Written by: Angelia Greiner

The Early Years The Great Depression Later Writings Steinbeck’s Style John Steinbeck

Steinbeck Enters His Writing "Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book." —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Born in Salinas, California Family: working parents and 3 sisters Graduated Salinas High School Attended Stanford University Worked on freelance writing Early Years

Steinbeck Video Single click screen to view video

Steinbeck’s Small World Salinas, California Steinbeck set novels in valley Mix of cultures from valley influenced writings Own experiences growing up there influenced writings

Boyhood Home Steinbeck started writing career in this home

Salinas Growing Up Some of most famous books center on area

Moved to New York City 1925 Moved back to California a year later Published Cup of Gold in 1929 Married Carol Henning in 1930 Great Depression changed Steinbeck’s writing Steinbeck’s World Enlarges

Great Depression Hits! Stock market Crash 1929 Midwest experienced “dustbowl” in 1930s Tenant farmers, sharecroppers and small farm owners left penniless Displaced desperate families moved west

Dustbowl Midwest Banks call in loans from small farmers Farmers are told to cut back on production of goods Severe drought hits the Midwest

Dust Bowl Video Single click screen to view video

Farm foreclosure sale in Idaho in the 1930s A Matter of Survival

At the Mercy of Strangers Families left destroyed land to seek new life in CA

Write about Survival

Young Migrant Worker

Novels set in Salinas Valley Characters are common men and women Themes: people’s connection to environment Steinbeck Writes of Home

Person and Environment Are One “…the trees and the muscled mountains are the world – but not the world apart from man – the world and man – the one inseparable unit man and his environment. Why they should ever have been understood as separate I do not know.” —John Steinbeck

The Pastures of Heaven 1932 The Red Pony 1933 The Murder wins the O.Henry Prize 1934 To a God Unknown 1933 Tortilla Flat 1935 Early Career

1936: The Dubious Battle 1937: Of Mice and Men 1938: The Long Valley Early Career

The Grapes of Wrath

1939: The Grapes of Wrath 1940: The Grapes of Wrath movie released 1940: received the Pulitzer Prize for the novel Exposed exploitation and suffering of farm workers Described resilience of common people Steinbeck’s Defining Moment

The Complications of Fame Steinbeck wrote: “The vilification of me out here from the large landowners and bankers is pretty bad. The latest is a rumor started by them that the Okies hate me and have threatened to kill me for lying about them. I'm frightened at the rolling might of this damned thing, It is completely out of hand; I mean a kind of hysteria about the book is growing that is not healthy.” Single click the speaker icon or audio words to hear the clip >>>>

Same Settings: New Players 1938: The Chrysanthemums 1941: Forgotten Village 1942: The Moon is Down

Steinbeck and Ricketts Steinbeck’s friend was drafted Steinbeck unable to enlist as soldier Became war correspondent

Hitchcock Inspired Steinbeck 1942: Bombs Away 1944: Movie “Lifeboat” for Hitchcock

Writing From the Road Moves to New York War correspondent for New York Herald Tribune 1945: Cannery Row published 1947: The Pearl published Moves home to research Salinas Valley Divorces second wife and remarries

Back in California 1951: The Log from the Sea of Cortez 1952: East of Eden published

1954: Sweet Thursday The Short Reign of Pippin IV : Once There Was a War 1961: The Winter of Our Discontent 1962: Travels With Charley: In Search of America 1966: America and Americans Later Writings

Travels with Charley Traveled with his dog Charley Wanted to reconnect with America and Americans Traveled the country

Writing Advice ‘“Don’t think for a moment that you will ever be forgiven for being what they call ‘different.’ You won’t! I still have not been forgiven. Only when I am delivered in a pine box will I be considered ‘safe.’ After I had written the Grapes of Wrath and it had been to a large extent read and sometimes burned, the librarians at the Salinas Public Library, who had known my folks remarked that is was lucky my parents were dead so that they did not have to suffer this shame.”’ Single click the speaker icon or audio words to hear the clip >>>>

Purpose of Literature Concern for the welfare of common people Expose the corrupt actions of others Celebrate the resilience of people Sinclair Lewis

Rugged Individualism Steinbeck once stated: “Socialism is just another form of religion, and thus delusional.” Faith in one’s own power

Steinbeck’s Politics Knew F.D.R. personally Wrote speeches for other presidents “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts…perhaps the fear of a loss of power.” – John Steinbeck F.D.R.

