John Steinbeck was born to middle-lower class family in the farming

The novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck emphasizes the division in social classes and social structure based on power. The novel and its themes are based around the characters’ interactions and decisions. Their motivations come directly from other characters, and the social construct on the ranch that controls the characters within the novel. Each character has their own journey of giving into the powers that control their society and lives which leads to each of their own inescapable demises.

I. John Steinbeck used his personal experiences as a laborer to write many of his novels like Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.

In this novella, I developed a thesis statement, which is: The pearl kept Kino moving forward because it represented hope during a period in his life. I chose this thesis statement because one of the aspects that makes this story move forward is Kino’s hope and greed; even if this greed is based on his hope. Steinbeck quotes: “Every man suddenly became related to Kino’s pearl, the schemes, the plans, the futures, the wishes, the needs, the lusts, the hungers of everyone, and only one person stood in the way and that was Kino, so he became curiously everyman’s enemy” (Steinbeck, 27).

Of mice and men, published in 1937 is one of the most important and influential novels of John Steinbeck. The American author was born in 1902 in Salinas, California in the United States. Salinas was a prosperous farming community in 1920’s .Therefore, the geography and demographics of Steinbeck’s place of origin greatly influenced Steinbeck’s novels and development of his characters who have a strong identification with land. Steinbeck developed strong interest in writing in early adolescence in high school and after that, he was enrolled at Stanford University in 1919 which gave him opportunity to sharpen his writing skills majoring in English. The author is widely known for writing novels including award winning The Grapes of Wrath written

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty,” said Mother Teresa. Humanity has struggled against being left alone and being lonely for a long time. As a result, humans formed a society where they could be together. On the other hand, there are still people who are left out of the society. In other words, there are still people out there who are marginalized, not accepted fairly to the society. John Steinbeck shows the marginalized people’s lives in his novel, Of Mice and Men. In his novel, characters such as Lennie, George, Candy, Curley’s wife, Crooks, and even the ranch workers, are marginalized from the society. Ranch workers like George, Candy, and Lennie have nowhere to go, and they do not have anybody to care for them. Especially for Lennie, he is mentally challenged, too. Crooks, being the colored man, suffers from discrimination. Curley’s wife is constantly surrounded with loneliness. In Of Mice and Men, marginalized people who are neglected from the society, create a society of their own; they share their dreams and help each other out although they are all different from each other.

What exactly influenced Steinbeck’s writings? Was it his background, his past, or was it the way he grew up and learned. There are many factors that come into play when trying to depict what exactly influenced an author. A lot of people believe that he was heavily influenced by California, where he lived. As many as nine of his works were proven to be based off of some part of california life in his time. But not all of his inspiration could simply come from California.

In early September 1936, Steinbeck went back to Salinas to find that there was a violent clash between growers and workers over a strike that resulted in riots and killings. This turned Steinbeck upside down, because now it was not only something happening in California, but was happening in the town where he grew up.

He was born in 1902 and died in 1966. He won the Nobel Prize in literature and the

Having The Grapes of Wrath and Their Eyes Were Watching God on my library shelf occurred because the two novels are required summer reading for my junior year language arts class. I doubt I ever would have read Hurston’s book, but Steinbeck’s book is known to me. So, I took advantage of this opportunity, to become involved with Tom Joad (and his family) and Janie Crawford (and her grandmother and three husbands). From my reading, I saw connections with the issues of power and self-fulfillment, survival, family life and relationship, and community connections. Both books take place in the 1930’s; one in rural Florida and the other from Oklahoma to California. The writing style in the books relies on conversation indicative to the identity of the characters and the setting. The initial problem I had is reading the southern dialect spoken by the characters in Hurston’s book and the migrant’s choice of words and speech patterns in Steinbeck’s book. Eventually, I succumbed to it and became engaged with the character 's determination and the impact of events on their lives as the stories evolved.

The average American is notably diverse and very apparent amongst the global population around the world. Differentiating the average American to a foreigner would be through the elements of their respective cultures, lifestyles, and character. Perspectives based off types of arts, music, media, creates a unique type of perception of the average American.

Every great writer had their own influences, John Steinbeck was no exception. Steinbeck’s influences cam from family, friends, and his environment to write detailed descriptions to involve or influence the reader. Whenever someone reads one of John Steinbeck’s works they are in immersed in the scene he is describing, he makes you feel as if you are right there experiencing everything there first hand.

The Great Depression broke down security and belief in American society during the early 20th century and brought out hidden prejudices. The once optimistic mood during the Roaring 20’s turned to pain. The dire economic situation caused Americans to return to past social stigmas where certain groups of people were seen as inferior; as a result, the American Dream, where everyone could seek their ideal of success, was reduced to merely a dream. John Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Like in his later work, The Grapes of Wrath, he was inspired by his environment to expose the lives of people during the Great Depression using Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck observed these changes in social behavior and witnessed the plight of many Americans during the Great Depression. Steinbeck demonstrates in Of Mice and Men through the characters that the American Dream was naturally discriminatory towards certain groups of people because of common perceptions held during that period.

Throughout the history of humankind, inequality has always played a key role in shaping the world. Prejudice has placed certain people at a higher status than others. Due to discrimination, those who are different will suffer the consequences of social inequality. This scenario can be seen throughout the world, from politics to a nation’s justice system. Those who are at a disadvantage, such as living in poverty, being lonely, and having mentally or physically challenges, will succumb to the harassment of social inequality. This is taught in modern age classics such as John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, Harper Lee’s novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Zara Neale Hurston’s short story, “Sweat.” Powerful symbols and memorable plots portray

In Steinbeck’s novel, the majority of the story takes place on reasonably large ranch run by a number of low-paid workers. On the ranch there are three main buildings: a barn, the bunkhouse, and the house where the owner of the land lives. The workers lived in the bunkhouse, and the black man lived in the barn. This was a very accurate description of what life would be like because racism was still prominent during this time.

“They had no argument, no system, nothing but their numbers and their needs. When there was work for a man, ten men fought for it – fought with a low wage. If that fella’ll work for thirty cents, I’ll work for twenty-five” (Steinbeck, Grapes 296). The renowned novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a realistic portrayal of life during the 30’s when the Dust Bowl swept across the nation, causing many to fall deeper into the depression. This caused many families to leave their homes in search of a safer and more hopeful land. The Grapes of Wrath follows Tom Joad, his family, and many other migrant farmers as they migrate from their Oklahoma farms into their new, hope filled life in California. The struggles that these characters endure throughout the novel compel the reader to wonder about the so-called American dream as well as the promises and declarations America has made to its people. As Americans, we feel the need to challenge whether or not the United States is truly living up to its promises as “the land of the free and home of the brave” and its promise for “liberty and justice for all”, especially when examining such a depressing time period in American history when jobs, land, and hope were so scarce.