John Steinbeck Page 14

Short biography of John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. His father, John Ernst Steinbeck, was the county treasurer and his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck, was a former schoolteacher. Steinbeck’s paternal grandfather, Samuel L. Steinbeck, was born in Baden, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1867. Steinbeck’s paternal grandmother, Johanna Dorthea Steinbeck, was born in Kallstadt, Germany, and also emigrated to the United States in 1867.Steinbeck grew up in a rural area of California’s Salinas Valley, a region that would form the basis for much of his fiction.

He was educated at Salinas High School and Stanford University, but he never finished his degree. He worked as a manual laborer and as a journalist for various California newspapers before moving to New York City in 1925, where he unsuccessfully attempted to launch a career as a freelance writer.In 1929, Steinbeck married Carol Henning and the couple moved back to California. They had two children, Thomas and John Steinbeck IV. The couple divorced in 1943. Steinbeck married his second wife, Gwyndolyn Conger, in 1943. The couple had two children, Thomas Steinbeck and Anne Steinbeck. Gwyndolyn and Steinbeck divorced in 1949. Steinbeck married his third wife, Elaine Scott, in 1950.Steinbeck’s first novel, Cup of Gold (1929), was a failure. His next novel, The Pastures of Heaven (1932), was also not successful. However, Steinbeck found success with his novel Tortilla Flat (1935), which won the California Commonwealth Club’s Gold Medal.Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), and East of Eden (1952) are among Steinbeck’s best-known novels. The Grapes of Wrath (1939), Steinbeck’s most famous novel, tells the story of the Joad family, Oklahomans who are forced to migrate to California during the Great Depression in search of work. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize and was made into a successful film in 1940.Of Mice and Men (1937) is one of Steinbeck’s best-known novels. The novel tells the story of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, who travel together and dream of owning their own farm. The novel was adapted into a successful film in 1939 and has been revived several times for the stage and screen.The Pearl (1947) is a novella about a poor pearl diver who finds an enormous pearl and then must deal with the greed and violence that the pearl brings upon him and his family. The novella was adapted into a successful film in 1948.East of Eden (1952) is a novel set in the Salinas Valley that tells the story of two families.

General Essay Structure for this Topic

1. Introduction to “Of Mice and Men”
2. Steinbeck’s Use of Language in “Of Mice and Men”
3. Themes in “Of Mice and Men”
4. Characterization in “Of Mice and Men”
5. George and Lennie’s Friendship in “Of Mice and Men”
6. The American Dream in “Of Mice and Men”
7. Violence in “Of Mice and Men”
8. Discrimination in “Of Mice and Men”
9. Hope in “Of Mice and Men”
10. Legacy of “Of Mice and

Important information

Nationality: American

Spouse: Elaine Anderson Steinbeck (m. 1950–1968), Gwyndolyn Conger (m. 1943–1948)