Of Mice And Men An Author for the Common Man
Of Mice And Men An Author for the Common Man
He is the son of what today would be termed middle class parents, yet John Steinbeck does not use that part of society for much of his highly acclaimed works. His treatment of the common man makes him a uniquely American author of the Twentieth Century. John Steinbeck’s life plays a major role in what he writes which reflects a pessimistic view of America and his sympathy for the poor and oppressed.
The son of John and Olive Steinbeck, John Steinbeck was born and reared in and around the Salinas Valley in California. His father was a county treasurer, his mother a schoolteacher . Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California and died on December 20, 1968 in New York, New York (“John” Gale Group Online). His ashes were placed in the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Salinas, California (“John World” 1).
From 1915-1919 Steinbeck attended Salinas High School (“Chronology” 1). Graduating at the top of his class, Steinbeck decided to attend Stanford University as an English major. He pursued a program of independent study where his attendance was sporadic (“John World” 1). While at Stanford, he also studied marine biology, which would have an impact on him later in life (“John World” 1). He left Stanford permanently in 1926 without taking a degree to pursue his writing career. On January 14, 1930 Steinbeck married his first wife, Carol Henning. She became John’s first of three wives (“Chronology” 1). They stayed married for thirteen years until divorcing in early 1943. Gwyn Conger became Steinbeck’s second wife on March 29, 1943. He had two children from this marriage; his first was born on August 2, 1944. The couple named their son Thom. Less than two years later they had their second son, John IV, born on June12, 1946 (“Chronology” 2). Gwyn and John’s romance is short lived as their marriage lasted only five years and they were divorced in 1948. His third and final marriage was on December 29, 1950 to Elaine Scott. Steinbeck remained married to Elaine for the rest of his life (“John” Gale Group Online). Some of the jobs Steinbeck held influenced his works and where he lived at the time. For two years Steinbeck lived and worked with migrants seeking to lend authenticity to his account and to deepen his understanding of their plight (“Overview”...