1. And how his life influenced his works

2.  John Steinbeck is an American author who grew up in Salinas, California  John Steinbeck wrote many works, the most noted of which include The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, and East of Eden http://www.salinasvalleyez.com/

3.  Steinbeck worked on a ranch in his younger days, and during those days he was around migrant workers.  Steinbeck learned many things about the migrant workers, like the dreams that motivated them and the harsh living they had to endure.

4.  Steinbeck used his experience with migrant laborers to make Of Mice and Men the piece of classic literature that it was in its time, and still is today.

5.  Steinbeck’s ranch work may have also played a part, as it showed him how bad migrant life can be, and the Dust Bowl caused many families to become migrant workers.  Steinbeck showed a sympathy towards the working class (which the FBI wasn’t happy with), and showed America how bad the Dust Bowl really was for many people. http://i2.listal.com/image/226 444/600full-the-grapes-of- wrath-poster.jpg

6. Steinbeck considered East of Eden his greatest work. The story centers around the Hamilton family and the Trask family. It is primarily about Caleb and Aaron Trask, who show similarity to Cain and Abel, and describes their lives in even greater detail. The story takes place in Salinas, and deals with betrayal, a longing for acceptance, and many other things. This book touches on so many things, it’s hard to summarize. However, if you’ve read any of Steinbeck’s works and liked them, chances are you’d like this one too. (He did consider this his greatest)

7. Steinbeck wrote East of Eden for his two sons, explaining the sights, smells, and sounds of Salinas Valley. Steinbeck’s living in Salinas provided him with the details he used to write East of Eden, and a younger version of himself appears in the book as well. Steinbeck was also quoted saying "I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this.“, showing another way his life influenced East of Eden.

8. All in all, Steinbeck’s work on ranches and his hometown of Salinas played a crucial role in the development of his books.

9.  Wikipedia, 24 September, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Steinbeck 30 September, 2011.  Wikipedia, 26 September, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_of_Eden_%28novel%29.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_of_Eden_%28novel%29 30 September, 2011.  John Steinbeck “ Of Mice and Men” 1937  John Steinbeck “ The Grapes of Wrath” 1939  Salinas Valley Enterprise Zone 2011 http://www.salinasvalleyez.com/http://www.salinasvalleyez.com/ 6 Oct, 2011  http://i2.listal.com/image/226444/600full-the-grapes-of-wrath-poster.jpg