Nobel Prize for Literature “The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit – for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. I hold that a writer who does not passionately believe in the perfectibility of man has no dedication nor any membership in literature.” —John Steinbeck 1962

Steinbeck considered one of three notable naturalist writers All had a background in journalism All focused on the power inherent to nature Also focused on extremes people go to to survive Naturalism contrasted to Realism Naturalism Jack London

Qualities of Naturalism Everyone has emotions that lead to unacceptable behavior Man struggles to survive in an indifferent environment The environment influences one’s development Belief in Determinism

Write What You Know

1962: Steinbeck accepted the Nobel Prize in Stockholm 1967: Traveled to report on Vietnam 1968: Died December 20 th in New York Later Years

Eulogy “John Steinbeck's first great book was his last great book. But Good Lord, what a book that was and is: The Grapes of Wrath.” Poore concluded: “His place in [U.S.] literature is secure. And it lives on in the works of innumerable writers who learned from him how to present the forgotten man unforgettably.”

1939 – Of Mice and Men 1940 – The Grapes of Wrath 1941 – The Forgotten Village 1942 – Tortilla Flat 1943 – The Moon is Down 1944 – Lifeboat 1944 – A Medal for Benny 1947 – La Perla (The Pearl, Mexico) 1949 – The Red Pony 1952 – Viva Zapata! 1955 – East of Eden 1956 – The Wayward Bus 1961 – Flight 1982 – Cannery Row 1992 – Of Mice and Men Film Credits

Tortilla Flat “It is not good to have so many breakable things around...When they are broken you become sad. It is much better to never have had them.”

Cannery Row “The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.” (John Steinbeck, Cannery Row) Single click the speaker icon or audio words to hear the clip >>>>

Self-Reliance

The Red Pony “At nine o'clock the wind sprang up and howled around the barn. And in spite of his worry, Jody grew sleepy. He got into his blankets and went to sleep, but the breathy groans of the pony sounded in his dreams. And in his sleep he heard a crashing noise which went on and on until it awakened him. The wind was rushing through the barn. He sprang up and looked down the lane of the stall. The barn door had blown open, and the pony was gone.” Single click the speaker icon or audio words to hear the clip >>>>

Of Mice and Men “Free men cannot start a war,” Steinbeck wrote in the book, “but once it is started, they can fight on in defeat. Herd men, followers of a leader, cannot do that, and so it is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars.” Single click the speaker icon or audio words to hear the clip >>>>

The Grapes of Wrath “I know this – a man got to do what he got to do.”

The Pearl “An accident could happen to these oysters, a grain of sand could lie in the folds of muscle and irritate the flesh until in self- protection the flesh coated the foreign body until it fell free in some tidal flurry or until the oyster was destroyed.”

The Pearl as a Parable

East of Eden “It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure on the world.” (John Steinbeck, East of Eden)

The Winter of Our Discontent “While I combed my hair, I looked in the mirror. I hadn’t seen my face in some time. It’s quite possible to shave everyday and never really see your face, particularly if you don’t care much for it. Beauty is only skin deep, and also beauty comes from the inside. It better be the second if I was to get anywhere. It isn’t that I have an ugly face. To me, it just isn’t interesting. I made a few expressions in the mirror and gave it up.” Single click the speaker icon or audio words to hear the clip >>>>

Naturalist writer Champion of the common man Sense of Humor Rugged Individualism “And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected.” -- John Steinbeck John Steinbeck The Man

Steinbeck’s Personality

Writing in Layers of Meaning

Regionalism Colloquialism Allusions John Steinbeck Style

Read around world Pioneer in writing with ecological perspective Model for individual freedom of thought Concluding Thoughts: Steinbeck’s Legacy