John Steinbeck 1902 1968 THE GRAPES OF WRATH

John Steinbeck (1902 -1968) THE GRAPES OF WRATH. OF MICE AND MEN.

An affair in the Salinas valley John Steinbeck was born on 27 th February 1902 in Salinas, California. His family were descendants of German immigrants and lived in a small rural town. He was the third child and the only son. Steinbeck had a comfortable but modest upbringing. During summers as a boy, Steinbeck worked as a hired hand on local ranches. He took in the sights, sounds and smells of the valley he called home and they made their mark on him. His first stories were written as a teenager in the house where he was born. Thus began John Steinbeck's love affair with the valley of his birth: an affair that would take him from a struggling writer to a Pulitzer Prize-winning author celebrated around the world. Steinbeck spent his youth soaking up the rich agricultural valley that would become the setting of many of his novels and stories.

Making ends meet while living a dream Steinbeck decided at the age of 14 that he wanted to be a writer. His mother, Olive, a former teacher, fostered his love of reading and writing, but eventually lamented his decision to make it a profession. Following graduation from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck attended Stanford University sporadically until 1925, enrolling in creative writing classes but ultimately dropped out without a degree. For the next four years, he concentrated on writing, living first in New York City and eventually returning to California. In the beginning, he had a hard time making a go of it. He struggled to find a publisher, and even after the publication of his first three novels (starting with Cup of Gold in 1929), he was still virtually unknown. with Until he became a successful writer (with his first monetary and critical success, Tortilla Flat, published in 1935) he earned a living as a carpenter, ranch hand, factory laborer, sales clerk, caretaker and reporter, and was also given financial assistance by his father in the hope that he would develop his craft. He did.

From best-sellers to blockbusters Steinbeck's most famous novel, The Grapes of Wrath (1939), won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and catapulted Steinbeck into his generation's literary elite. In 1962, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature "for his realistic and imaginative writings, combining as they do sympathetic humour and keen social perception. ". The Nobel Committee cited his great works Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath and a recent novel ‘The Winter of Our Discontent‘. He has been called "a giant of American letters, " and many of his works are considered classics of Western literature Steinbeck was typically modest, questioning whether he really deserved it. “The writer is delegated to declare and to celebrate man’s proven capacity for greatness of heart and spirit—for gallantry in defeat, for courage, compassion and love. In the endless war against weakness and despair, these are the bright rally flags of hope and of emulation. ” —Steinbeck, Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech 1962

Of Mice and Men “Of Mice and Men” is a novella written by author John Steinbeck. Published in 1937, it tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant ranch workers, who move from place to place in California in search of new job opportunities during the Great Depression in the United States. Steinbeck based the novella on his own experiences working alongside migrant farm workers as a teenager in the 1910 s. The title is taken from Robert Burns' poem "To a Mouse". While it is a book taught in many schools, ” Of Mice and Men” has been a frequent target of censors for vulgarity and what some consider offensive and racist language; consequently, it appears on the American Library Association's list of the Most Challenged Books of 21 st Century.

Characters George Milton: a small and quick man with restless eyes and sharp, strong features; both a friend a guardian of Lennie Small. One of the main characters of the novella. Lennie Small: a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, and wide, sloping shoulders. Lennie is mentally disabled. His behavior is comparable to the behavior of children. His love for soft things conspires against him, mostly because he does not know his own strength, and eventually becomes his undoing. Lennie is another main character of this story. Curley: the son of the owner of the farm. He always mocks Lennie and one day he pays for it. Curley’s wife: a young, pretty woman, who is mistrusted by her husband. Her fate played a cruel joke on her too: she died by chance through the fault of Lennie.

Plot George is a smart and resourceful guy, Lenny is a half-witted big guy, he loves animals very much, especially small mice. Once friends find a job at a farm. Lenny has always dreamed of his own farm, where he could breed rabbits and other animals. George always fed his dreams and promised that everything will be so very soon. Curley - the son of the owner of the farm, always pestered Lenny and beat him for no reason, and he, like a child, could not stop. One day Lenny decided to confront the guy and grabbed his wrists without calculating his strength, so he broke the guy's arm. Soon, Lenny inadvertently kills Curley’s wife. Realizing what he has done, a frightened man embarks on a run. Curley gathers people to find the murderer and punish him properly. George finds the friend first and decides to kill him so that Lenny does not fall into the hands of cruel people who would not let him die in peace. The story tells that Lenny is this kind of people who are not even aware of their strength, breaking out without realizing, destroying everything in their path.

