John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, and died in New York City, New York on December 20, 1968. He is of English, German, and Irish descent. In 1919, Steinbeck graduated from Salinas High School, and went to Stanford University to study English literature. He didn’t get a degree when he left in 1925 to return to New York City. He pursued his dream of being a writer while working part-time jobs. When his writing career didn’t pan out as expected, he returned to California where he worked as a tour guide in 1928. In 1930, after getting married, he made mannequins with his friends to try and make money. Steinbeck wrote twenty-seven books comprised of sixteen novels, six non-fiction books, and five short story collections. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 for his work on The Grapes of Wrath.
Steinbeck’s grandfather on his father’s side of the family was an immigrant. He immigrated to the US from Germany. As a little kid, Steinbeck heard stories about his grandfather’s difficulties and life in America. Steinbeck worked on the farm, and lived with migrants in farmhouses on occasion. Steinbeck noticed the farm’s land and buildings, and these observations influenced the setting and farm life in the Grapes of Wrath. During the Great Depression, Steinbeck and his wife were around many migrants like them. Hundreds of thousands of people moved to California in search for a better life during the Great Depression. The Joad family saw that roughly 300,000 “migrants [moved] to California,” (158). He had a boat where he could find fish, crab, and other seafood. He got fresh vegetables from his garden and local farms. They would share all the food they got with the migrants. This wasn’t enough food for him and his wife to last through the Great Depression. As a result, they had to receive welfare from the government and, at times, stole food from farms and markets. These conditions were very similar to the ones the Joad family experienced in The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad family “shared their...food,” (131) with other immigrants, much like Steinbeck and his wife did during the Great Depression. In California during the Great Depression, when Steinbeck lived there, there weren’t many jobs. People lost many jobs and there 2.36 people per available job. When the Joad family reached California, they were told by a man who lived there for some time that “jobs is scarce-[regular] jobs,” (276).
Steinbeck’s grandfather on his father’s side of the family was an immigrant. He immigrated to the US from Germany. As a little kid, Steinbeck heard stories about his grandfather’s difficulties and life in America. Steinbeck worked on the farm, and lived with migrants in farmhouses on occasion. Steinbeck noticed the farm’s land and buildings, and these observations influenced the setting and farm life in the Grapes of Wrath. During the Great Depression, Steinbeck and his wife were around many migrants like them. Hundreds of thousands of people moved to California in search for a better life during the Great Depression. The Joad family saw that roughly 300,000 “migrants [moved] to California,” (158). He had a boat where he could find fish, crab, and other seafood. He got fresh vegetables from his garden and local farms. They would share all the food they got with the migrants. This wasn’t enough food for him and his wife to last through the Great Depression. As a result, they had to receive welfare from the government and, at times, stole food from farms and markets. These conditions were very similar to the ones the Joad family experienced in The Grapes of Wrath. The Joad family “shared their...food,” (131) with other immigrants, much like Steinbeck and his wife did during the Great Depression. In California during the Great Depression, when Steinbeck lived there, there weren’t many jobs. People lost many jobs and there 2.36 people per available job. When the Joad family reached California, they were told by a man who lived there for some time that “jobs is scarce-[regular] jobs,” (276).