1. Created by Ryan Clopton Edited by Ms. Barbour
John Steinbeck
Created by Ryan Clopton
Edited by Ms. Barbour

2. John Steinbeck

3. Beginnings
Salinas, California
Population-2500
John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902,
John was the third of four children, and the only boy.

4. Parents
John’s mother Olive was a former teacher, and was an educated and cheerful woman who was proud of her son, the writer.
John’s father was an accountant, and was very strict and demanding, and had expectations that John found hard to satisfy.

5. School
Back row far right
John was shy, unpopular, aloof and rather lazy, and just managed to achieve the above-average grades his family expected of him in high school
Attended Stanford University in 1919

6. Carol Henning
John met Carol at a fish hatchery near Lake Tahoe in 1929, and they were later married in 1930
In 1942 John and Carol divorced

7. Tortilla Flat
John’s first successful book Tortilla Flat was published in 1935.
A story about characters in a later-day King Arthur and his court, where the characters are indifferent to the American lust for money and success.

8. Of Mice And Men Published in 1937
Involves two farm hands in California
One named George who takes care of the innocent and stupid Lennie
Focuses on the weakness and innocence of the mentally challenged
Brought him fame
Lennie with Curley’s wife

9. The Red Pony Published in 1937
Describes boyhood initiations into life and the conflict between childhood’s heroic dreams and prosaic reality.

10. The Grapes of Wrath Published in 1939
Won Pulitzer prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940
Expresses many themes and emotions that came out of the Depression
The book for which John Steinbeck is most well known

11. Grapes of Wrath-continued
The plot involves the Joud family as they make their difficult journey west.
The book is a testimony to the hardship and exploitation suffered by the dispossessed during the depression.
The Grapes of Wrath is an epic novel; moving and compassionate; it tells a timeless story of the struggle for survival.

12. Gwyndolyn Conger Married Gwyndolyn Conger in 1943
She was a professional singer.
Had two sons-Thom in 1944 and John in 1946
Divorced in 1950

13. War correspondent
Was a war correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune in 1943
Traveled to Africa and onto Italy with the Allied invasion.
Had nightmares for months after his return to the United States
Movie written about experiences called the Moon is Down.
Bottom Right

14. Ed Ricketts A small-town marine biologist and philosopher
Appears in three of Steinbeck’s books
Was a great friend of John
John said ‘the greatest man in the world is dying and there is nothing I can do’ when he died in 1948.

15. Elaine Scott Marries Elaine Scott in 1950 Was John’s happiest marriage
They were together until John’s death from heart disease in New York in 1968.

16. East of Eden Published in 1952 One of John’s most popular books
Story of two brothers love of the same woman
A re-enacted story of Cain and Abel
Movie made in 1953

17. Travels With Charley Published in 1962
Story written about John’s travel across the United States with nobody but his wife’s poodle for company
Sold more on publication than any other Steinbeck book

18. Nobel Prize
Awarded Nobel Prize in 1962 as ‘a teacher of goodwill and charity, a defender of human values’
Went in person to receive it despite being already a sick man
Was very surprised to win such a prestigious honor

19. Honors
United States Medal of Freedom          - Trustee of John F. Kennedy Memorial Library          - Annual Paperback of the Year Award          - Press Medal of Freedom
With other Nobel winners
2nd from left

20. The Depression
Many of Steinbeck’s books involved the times and effects of the Depression.
John wanted people to remember what happened and how Americans suffered.

21. Love of the Ocean
Salinas, CA
Steinbeck had a love for the Ocean and enjoyed being around it as much as he could.
Salinas California, Steinbeck’s home and birthplace, was very close to the ocean.

22. Summary
Shunning publicity and the encumbrances of success, John Steinbeck devoted himself to his work, to understanding the inner man, to fighting-in his life as in his writing-for the causes he believed in. In so doing-in championing the poor, the unemployed, the persecuted-he created fiction which assured him a well deserved place in the ranks of America’s greats. The Nobel Prize in 1962 acknowledged the greatness that his readers had recognized for decades.

23. The End