John Steinbeck: A Common Mans Man :: essays research papers fc

John Steinbeck A Common Mans Man"I never wrote two books alike", once said John Steinbeck (Shaw, 10). Thatmay be true, but I think that he wrote many of his novels and short storiesbased on many of the same views. He often focused on social problems, like the haves verses the "have nots", and made the reader want to encourage theunderdog. Steinbecks back base and concern for the common man made him one ofthe best writers for human rights.John Steinbeck was born in Salians, California and spent most of his life at that place or around Salians, because of that he often modeled his stories and thecharacters around the land he loved and the experiences he encountered. Helived in Salians until 1919, when he left for Stanford University, he onlyenrolled in the courses that pleased him - literature, creative writing andmajoring in Marine Biology. He left in 1925, without a degree. Even though hedidnt receive his books showed the results of his five years spent there. Hisb ooks display a considerable reading of the Greek and Roman historians, and themedieval and Renaissance fabalists and the biological sciences (Shaw 11). Hethen locomote to New York and tried his hand as a construction worker and as areporter for the American. (Covici , xxxv). Steinbeck then moved back toCalifornia and lived with his married woman at Pacific Grove. In 1934, he wrote for theSan Franciso News, he was assigned to write several articles about the 3,000migrants flooded in at Kings County. The plight of the migrant workers makehim to help and document their struggle. The money he earned from the newspaperallowed him to travel to their home and see why their reason for leaving andtraveled to California with them, share-out in with their hardships (Steinbeck,127). Because John Steinbeck was able to travel with the Okies, he was able toaccurately portray them and their struggles.Each book that he wrote had settings in the places where he has eitherlived or wanted to live. He presented the land as it was. The characters in hisstories experienced floods, drought, and other natural disasters, while in theSalians Valley (Shaw, 5).What Steinbeck wrote was very factual and in depth. He exhibited hisawareness of man and his surroundings, in his early books, before people ate, apig had to be slaughtered, and often that and before they ate, it had to becooked. Also when a automobile broke down, the characters had to find parts, and fixed