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John Steinbeck, 1902-1968By Jessica GuyStudent, University of North Carolina at Pembroke John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California and spent most of his early years in Monterey County. Steinbeck’s knowledge and love of the natural world and diverse cultures developed as he grew up in this area. His family was quite poor, but owned a great deal of land. Much of the material for his fiction comes from his experiences and life in Salinas Valley. It was during his youth that Steinbeck came up with the belief that he shared the same spirit and destiny with all living things, and there is a oneness of man with men and men with nature (Unger 50). This belief of Steinbeck’s is revealed in much of his works. Steinbeck wrote his novels about everyday, ordinary people. His best books are about simple men and women who fight against dehumanizing forces in society and struggle against their own inhumane tendencies (Martine 44). Sometimes they are successful in making their lives meaningful and worthwhile, but sometimes they fail. In one of Steinbeck's most famous works, Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie have a dream of one day owning a little farm where they can have lots of rabbits and just the two of them will live their. But they never really achieve their goal, as this story ends in tragedy when George must shoot Lennie in order to save him from humiliation and torture. Steinbeck’s thematic revelation is centered on the contrasting ways of life such as: innocence and experiences, primitivism and progress, and self-interest and commitment to the human community (Martine 44). These contrasts can be identified throughout Steinbeck's novel. Much of John Steinbeck's writing is characterized by the fact that most of the content of his stories comes from his own life. Of Mice and Men was written during the most creative decade of Steinbeck's career. According to Jackson J. Benson, the author of The Short Stories of John Steinbeck, it was during this time that Steinbeck became concerned with the social and economic problems of California (39). He published three consecutive novels about farm workers. The background for Of Mice and Men came from his own early years in Salinas Valley. One theme in this story is that man kills everything he loves, which is evident in the story when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife and when George has to kill Lennie before Curley does. In this story, Steinbeck offers a statement of his belief in the importance of an acceptance of responsibility (As his friend, George feels it is his responsibility to kill Lennie before Curley makes him suffer). This demonstrates to the reader that man owes something to his fellow human beings (Unger 57). Steinbeck reveals this belief in another of his novels, Sweet Thursday, as he states, “Men seem to be born with a debt they can never pay no matter how hard they try. It piles up ahead of them." The American Writers, A Collection of Literary Biographies explains that "man owes something to man. If he ignores the debt it poisons him, and if he tries to make payments the debt only increases, and the quality of his gift is the measure of the man” (50). All of Steinbeck’s novels, plays and short stories represent efforts to repay his debt to man and all celebrate the worth of man. Moving to another aspect of Steinbeck's writing, it was one thing to be able to improvise when informing someone of an event, but quite amazing to build a solid narrative out of such materials. In Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, he demonstrates that he was a master of this technique (Unger 53). Instead of one main character, there is a family (the Joads) in this novel who leave their home in Oklahoma. They are in search of a new home that will give them a stable way of life as tenant farmers and enable them to achieve dignity. The encounters the Joads have on their way are not just random adventures but the meaningful events of an energetic struggle for survival (Unger 54). Leonard Unger explains that every incident in this series of events is “precisely, dramatically defined; each is articulated into the next; the mass of happenings is formed into a climax; the climaxes gain power until the significance of the group adventure is impressively clear” (54). So although these events may seem quite random, Steinbeck has a method of putting them together in an effective way. Also, to amplify the meaning of this story Steinbeck uses a certain literary device. He frequently interrupts the flow of the narrative in order to introduce chapters of commentary and generalization (Unger 54). This is similar to the intervention of the chorus in a Greek play. These frequent passages contain parables dealing with the problems of survival and the details of the economic system in which the Joads find themselves. Although abstract, these discussions maintain the tone of drama and parallel the points of the story itself (Unger 55). I find this technique very helpful as a reader when trying to follow along in a story and when trying to make connections between different events that are going on. There are many characteristics of Steinbeck's works that make him such a great writer, but there is one that stands out above the rest, and that is his belief that the “tragic miracle of consciousness” is both man's greatest burden and glory. James J. Martine says in his Dictionary of Literary Biography, that the way in which this burden and glory is exposed in Steinbeck's writings is the source of his greatest strength as a writer. It reveals the feeling and passion in his fiction (44). Because Steinbeck’s creations seem to “leap over various lines on a printed page into an existence of their own,” he must be seen as not only a successful narrator, but as a reflection of the quality of American life during his time (Unger 59). For example, in Of Mice an Men, Steinbeck makes his readers feel what Lennie Small is going through and allows him to seem so real. I can just picture in my mind Lennie's physical and mental conditions and the friendship he has with George. This mental picture along with Steinbeck's writing style made me develop feelings for the characters. While reading this book, I felt very sorry for Lennie and George as they struggled to find work and discussed their almost impossible dream of owning a farm. Steinbeck has a way of getting the readers emotions involved. I find that a writer is most effective in grasping and maintaining my attention when they make me develop feelings for the characters in the story. That is one of the main reasons Of Mice and Men is probably my favorite book. Steinbeck’s works suggest over and over that the story of humankind
is a continuous one, full of passions that remain unfamiliar to us.