Symbolism George and Lennie's Farm The farm George and Lennie hope to own is a symbol of the American Dream. Like a mirage, the farm leads George, Lennie, and other ranchers like Candy and Crooks, to indulge in the dream of living "off the fatta the lan. '" George's elaborate description of the farm's abundant plants and animals also makes it seem like a symbol of paradise. Rabbits Lennie's dream is to tend the rabbits on the farm that he and George hope to one day own. This dream establishes Lennie's complete innocence. But Lennie loves the rabbits because of their soft fur, and his love of touching soft things leads to his doom. The rabbits, then, symbolize not only innocence, but also the downfall of innocence in a harsh world. Lennie’s puppy Just as Lennie is dependent on George, Lennie's puppy is entirely dependent on Lennie. Like Lennie, the puppy symbolizes the fate of the weak in the face of the strong. Mice represent the false hope of a safe space for Lennie. He links them to his nice Aunt Clara. In fact they're all he really remembers of her. But in addition to this warm reminder, mice also make it clear that Lennie suffers from the problem of hurting what he loves. Candy's Dog Candy’s dog symbolizes the fate of those who outlive their usefulness, like those who are seen as weak in the eyes of the world.

The Grapes of Wrath, the bestknown novel by John Steinbeck, was published in 1939. It evokes the harshness of the Great Depression and arouses sympathy for the struggles of migrant farmworkers. The book came to be regarded as an American classic.

Characters Tom Joad - the central character of the novel Jim Casy – a onetime preacher Ma Joad - the mother of Noah, Tom, Rose of Sharon, Ruthie, and Winfield Pa Joad Uncle John Rose of Sharon Tom Joad's younger sister, recently married to Connie Rivers and pregnant with Connie's child Connie Rivers - the shiftless husband of Rose of Sharon. Connie dreams of taking correspondence courses that will provide him with job opportunities and the possibility of a better life Grampa Joad Grandma Joad

Plot

Themes Hope versus Hopelessness As the Joads travel across the country, they remain unsure of what they will experience when they arrive in California. Each of the Joads deals with such uncertainty in a different way; however they believe that they are starting out on a journey towards a new and better life. Death and Suffering Related to theme of hope and hopelessness, theme of death and suffering is essential to the difficult environment that the Joads face. Death is prevalent from the very beginning of the novel until the very end. Grampa dies on the first night of the trip, and Grandma dies just as the Joads enter California. Even for the Joads who are relatively healthy, unpleasant conditions still abound. Profit Over People Throughout the novel, Steinbeck emphasizes the destructive potential of money. The bank, the landowners, the driving force of money on a grand scheme leads to an impassive, unfeeling cruelty towards humanity. Some is Better than One Some people together, that is. The novel calls for unity and collective action. In sharing, in working together, the novel implies, there is strength.

Symbols One of the most important symbols in the novel comes from the New Testament. It involves Jim Casey, the former preacher, symbolically representing Jesus Christ in that he gives his life for the cause of helping others. One of the main indications of this is right before Jim Casey is killed, he yells “You fellas don’ know what you’re doin. ” Right before Jesus Christ is nailed to the cross, he says “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do. ” Toward the end of the novel, Tom talks about how he wanted to follow Jim’s ways and carry out the things that Jim wanted done. Therefore, in a way, Tom Joad represents one of the Disciples. In another biblically symbolic passage, Tom wraps up Rose of Sharon’s stillborn baby and sends him down the current of the flood water. This represents Moses’ sister Miriam wrapping him up and sending him down the Nile River.

Symbols The Turtle The turtle can be interpreted to stand as a marker for the resilient migrant people. The turtle gets hit by a car, gets turned on its back, and still continues on its way. Symbol: The Joad's Dog The Joad family’s dog is killed early in the novel. As they are on their way to California, it gets run over by a car. This foreshadows the numerous difficulties that are to come to the Joad family, and perhaps even the senseless way they are to be dismissed and treated. Symbol: Rose of Sharon, her pregnancy, her stillborn birth Rose of Sharon is pregnant from the start of the novel. Her pregnancy is a marker of hope and new beginnings as the Joads set out for California. As the novel goes on, as the hardships multiply and increase, the birth of the child in their bleak existence seems ill-timed and sad. The child is eventually born, but it is stillborn. While it may seem like and indicator of a depressing ending, the family’s resilience to move on is even more enforced, and breastfeeding the starving man showcases that despite the death of the child, the celebration of humanity is still present.

John Steinbeck is one of America's most beloved and honored writers. Described as "the bard of the people", he gave a voice to the downtrodden and dispossessed in America.