John Steinbeck: Life,
Labors, and Legacy
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Birth and Family
CHILDHOOD
- Born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California
- His dad (John Steinbeck II, 1862-1935), was the
Monterey County treasurer.
- His mom (Olive Hamilton, 1867-1934), was a former
school teacher; praised young Steinbeck’s passion for
reading/writing.
- Worked on beet farms in Spreckels, where he endured
hard aspects of life (influenced his books).
- Family was members of the Episcopal Church, buthe later
was Agnostic.
Birth and Family
EARLY ADULTHOOD
- Graduated from Salinas HS in 1919
- Attended Stanford University (near SF), left in 1929 with
no degree.
- Married 3 women
- Carol Henning (m. 1930, div. 1943)
- Gwyn Conger (m. 1943, div. 1948)
- Elaine Scott (m. 1950)
- Had 2 children
- Thomas (1944-2016)
- John IV (1946-1991)
Friends
- Ed Ricketts
- Met in 1936 at a dentistry office.
- Best friend and mentor; marine biologist.
- George Albee
- Friends for a while, but Albee got jealous of Steinbeck.
- Talked down on him publicly, deeply hurting Steinbeck.
- Lyndon Baines Johnson
- 36th United States President
- LBJ invited Steinbeck’s family to a private dinner.
- Became a consistent guest to the White House.
- Frequently communicated about the Vietnam War.
Famous Works
- Of Mice and Men (1937)
- Realism and the Great Depression.
- Suitable for many age groups.
- Conveyed many themes using complex human relationships.
- The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
- Realism, the Great Depression, and the Dust Bowl.
- Screenshot of a phlight of US farmers and social injustice at
the time.
- Joad family is very relatable in this book.
- East of Eden (1952)
- Autobiographical of Steinbeck’s family.
- Nature of love and the consequences of a lack thereof.
- Retold part of Genesis.
- Studied in academics for its discussions of
femininity/motherhood, and its influence in Postmodernism
Writing Style
- Literary Movements
- Realism: the harsh truth of things.
- Modernism: “Make it new.” -Ezra Pound
- Postmodernism: critiquing the status quo.
- Comments on Society
- Steinbeck used his works to critique the societal norms
of the time. (e.g. social injustice, migrating farm
workers, role of women, etc.)
- He focused on the common people, showing how
difficult it was to live through a big chunk of the 1930s.
Writing Style
- Writing Methods
- “Write First, Edit Later”: he would write all his
thoughts and ideas before critiquing them and
determining what to keep and delete.
- Detailed descriptions: using words economically to
describe details with precision (think Imagism).
- Heavy on dialogue: used dialogue to move the plot
forward more compared to non-social actions.
Accolades
- He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1939 for Grapes of
Wrath.
- He won a Commonwealth Club of California Gold Medal in
1940, earning “Best Novel by a Californian” for Tortilla Flat.
- He won the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1962) for his
realistic takes on society.
Death and Legacy
- Death
- Died on December 20th, 1968, at 66 years old.
- Died in New York, NY, of heart failure.
- Buried at Garden of Memories (memorial park) in
Salinas, CA.
- Legacy
- Led farm workers to stand up for themselves.
- Recognized as an academic intellectual.
- Gave a historical POV on the Great Depression, the
Dust Bowl, and several US/worldwide political
movements.
Conclusion
- John Steinbeck is an important author in US literature.
- His life and work has earned him various accolades.
- His legacy lives on to this day and influences writers around
the world.
Sources
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