It is a sense of the past made present that universalizes the tone of his
best books. Old ambitions that are transformed into obligations by
our restatement of them and old dangers that surround us are elements that
dramatize Steinbeck’s stories and give them distinction (Unger 71).
It is this distinction along with the feeling and passion demonstrated
in John Steinbeck’s works that have persuaded people to see him as a great
writer.
BibliographyBenson, Jackson J. The Short Novels of John Steinbeck. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1990.Jackson J. Benson is a professor of English at San Diego State University which leads me to believe his critical analysis of Steinbeck's works is credible. This book contains valuable interpretations and commentary on the works of this well-known author. Not only does it include Benson's analysis, but also the comments of many other professors, which provides a diverse taste of opinions on Steinbeck's writings.Martine, James J. Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol. 9. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1981. The Dictionary of Literary Biography is a great source for introductory information on authors of various backgrounds and styles. Not only does it have information on American novelists, but also on British authors, American poets and much more. Although it is almost twenty years old, the facts found in these volumes has not changed, and it is a credible source as it has been published by the Gale Research Company.National Steinbeck Center. Ed. Joseph W. Pastori. January 2000 <http://www.steinbeck.org/index2.html> This site contains a vast amount of information on John Steinbeck and provides many links where more information can be found. The Center itself had its grand opening in 1998 so all of the facts on the famous author are accurate and up-to-date. And since the information on this site comes from a nationally oriented association I would consider it as definitely credible.
This multi-volume source contains a great deal of information on many famous American authors, including a taste of their life stories as well as some comments on the various themes they use. Although twenty-six years old, this source still contains important information about the authors and their works, which really have not and probably will not change in the near future.Click here to see pictures of Steinbeck's homes Study Questions "Of Mice and Men"
1. Describe the relationship between George and Lennie.
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Major Works
Careers
FamilyFather: John Ernst Steinbeck, county treasurerMother: Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, teacher Siblings: three sisters, Elizabeth Ainsworth, Esther Rogers, Mary Dekker First wife: Carol Henning Steinbeck Brown Second wife: Gwyndolyn Conger Steinbeck Third wife: Elaine Anderson Scott Steinbeck Sons: Thomas Steinbeck, John Steinbeck IV Homes
Chronology1902: Born in Salinas, California1919: Graduated from Salinas HS 1919-1925: Attended Stanford University 1925: Went to New York City, but could not find a publisher 1925: Returned to California 1929: Published his first novel Cup of Gold 1932: Married Carol Henning and moved to Pacific Grove, CA 1935: First popular success, novel Tortilla Flat published 1936: Of Mice and Men was produced as a novel and then a play 1939: The Grapes of Wrath, his greatest critical success was published 1942: Divorced Carol 1943: Marries singer Gwyndolyn Conger 1943: Becomes a war correspondent in Europe for the New York Herald Tribune 1944: Birth of his first son, Thomas 1945: Publication of novel Cannery Row 1946: Birth of second son, John IV 1948: Divorced Gwyn 1950: Marries third wife, Elaine Anderson Scott 1955: Purchases summer home in Sag Harbor, NY 1960: Tours the U.S. with his poodle, Charley 1963: Travels to Scandinavia, Easter Europe and Russia on U.S. Information Agency cultural tour 1968: Dies of arteriosclerosis in NY 1969: Ashes were buried in Garden of Memories Cemetery 1975: Steinbeck: A Life of Letters, edited by Elaine Steinbeck was published Awards and Honors
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