Comparison Of John Steinbeck's Life And Work

John Ernst Steinbeck Jr was born on February 27th, 1902 in Salinas, California. To his father, John Ernst Steinbeck, a county treasurer of Monterey County and his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, a teacher. John had two elder sisters, Esther and Elizabeth, and one younger sister, Mary. John grew up in a modest home, where his father required multiple jobs to ensure his family was taken care of. For example, his father owned a “feed-and-grain” store and managed a flour plant. John a timid but intelligent child possessed an early love for the land, as seen in most of his later writing. He began his journey as an Author at the mere age of fourteen (14) by writing poems and stories while locked away in his bedroom.

He attended the Salinas High

He was awarded his Nobel prize for Literature in 1962 and in 1940 he earned his Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath. He authored 31 books during his career, some of his well-known books where; “Of Mice and Men”, “The Grapes of Wrath” and “The Pearl”. John habitually wrote on social and economic issues of his time. For example, in his 1939 novel “The Grapes of Wrath”, he spoke on themes such as; the saving power of family and fellowship, man’s inhumanity to man, the dignity of wrath and the multiplying effects of selfishness and altruism while telling a story of a dispossessed Oklahoma family during the Great Depression, during this novel he depicts the struggles they endure while recreated a life in California. He captured the disposition and angst of the people during that time. This novel was considered to be his finest and at the height of its popularity, it sold 10,000 copies per week. In the novel “Of Mice and Men” (1937) he covered the themes of the nature of dreams and aspirations and the forces that work against, people often give their lives purpose by generating dreams for the present and future, without these dreams and aspirations life becomes an “endless stream” of days without meaning or purpose. The nature of loneliness, people need contact with others to survive, this is shown throughout the novel, man’s

(2018). John Steinbeck. [online] Biography. Available at: https://www.biography.com/people/john-steinbeck-9493358 [Accessed 4 May 2018].

Nobelprize.org. (2018). John Steinbeck - Questions and Answers. [online] Available at: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-faq.html [Accessed 3 May 2018

Sparknotes.com. (2018). SparkNotes: The Grapes of Wrath: Themes. [online] Available at: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/grapesofwrath/themes/ [Accessed 3 May