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 * Where Steinbeck Got Inspiration For His Writing**

Steinbeck’s inspiration for his writing stems from his personal experiences and travels throughout his life. He grew up in the Salinas Valley in California, during the 1900’s.Most of his early life was spent writing and working as a manual laborer. Steinbeck continued writing through the Great Depression and until his death. These events and others gave him the inspiration to write many of his books.

__The Red Pony__, a novel published in 1933, recalled many of his childhood memories while living in the Salinas Valley.__Of Mice and Men__, __East of Eden__, __In Dubious Battle__, and __The Grapes of Wrath__, all include lower-class workers during the Depression Era. __Of Mice and Men__ follows the story of two migrant workers trying to achieve their dreams, during the Great Depression (Steinbeck). It was inspired by Steinbeck’s time working as a manual laborer on different farms, during the 1920’s. Steinbeck calls __East of Eden__ “…the story of my country and me…” (Pearson). The book is a representation of Steinbeck’s life as he saw it. It also makes use of migrant workers and Steinbeck uses the Salinas Valley as its setting. In Dubious Battle again uses migrant workers as a central topic. It is about an American Communist who tries to get a group of fruit pickers to strike against their employers. __The Grapes of Wrath__ focuses on a family of sharecroppers moving west, from Oklahoma, to avoid the Dust Bowl. His inspiration came after being contracted to report on the growing number of migrant works in California, by the San Francisco News. His findings shocked him and inspired him to write __The Grape of Wrath__ (NPR, Wiener).

 Not all of Steinbeck’s books were inspired by his time with migrant workers. During WWII, he worked as a war correspondent for the __New York Herald Tribune__. This would inspire many of his books, including, __Bombers Away: The Story of a Bomber Team__, __The Moon is Down__, and __A Russian Journal__. __Bombers Away: The Story of a Bomber Team__ is about Steinbeck’s experiences with bomber crews during the war. __The Moon is Down__ describes a small town occupied by enemy forces during WWII. In __A Russian Journal__, Steinbeck recalls his time spent in Soviet Russia during the Cold War (Reuben).

Obviously, Steinbeck's writing was heavily influenced by the things he saw and did during his life. Be it working as a manual laborer, researching migrant workers in California, or serving as a war correspondent during World War II, all of them had an affect on the books he chose to write.

Ethan B


 * __Works Cited__ **

"NPR : Grapes of Wrath, Present at the Creation." //NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, WordUS, Music & Arts : NPR//. 25 Feb. 2002. Web. 01 June 2010.<[]>.

Pearson, Pauline. "John Steinbeck East of Eden." //Welcome to The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, CA//. June 1995. Web. 01 June 2010. <[]>.

Reuben, Paul B. "John Steinbeck (1902-1968): A Brief Literary Biography." //California// //State University// //Stanislaus | Home//. Spring 1999. Web. 01 June 2010. <[]>.

Steinbeck, John. //Of Mice and Men//. New York: Penguin, 1993. Print.

Wiener, Gary. //Readings// //on The Grapes of Wrath//. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven, 1999. 22-23. Print.