 but only lasted until his death in 1968. He had two boys named Thomas and John Steinbeck. Using his passions within himself, Steinbeck’s writing strove to make meaning out of the hardships he has seen and been through. February 27th, 1902, Steinbeck was born. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, he worked a variety of different jobs, such as a store clerk, surveyor and ranch hand to pay for his college education. The reason Steinbeck enrolled to Stanford was to please his parents; to please himself he only signed up for classes that interested him; such as classical and British literature [Dr. Susan Shillinglaw]. Steinbeck’s passion was writing, not only during his Stanford life but throughout his whole life. The President of the English Club said that Steinbeck, who went to meetings regularly, asked Steinbeck to read his stories out loud. In the 1920’s Steinbeck developed a “biological” view of human nature because he took literature and biology, a perspective that highly influenced his fiction. From 1919 to 1925, Steinbeck left Stanford without getting a degree, Steinbeck dropped in and out of the University, sometimes to work with migrants on California ranches. After leaving Stanford, Steinbeck tried construction work and newspaper reporting in New York City, and then returned to his home state. In the late 1920’s, during a three year stint as a caretaker for Lake Tahoe estate, he wrote many drafts of his first novel, Cup of Gold (1929) about the pirate Hen... ... middle of paper ... ...al concerns evident in his novels. Using his passions within himself, Steinbeck’s writing strove to make meaning out of the hardships he has seen. Steinbeck’s “biological” view towards humanity influenced his writing of fiction. Many of his fiction writings have been influenced by what Steinbeck has been through in life. Through all the hardships and struggles in his life helped him create his stories, such as The Pastures of Heaven and The Pearl. Although his stories are associated with American life, his reputation started to decline after World War Two, but that did not stop him. Steinbeck’s stories were his life and he could not give up and he did not, because of the passion he had for writing. Using his passions within himself, Steinbeck strove to make greatness out of the hardships he has been through, thus creating inspiring stories.

Show More
Related

  • Loyalty and Sacrifice in John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men

    556 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in California's Salinas Valley, a region that would eventually serve as the setting for Of Mice and Men, as well as many of his other works. He studied literature and writing at Stanford University. He then moved to New York City and worked as a laborer and journalist for five years, until he completed his first novel in 1929, Cup of Gold. With the publication of Tortilla Flat in 1935, Steinbeck achieved fame and became a popular author.  He wrote many novels about the California laboring class.  Two of his more famous novels included Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.  Steinbeck got the title for Of Mice and Men from a line of Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, “The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry."  In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes the theme of loyalty and sacrifice between friends.  Steinbeck illustrates the loyalty and sacrifice between friends through the friendship of Lennie and George.

    Read More

  • Parallels Between The Grapes of Wrath and the Life of John Steinbeck

    2935 Words  | 6 Pages

    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...

    Read More

  • What Caused The Dust Bowl Dbq

    588 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Steinbeck Figurative Language

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Steinbeck’s use of figurative language and local color in Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday and Of Mice and Men show his growth as a writer and highlight the reoccurring theme of loneliness and ostracism. The time gap in between these books show that Steinbeck grows as he experiences more throughout his life. Steinbeck’s novels are always set in California due to his extensive knowledge of the area since he has lived in the area his entire life. In all of his works the characters use parts of speech and actions that are customary to that area.

    Read More

  • John Steinbeck Outline

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    I. John Steinbeck used his personal experiences as a laborer to write many of his novels like Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.

    Read More

  • How Did John Steinbeck Influence East Of Eden

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. Even when he was growing up, he had a passion and love for writing. Once he entered high school, he would stay up all night just to write. He would even invite friends to listen to his readings. Researchers have found out that Steinbeck would often sent short stories or pieces of his works to magazine companies under a fake name and add no address. At age fourteen, he knew he wanted to be a writer. After he graduated from Salinas High School, he went to Stanford to study marine biology. Steinbeck attended Stanford for six nonconsecutive years, then he dropped out, in 1925, without any degree. Had decided to travel to New York and worked many odd low paying jobs. Steinbeck started out as a reporter but was fired, then became an apprentice for painting, a surveyor, then finally a fruit picker. It wasn’t until

    Read More

  • John Steinbeck's View Of The World

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck's view of the world, expressed through his novels, was set within an ecological framework. His childhood environments played a role in the creation of this view, and his subsequent exposure to marine biology contributed to and elaborated upon it. This led to his ability to view organisms in an environment as symbiotic relationships within a whole-a superorganism.

    Read More

  • East of Eden, by John Steinbeck

    1553 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...erstanding of Steinbeck as a man and as one of the most insightful authors of American Literature.

    Read More

  • Of Mice and Men is one of John Steinbeck

    1764 Words  | 4 Pages

    Gray, James. John Steinbeck American Writers: A collection of Literary biographies. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. 1961. 49-72. 4-11-2014

    Read More

  • Journey Of John Steinbeck's Life

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    "My country is different from the rest of the world. It seems to be one of those pregnant places from which come wonders...I was born to it and my father was. Our bodies come from this soil-our bones come…from the limestone of our mountains and our blood is distilled from the juices of this Earth. I tell you now that my country is hundred miles long and about fifty wide; is unique in the world" (Steinbeck 1933: 17). He spent his early childhood in California and truly, he never left his place as he wrote about it in most of his work. He was a keen observer but often mischievous. In Salinas Valley, he had the most blissful growing up years with his two elder sisters, Beth and Esther. His younger sister, Mary loved him to the extent of adoration. His family was never wealthy but they were reputed citizens of the small town with a population of 3,000 people. His parents often engaged themselves in the community activities. When his father was a treasurer and then his mother, Mrs. Olive Steinbeck was a member of 'the Order of the Eastern Star' club and founder of 'The Wanderers', women's club. Mrs. Olive had to travel vicariously for her social works. In this way, the elder Steinbecks established their identities by spreading roots deep in the

    Read More

  • Steinbeck's Red Chrysanthemums East of Eden's Grapes

    1847 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Work of John Steinbeck

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    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])

    Read More

  • Power In John Steinbeck's The Grapes Of Wrath

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    Steinbeck has become one of my favorite writers -- for the love he has for his characters, the loveliness of his language, and the clear-eyed conviction with which he writes. Originally, I failed to see the beauty in Steinbeck's people, though it is plainly there. Perhaps I hadn't seen enough of the world myself, yet. There was a lot I didn't understand about people.

    Read More

  • Parrallels in the Life of John Steinbeck and the Characters in his Works

    2511 Words  | 6 Pages

    John Steinbeck was perhaps the best author of all time. He was the winner of a Nobel Prize, and among other accomplishments, Steinbeck published nineteen novels and made many movies during his lifetime. All of his experience and knowledge are shown through his novels. A reader can tell, just in reading a novel by Steinbeck, that he had been through a lot throughout his life. Also, Steinbeck worked very hard to accomplish everything that he did during his lifetime. Nothing came very easily to him, and he had to earn everything he owned. This helped him in his writing, because he was able to write about real people and real experiences. John Steinbeck got his inspiration from life experiences, people he knew, and places he had gone.

    Read More

  • East Of Eden

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about John Steinbeck Essay

Open Document