John Steinbeck Essays

This unforgettable novel, East of Eden, was incredible for its time and without a doubt is Steinbeck’s most memorable and philosophically poetic classic. Reading a book like this really made me come to the realization that even though this book was set in the late 19th-20th century that the meaning behind the message is more […]

What does this effect do for the tone of the book? Steinbeck foreshadowed the pivotal events based on Lennie’s psychological structure, innocence, brute strength and the pure brotherly love he holds for George. This therefore gives an overall depressing tone of the book with barely any positive events. Steinbeck first foreshadowed the pivotal events of […]

Steinbeck explores some of the multiple meanings buried in the idea of “meanness. ” A “mean” person is, like Curley who is nasty and a bully. Both George and Lennie express their hatred for that kind of people. George says that he “don’t like mean little guys”. Curley’s thirst for violence and his constant urge […]

John Steinbeck an American writer was born in the year 1902 and died in the year 1968. During his time, Steinbeck was one of the most accomplished writers and his literary works received massive popularity. Most of his novels and short stories were performed as plays on stage and that is one reason why he […]

The tension that Steinbeck creates in chapter six is very prominent; there are moments of peace and moments of despair. The first case in which Steinbeck creates tension is at the very beginning of the first chapter where the reader can hear peace. It is only after reading chapter six that the reader on hindsight […]

Burkhead, Cynthia. Student Companion to John Steinbeck. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002 Cynthia Burkhead’s book is a comprehensive discussion of John Steinbeck and some of his more well-known writings. The book begins with a brief description of Steinbeck’s career as a writer and his contributions to the literary world. The following chapters provide in-depth reviews […]

In the 1930s economic crisis, people had to move to California from different regions of America to escape business bankruptcy, severe destitution, and joblessness. This era, identified as the Great Depression, was instigated by consecutive droughts and crop disasters. Usually, mobile laborers journeyed solo to assorted farms for short-term jobs, continually shifting locations. These employees […]

In this article Thomas Scarseth tells about how John Steinbeck how the theme of greatness despite defeat throughout the novel, Of Mice and Men. Scarseth explained that real life does not have happy endings, and that other books have happy endings. The low class characters using vulgar language, and use of sexual conduct sometimes draws […]

Some of people’s favorite books are ones that are easy to relate to life, when you can put oneself in the character’s shoes and feel the struggle as it happens. The adolescent years may be filled with some of the strangest struggles in one’s life. John Steinbeck does not shy away from writing about this […]

Of Mice and Men, he reader is introduced to Crooks, an African American stable buck. Throughout the novel, the audience learns of the ongoing prejudices towards A African Americans. In chapter two of the story we learn that Smithy, one of the ranch workers, almost killed Crooks and none of the other characters were really […]

Good morning year 11 and teachers. My class has been studying the concept of ‘Adversity’ which is all about the hardship, misfortune and untoward conditions in a person’s life. John Steinbeck’s novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘What’s eating Gilbert Grape’ a movie directed by Lasse Hallstrom both thoroughly examine the social and economic adversities […]

The novel The Grapes of Wrath is in many ways a one-of-a-kind piece of literature. This work is set up unlike any other book, written in a series of chapters and inter-chapters, which do a remarkable job of informing the reader of the travels the characters in the book are going through. Not only does […]

In terms of emotional stability, there is only one thing in life that is really needed and that is friends. Without friends, people would suffer from loneliness and solitude. Loneliness leads to low self-esteem and deprivation. In the novel, Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, the characters, Crooks, Candy, and Curlys wife all exhibit […]