John Steinbeck Essay

fanny Steinbeck is simply one of Americas finest storytellers. He is an accomplished former and a Nobel Laureate in Literature. However, his road to advantage was not easy. His earlier novels failed to attract attention, and it took m each years before he got the recognition he deserved. Like most writers, his experiences and his homet confess were crucial in the public of his stories. Thus, Steinbecks works were greatly influenced by his life and the environment in which he lived. bum Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California (National Steinbeck cracker NSC, n. d. ).His parents were John Steinbeck, Sr., and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. His father was a County Treasurer and his mother was a school teacher (NSC, n. d. ). It was his mother who was responsible for his love of reading and composing (John Steinbeck, 2003). His positron emission tomography books included Le Morte d Arthur by Sir doubting Thomas Malory, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevs ky and Paradise Lost by John Milton (John Steinbeck, 2003). He usually spent his summer vacations working on ranches and farms (NSC, n. d. ). It is from this experience where he derived his knowledge of the countryside and its people, which he later used in his stories (NSC, n.d. ).Steinbeck graduated from Salinas High School in 1919 (NSC, n. d. ), and proceeded to study marine biology in Stanford University (John Steinbeck, 2003). To pay for his education, he took many jobs, which led him to bunk several quarters of school (John Steinbeck, 2003). He was already a writer in college, with several poems and absolutely stories included in university publications as proof (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1925, Steinbeck left Stanford University and proceeded to New York to start his penning career (NSC, n. d. ).He began his paternity career in New York as a reporter for American (John Steinbeck, 2003). Despite this brief make-up stint, Steinbeck was still unwinnerful in terms of metaph or. He failed to publish any of his written works, forcing him to result to California (NSC, n. d. ). He was still a writer, merely he excessively had other jobs as well. His jobs included fruit picking, painting, surveying, cosmos an estate caretaker and a house watchman (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1929, cup of Gold was written when Steinbeck was a house watchman (John Steinbeck, 2003).It failed to return the publishers investment (John Steinbeck, 2003). His next two novels, The Pastures of enlightenment and To a God Unknown, were also unsuccessful (NSC, n. d. ). In 1930, Steinbeck unite his for the first time wife Carol Henning. The 30s also marked an improvement in his writing career, as his first lightenerary success Tortilla tied(p) was promulgated in 1935 (John Steinbeck, 2003). Tortilla Flat was later adapted into a movie. Steinbecks success continued, with the release Of Mice and Men in 1937, and The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. Soon after, he won a Pulitzer Prize for Th e Grapes of Wrath.During the Second World War, he went certify to his journalistic roots, as a correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune (NSC, n. d. ). In 1942, Steinbecks relationship with Henning ended (John Steinbeck, 2003). He then get married Gwyndolyn Conger, but the marriage did not last (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1950, he married again, this time to Elaine Scott (John Steinbeck, 2003). It was also in the 50s when he published another great book of his, East of Eden in 1952 (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature (NSC, n. d. ). Four years after, he passed away, in the 20th of December (NSC, n.d. ).Steinbecks literary pieces are filled with references to his own life. The most prominent reference was the setting. Most of his stories, if not all, feature his hometown of Salinas. This is simply proof that his hometown was very significant for him, that he refused to exclude it in his works. The Pastures of heaven is a great e xample. There is a valley in California, which is situated between Salinas and Monterey (Paik, 2006). The name of the valley is Corral de Tierra, but Steinbeck referred to this valley as pastures of heaven, hence the title of his book (Paik, 2006).Moreover, it was also found that since The Pastures of Heaven consists of short stories, Steinbecks intention to unify them may bear a coincidence to Miltons Paradise Lost (Meyer, 2007). This is no surprise, since it was one of his favorite books. Tortilla Flat is another Steinbeck novel which referenced his hometown. Tortilla Flat is another town in California, near Monterey. The theme of the story was based on King Arthur and the round of golf Table (John Steinbeck, 2003). Steinbeck might have derived this idea from another favorite book of his, Le Morte d Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory.In addition, he included the plight of farmers within the story (Pollock, 2006), the inspiration of which was probably taken from his summers as a farm hand. The Log from the sea of Cortez is another Steinbeck text that, scorn having no connection with California, was still a result of his life experiences. When Steinbeck was married to Carol, they lived in Pacific Grove (NSC, n. d. ). It was in Pacific Grove were he met Edward Ricketts, a marine biologist (John Steinbeck, 2003). They quickly became friends, probably because they divided the same interest in biology, which Steinbeck took in college.In 1940, Ricketts and Steinbeck boarded The Western Flyer, a fishing boat they hired for the expedition (Weiss, 1999). Both men explored the gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez (Weiss, 1999). Steinbeck published the book Sea of Cortez, which was re-released as The Log from the Sea of Cortez (Weiss, 1999). Steinbecks maturity as a writer is difficult to trace, simply because he started out as a journalist and later became a fiction writer. News writing and fiction writing are two different fields, both of which are re quirement parts of Steinbecks career. Nonetheless, regardless of genre, Steinbecks talent is undeniable.Only he could write with a balance of realistic naturalism and moral optimism within his stories (Phillips, 2006). Consequently, Steinbecks writing strength lies on his social commentary, the focus of which was the scotch struggles of laborers in the rural areas (Nobel base of operations 1962). His love for the California landscape is also another Steinbeck trademark, which is not always compatible with his straightforward sociological lovable of writing (Nobel Foundation, 1962). Despite this, John Steinbeck remains a remarkable author whose legacy will stay for generations.He was one of the many who created literary masterpieces that was extremely influenced by his own life and the surroundings in which he lived. References John Steinbeck (1902-1968). Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. kirjasto. sci. fi/johnstei. htm Meyer, M. J. (2007). The Pastures of Heaven. The Li terary Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. litencyc. com/php/sworks. php? rec=true&UID=7353 National Steinbeck Center (n. d. ).Biography. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. steinbeck. org/Bio. html Nobel Foundation (1962). Biography. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio. html Paik, F. (2006). Pastures of heaven. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. forbes. com/2001/11/09/1109how. html Phillips, B. (2006). SparkNote on East of Eden.Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. sparknotes. com/lit/eastofeden/context. html Pollock, F. J. (2006). SparkNote on Tortilla Flat. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. sparknotes. com/lit/tortillaflat/context. html Weiss, D. (1999). The log of the sea of Cortez. Retrieved January 29, 2008, from http//www. ecotopia. org/ astir(predicate)/cortez. html.