The Greatness of John Steinbeck - 1761 Words

The Greatness of Steinbeck Why is faith and friendship a vital part of life? In his writing, John Steinbeck beautifully captured life in the United States during the 20th century. In 1929, the stock market crashed, sparking the Great Depression. The Great Depression was a worldwide economic depression that occurred in the 20th century. It had devastating effects on everyone, from the rich to the poor. After the Great Depression, Steinbeck published Of Mice and Men, a book about two men, George and the mentally unstable Lennie, and their dream of one day owning land. Steinbeck faced many challenges during this time period, yet always continued to write. The Pearl is another book that looks at challenging times and uses the protagonist, Kino’s, faith as a means to overcome them. He found inspiration for his writing from his faith, family and friendships. In two of Steinbeck’s most notable stories, Of Mice and Men and The Pearl, the author argues that friendship and faith have the ability to bring h appiness out of difficult situations. If one can find a way to live with his or her faith and friendships intact, then he or she will have a better chance of achieving personal and professional success. John Steinbeck Jr. was born in Salinas, California in 1902 and lived in a small rural town where he was one of four children. He graduated Salinas High School at seventeen years old. His mother, Olive Hamilton, was a schoolteacher who influenced his love of reading, while hisShow MoreRelatedJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1243 Words   |  5 PagesLoneliness is an emotion of isolation and no hope or dreams in life, which is what John Steinbeck achieves by portraying this through the characters in his novella Of Mice and Men. The main characters are affected by loneliness in their own different way throughout the novella. rf The loneliness is maintained by the challenges that the characters have to face, and they sustain those challenges of being inhumane towards each other. Crook, a figure in the story who experiences discrimination encountersRead More Symbolism In The Pearl Essay531 Words   |  3 PagesSymbolism in The Pearl by John Steinbeck   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Novels were created to show a very naive view in great depth. The Pearl is a novel in its most complete form. Steinbeck does this by conveying life symbolically. Through symbols, John offers the reader a clearer look at life and it?s content. He shows major imagery in four ways: Kino, music, Coyotito, and the Pearl of the World.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kino overall symbolizes clearly good and innocent. Kino is thought of as a wise, primitive man who is hungryRead MoreSetting in John Steinbeck ´s East of Eden1083 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s, East of Eden, is set in the Salinas Valley, a secluded area of Northern California. The Salinas River runs through this beautiful, yet unforgiving land and provides fertility to the dry land. While the valley has a rich geographical history spanning from sea, to forest, and then to the present day valley, it is a difficult destination to find prosperity. Two dramatic mountain ranges form the landscape of the valley that the author uses to exemplify the idea of good and evil. ThisRead MoreOf Mice and Men1242 Words   |  5 Pagestravelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crime was rampant and despair was a fellow traveller. This is the setting of John Steinbeck s, ‘Of Mice and Men . The novel explores the predatory nature of human existence. It explores loneliness, isolation and friendship. A major theme is that of the illusionary nature of ‘Dreams . In particular, ‘The American Dream . ToRead More Discuss the theme of the Dream in Of Mice and Men. Essay936 Words   |  4 Pagesand Men. â€Å"Everyone in the world has a dream he knows can’t Come off but he spends his life hoping it may. This is at once The sadness and greatness and the triumph of our species† John Steinbeck ============== Discuss the theme of the Dream in ‘Of Mice and Men’. Steinbeck’s quote above portrays an important aspect of ‘Of Mice and Men’. Steinbeck remarks on how people can create a dream and how they can have positive and negative effects from them. A dream is human nature, where a personRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1279 Words   |  6 PagesHistory, is the story among which all literary works are linked to, and this statement is true more than any other in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Whether one believes that all stories in the Bible have actually happened or not, at least some concepts of them did. How would a writer arrive at the ideas of two brothers and jealousy of love, without having seen it or felt it before? Yet again, how would these ideas survive for so long, unless many people felt them as well and connected to them. TheRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s Of Mice And Men1397 Words   |  6 Pagesa better life. In John Steinbeck s â€Å"Of Mice and Men,† two migrant workers have a dream of, one day, achieving prosperity through obtaining a ranch of their own. Throughout their endeavor, however, it is shown that their ambitions are torn down, never to be accomplished. As discerned throughout this novella, it is probab le that through George, Lennie, and even Curley’s wife that Steinbeck is trying to send the reader a message about the actuality of the American Dream.† Steinbeck exemplifies throughRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1742 Words   |  7 PagesI. SUBJECT John Steinbeck’s East of Eden centers on the Trask and Hamilton families in the year 1902 in the Salinas Valley, California. After growing up in Connecticut alongside his brother Charles under the harsh parenting and rejection of his father, Adam Trask seeks to find happiness and peace. He vows to be a better man than his father and feels the rolling valleys of California calling him. One night, Cathy Ames crawls onto the doorstep of Adam and Charles’ home after her boyfriend attemptedRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book The Grapes Of Wrath 1193 Words   |  5 Pagesprosperity with the will to succeed, while the upper classes gradually lose that persistence and drive over time. John Steinbeck, the author of the book the film is based on, realized that no matter how hard people who belong to the same class strived, due to their social and economic circumstances and limitations of the American system, they would not necessarily achieve American greatness or individual succes s. Americans speak about the idea of the â€Å"American Dream† often in inclusive terms. AnyoneRead MoreThe Grapes Of Wrath By Jim Casey Essay1484 Words   |  6 Pagesthe Joad family first experienced the wrath of the Great Depression, they were losing faith. As their faith is running out, so is there basic knowledge of doing good. Common good is something everyone has to strive to achieve. Jim Casy strives for greatness whenever he is doing something for the common good of the people he is with. He does the right thing all the time, even when he does not feel like doing it. He encourages to do good for the better of others. The principles during The Great Depression