Steinbeck was a US writer and the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature winner. Born in 1902 in Salinas, California, his family immigrated to the US in 1858 from Germany, England, and Ireland (Pratt). The author’s mother was a former teacher who encouraged his love of reading and writing, while his father was the Monterey County Treasurer. The family lived in a rural valley with fertile soil near the Pacific coast. During breaks and summers, while studying at Stanford University, he labored with other migrant workers on nearby ranches. After dropping their studies, Steinbeck relocated to New York as a writer, where he met his first wife.
Steinbeck lived when the US experienced significant challenges that influenced his writing. The author shared the Great Depression of 1929 to 1939 that affected economies globally. The author also lived during the 1930- 1936 period of the Dust Bowl (Nobel Prize Organization). Severe dust storms that occurred during the Dust Bowl impacted the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian plains.
Historical events such as the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl period influenced the work of Steinbeck. The events represented a time when banks failed; unemployment skyrocketed with drought forcing families to flee west to farm in California (Britannica). Novels like In Dubious Battle, The Grapes of Wrath, and Mice and Men were highly influenced by the writer’s experience with these historical events. In the novel In Dubious Battle, Steinback writes about the abuse of farmers who tried to organize for strikes demanding fair wages.
Lennie Small and George Milton, two displaced migrant ranch workers, are described in the novel Of Mice and Men as they attempt to travel California in search of employment during the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the backdrop for the book The Grapes of Wrath. The Joads and Okies are the main subject of the book. They moved to California as a result of financial hardship, the drought, changes in the agriculture industry, and bank closures. Most of Steinbeck’s novels are highly influenced by historical events in the US.
Works Cited
Britannica. “John Steinbeck.” Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Web.
Nobel Prize Organization. “The Nobel Prize in Literature 1962.” NobelPrize.org, Nobel Prize Outreach AB, 2023, Web.
Pratt, Linda Ray. Great Plains Literature. Bison Books, 2018, Web.