John Steinbeck Essay

ass Steinbeck is simply iodine of Americas finest storytellers. He is an carry out author and a Nobel Laureate in Literature. However, his road to success was not easy. His introductory novels failed to attract attention, and it took legion(predicate) years beforehand he got the recognition he deserved. worry most writers, his experiences and his hometown were crucial in the fundament of his stories. Thus, Steinbecks works were greatly influenced by his sustenance and the environment in which he lived. prat Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California (National Steinbeck oculus NSC, n. d. ).His p arents were can Steinbeck, Sr., and olive Hamilton Steinbeck. His father was a County Treasurer and his incur was a school teacher (NSC, n. d. ). It was his sire who was responsible for his have sex of reading and constitution ( deception Steinbeck, 2003). His popular makes include Le Morte d Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory, villainy and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky and Paradise muzzy by commode Milton (John Steinbeck, 2003). He usually spent his summer vacations works on ranches and farms (NSC, n. d. ). It is from this experience where he derived his intimacy 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 m each jobs, which led him to miss some(prenominal) quarters of school (John Steinbeck, 2003). He was already a writer in college, with several poems and short stories include in university publications as proof (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1925, Steinbeck left-hand(a) Stanford University and proceeded to New York to start his writing calling (NSC, n. d. ).He began his writing career in New York as a newsman for American (John Steinbeck, 2003). contempt this picture writing stint, Steinbeck was ca lm down unsuccessful in terms of lying. He failed to publish any of his written works, forcing him to effect to California (NSC, n. d. ). He was still a writer, only when he also had other jobs as well. His jobs included fruit picking, painting, surveying, being 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 nirvana and To a God Unknown, were also unsuccessful (NSC, n. d. ). In 1930, Steinbeck matrimonial his first wife chirrup Henning. The 30s also marked an improvement in his writing career, as his first illumeerary success Tortilla Flat was published in 1935 (John Steinbeck, 2003). Tortilla Flat was later commensurate into a movie. Steinbecks success continued, with the anaesthetize Of Mice and Men in 1937, and The Grapes of Wrath in 1939. Soon after, he won a Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath.During the Second World War, he went back 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 married Gwyndolyn Conger, only if the marriage did not last (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1950, he married again, this judgment of conviction to Elaine Scott (John Steinbeck, 2003). It was also in the 50s when he published some other great book of his, easternmost of Eden in 1952 (John Steinbeck, 2003). In 1962, Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature (NSC, n. d. ). quartette years after, he passed away, in the twentieth of December (NSC, n.d. ).Steinbecks literary pieces are filled with references to his own life. The most bragging(a) reference was the setting. Most of his stories, if not all, vaunt his hometown of Salinas. This is only proof that his hometown was very hearty for him, that he refused to exclu de it in his works. The Pastures of promised land is a great example. There is a valley in California, which is located amongst 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 patronage of his book (Paik, 2006).Moreover, it was also found that since The Pastures of Heaven consists of short stories, Steinbecks intention to mingle them may bear a proportion to Miltons Paradise Lost (Meyer, 2007). This is no surprise, since it was one of his favorite books. Tortilla Flat is other Steinbeck novel which referenced his hometown. Tortilla Flat is other town in California, near Monterey. The reputation of the story was based on index Arthur and the Round Table (John Steinbeck, 2003). Steinbeck big businessman 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, 200 6), the enthusiasm of which was probably taken from his summers as a farmhand. The Log from the ocean of Cortez is another Steinbeck text that, despite 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 pronto became friends, probably because they shared the same post in biology, which Steinbeck took in college.In 1940, Ricketts and Steinbeck boarded The westward Flyer, a fishing boat they chartered for the expedition (Weiss, 1999). Both men explored the disconnect 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 adulthood as a writer is knockout to trace, simply because he started out as a journalist and later became a fiction writ er. News writing and fiction writing are two divergent fields, both of which are essential move of Steinbecks career. Nonetheless, regardless of genre, Steinbecks endowment is undeniable.Only he could write with a balance of realistic naturalism and moral optimism within his stories (Phillips, 2006). Consequently, Steinbecks writing specialty lies on his social commentary, the focus of which was the stinting struggles of laborers in the rural areas (Nobel Foundation 1962). His love for the California landscape is also another Steinbeck trademark, which is not always compatible with his frank sociological kind of writing (Nobel Foundation, 1962). Despite this, John Steinbeck remains a infrequent author whose legacy will sojourn 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. s ci. fi/johnstei. htm Meyer, M. J. (2007). The Pastures of Heaven. The Literary 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. hypertext markup language 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/ close to/cortez. html.